World Cup winner explains what Cristiano Ronaldo can bring to MLS that Lionel Messi hasn't at Inter Miami as CR7 tipped to swap Saudi Arabia for America

Marcel Desailly, who starred as France lifted the World Cup on home soil in 1998, suggests that Ronaldo could take MLS to a new level ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America. He acknowledges that Messi's time at Inter Miami has inspired more interest in the game in the U.S. but claims that Ronaldo is even more commercially appealing.

Desailly told Oddspedia: "I'd like to see Cristiano Ronaldo in America, because of the 2026 World Cup. Look at the World Cup in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia decided to use sports like tennis, golf and now football. We brought the best players to Saudi, which brought football to Asia, India, China, the Philippines, Vietnam and more. I would love to see Cristiano in America for the same reasons - he will bring the culture of soccer, which they don’t have yet. Messi has brought energy, but Cristiano could bring a real interest from sponsors, big brands that don’t yet sponsor football."

No MLS club has openly spoken about attracting Ronaldo to the league but the idea of signing him is one that is shared by several experts. ESPN analyst Herculez Gomez claimed recently that if the five-time Ballon d'Or winner joined Messi in America, "everybody in the world will watch the league".

Latest reports suggest that Ronaldo will extend his contract with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, with his current deal set to end in June. There has also been a suggestion that he could join a team competing in the Club World Cup on a short-term deal.