International football star Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly stumped up $18.5m for a luxury apartment in U.S. Presidential Candidate Donald Trump’s Trump Tower in New York City.
The Fifth Avenue apartment is likely to rouse speculation over Ronaldo’s future at his current club Real Madrid.
A number of high profile, near-retirement footballers have made the leap across the pond in recent years, helping U.S. soccer to attract a larger fanbase. The likes of David Beckham, Thierry Henry, and Steven Gerrard have shifted their game from Europe to the United States.
The New York Post reports:
The Post has learned that the Real Madrid soccer superstar paid $18.5 million for a 2,509 square foot loft in the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. The deal was completed Wednesday, making the 30-year-old Portuguese soccer star officially a New Yorker.
Now the question is whether he just lives here, or plays here. It’s been widely reported that Ronaldo is looking into joining an MLS team when his contract expires in 2018. Sports Illustrated reported that Los Angeles is a likely destination, but the purchase raises the question of whether New York City FC or the Red Bulls could be in play down the road.
The loft was the property of Italian real-estate mogul Alessandro Proto, who happens to be a partner of Donald Trump.
The purchase is not believed to reflect Mr Ronaldo’s preference of candidate for the Republican nomination for the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
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