Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is planning to leave Real Madrid in the Spanish La Liga and join the Major League Soccer, or MLS, as early as 2018, according to reports. By that year, Ronaldo’s contract with the Spanish club will be expiring allowing him to transfer for free from the La Liga to MLS.

“File this one for down the road, but multiple sources tell me that Cristiano Ronaldo’s current plan is to come to MLS after he finishes at Real Madrid, with one source saying he would likely arrive on a free transfer in 2018 once his current contract ends,” Grant Wahl, who is a respected soccer writer in the United States, stated in his column with Sports Illustrated on Tuesday.

Wahl also added that the teams Ronaldo will consider are MLS clubs from Los Angeles, Miami or New York. Ronaldo, who is considered the most popular soccer player in the world, has played in only three clubs in his soccer career suiting up for Sporting CP in Portugal from 2002 to 2003, Manchester United in England from 2003 to 2009 and has been with Real Madrid in Spain since 2009 up to the present.

Aside from being a famous sportsman, the 30 year old Portuguese is considered one of the best players in the sport. In 189 appearances for Real Madrid he has scored 207 goals. He has also been a member of the Portugal soccer national team since 2003 with 118 NT caps and 52 goals for his country. He is also among the highest paid in the sport if not the most expensive soccer player signing a 80 million pound contract with the Spanish club in 2009. Ronaldo won the FIFA Ballon d’Or twice in his career winning the award in 2013 and 2014 and was also the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2008.

Email j.gloria@IBTimes.com to contact author.

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