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Ronaldo: 'I would pay out of my own pocket to sign Messi'

VANDERLEI ALMEIDA / AFP / Getty

Here's an idea: Lionel Messi featuring for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the North American Soccer League, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid.

The suggestion is obviously laughable, but don't tell that to Brazilian football icon Ronaldo, who is one of the club's owners and is dreaming big ahead of his team's season opener against the New York Cosmos on Saturday.

While discussing his ambitions for the Strikers, Ronaldo claimed that he would be willing to fork over money from his own wallet to sign Messi and insisted that such a deal will be possible down the line given the growth of the beautiful game in North America.

"I would pay out of my own pocket to sign Messi," Ronaldo said, according to Spanish daily Marca.

He continued: "The Strikers will have no borders. This club will be big. Why not Messi? Why not Cristiano Ronaldo? We can achieve it in a few years. Nothing is impossible. The United States is the second largest country in the world after China and is where football is growing the most. Many famous players want to play in South Florida for the quality of life. Who wouldn't want to live here?"

Perhaps Ronaldo should be focusing on leading the Strikers to Major League Soccer before discussing a potential acquisition of Messi.

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