Cristiano Ronaldo buys $18.5M loft at Trump Tower in New York City

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is on his way to New York City.

The New York Post reports that the Portuguese icon paid $18.5 million for a 2509-square-foot loft in the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Real-estate tycoon Alessandro Proto, a partner of Donald Trump, owns the building, and the deal was reportedly struck with Ronaldo on Wednesday.

The building is the 57th-tallest skyscraper in Manhattan, and is described as "one of the world’s elite luxury residences, catering to public figures, athletes, celebrities and other affluent sophisticates."

Ronaldo can certainly afford the place - his second major purchase in recent months, after buying his agent a Greek island as a wedding gift.

Now, the question is whether Ronaldo is in New York for business or for pleasure. The 30-year-old has hinted at a move to Major League Soccer in 2018, but Ronaldo's heart is reportedly set on Los Angeles, should he ever join MLS.

For now, Ronaldo is officially a New Yorker, albeit one who now owns the home of an "affluent sophisticate." How fancy!