After Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement from Portugal, Hector Herrera dreams of seeing him in MLS with Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo’s farewell from the Portugal national team has opened the door to a wish that, for now, belongs only to the imagination. Houston Dynamo midfielder Hector Herrera, who has spent most of his career in Europe before joining MLS, shared his thoughts on the Portuguese star and said he would love to see him one day competing in the league where Lionel Messi plays.

Herrera, a Mexican international who faced Ronaldo in the UEFA Champions League during his time at Porto and Atletico Madrid, did not hide his admiration for the forward. “Words are not needed to talk about a player with his career. The truth is that it has been a pleasure to face him and to live in his era,” Herrera said during a Houston Dynamo press conference, in a video shared by Deporte Total USA.

That admiration quickly turned into a wish. “I hope he can come compete here, because I think it would be spectacular to have Cristiano here. Especially because Messi is here, and I always think people like this duo that has given us everything throughout their careers,” Herrera continued.

For now, however, the idea remains only a fantasy. Ronaldo is under contract with Al Nassr until 2027, and everything suggests he has no plans to leave the Middle East, making a move to MLS highly unlikely.

Herrera asks fans to enjoy them, not compare them

The debate between Ronaldo and Messi has divided fans for more than a decade, and with both stars now closing their international chapters, it has only grown louder.

Messi said goodbye to Argentina in October, and Ronaldo has now done the same with Portugal. Herrera, however, wants to step away from that old argument and take a different view of what these two players have meant for soccer.

“As I’ve always said, there’s no need to compare them, you have to enjoy them. They are two spectacular players that we are blessed to live through and face,” the Mexican midfielder said.

Having shared the pitch with both Ronaldo and Messi, Herrera knows firsthand what it means to face them. In his view, players of that stature leave little room for words, and the best way to honor their careers is to simply appreciate what they have done, and what they are still doing, to this day.