One of the stranger moments in American soccer happened last week. You'll be forgiven if you weren't watching. But there was iShowSpeed, YouTuber, internet personality, Cristiano Ronaldo enthusiast, and, somehow, a representative of soccer in the United States, sitting at his desk, streaming to millions.
He was up to his usual act of screaming, talking, and just sort of saying words in various orders that supposedly mean something to the kids these days.
And then he was interrupted by a bald-headed man, slick polo, nice fitting pants, shoes brandless and suspiciously clean. It was a supposedly impromptu appearance, Gianni Infantino walking in on Speed, who willingly stopped his stream mid game, stood up in a choreographed manner, and watched as the FIFA president reached the exact right spot, so he could be seen by the masses.
The usual stuff followed: a cool bro hug, an exchange of gifts, an excited introduction from Speed, and, finally, the hundredth unveiling of the Club World Cup trophy (because, of course a random man can show up to someone's house unannounced with a massive block of gold hidden underneath black cloth.)
After that the two talked about the Club World Cup. They covered all of the bases: number of teams, big names, how much of a spectacle the United States will be in store for this summer. But somewhere in the jumble of it all, Infantino came up with the most unexpected words he could have uttered: "Ronaldo might play for one of the teams as well."
Cue, Internet explosion. Surely this couldn't happen. Cristiano Ronaldo, under contract al Al-Nassr at the time, still under control of a club that wasn't playing in the tournament, could not simply show up to this thing, on loan at a random club, who haven't trained with him, haven't set up their squad for him, and cannot guarantee the same kind of generational wealth that his current club could?
Not a chance, even in a world of make believe, could this transpire.
Well, it turns out that it just might. Ronaldo's contract is up at the end of the month. There have been a smattering of reports of talks on an extension, but nothing official. Meanwhile, chatter about Ronaldo potentially joining a Club World Cup participating team has only grown louder. Another Saudi Pro League side is supposedly interested. He could also, apparently, represent a Moroccan team for a month.
But the logistics don't matter here. Reality doesn't really matter here. Reason is out of the window. The president of FIFA is showing up on YouTube to support this? There will be matches at the Club World Cup, yes, but it's somehow transformed into a marketing event.
And yes, Ronaldo, someway, somehow, in whatever manner possible, simply has to play this summer - whatever it takes from the relevant parties to make it happen.