Former Anderlecht star set to replace Kaka

03 gen 2018

With AC Milan and Real Madrid legend Kaka announcing his retirement at the end of 2017, it leaves Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the only active footballers to win the Ballon d’Or. Across the Atlantic Ocean, his retirement also left his last team, Orlando City SC, with a desperate need to find his replacement. Now, according to multiple reports, they’ve found their man.

Former Anderlecht star, and currently the top playmaker in MLS, Sacha Kljestan will don the Lions’ purple jersey in 2018. The New York Red Bulls captain will be sent south in a blockbuster trade which will send defensive starlet Tommy Redding and Colombian forward Carlos Rivas up north.

No one in America has as many assists as Kljestan has over the past three seasons. His 51 helpers (54 across all competitions) and 297 assists since joining MLS are 14 and 75 more than any other player during that period. The remaining eight midfielders on the Red Bulls’ roster have combined for 53.

As for Redding, the star defender will solidify the center of New York’s backline, along with 2017 breakout star Aaron Long, for years to come. Rivas will add an attacking option on the left wing, while Brazilian standout Felipe will likely slip into Kljestan’s role.

The trade marks the second consecutive winter in which the Red Bulls have traded their captain (Dax McCarty).