Cristiano Ronaldo -- Drops $18.5 Mil On Trump Tower Pad

Good thing Donald Trump hasn't ripped into Portuguese immigrants -- the country's greatest export ... Cristiano Ronaldo just dropped a fortune to live in Trump Tower.

The $18.5 mil purchase got the Real Madrid forward a 2,500 sq ft loft in the midtown skyscraper. Cristiano's pad used belong to Italian real estate mogul and Trump biz partner, Alessandro Proto.

The purchase has soccer rumor mill buzzing that CR is about to join one of the NY area MLS teams -- New York City FC or the Red Bulls.