A constellation of stars! Major League Soccer has become one of the soccer leagues in the world that can boast the most renowned players in its short history. Since 2007, great soccer players have worn the jerseys of American soccer teams.
The impact that these athletes have generated has transcended the field of play. Many of these went on to become icons of MLS soccer and of the city in which they lived.
David Beckham joined the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 from Real Madrid. It was precisely in that year when the figure of the Franchise Player was established and it is applied to the present day.
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The passage of the English midfielder through the California team was very fruitful in terms of sporting results.
In 2009, the Los Angeles team with Beckham as its emblem and flag, ranked second in the MLS. Later, in 2011 and 2012, he led the LA Galaxy to win two league titles in a row.
David Beckham and his triumphant farewell to the LA Galaxy, with the MLS Cup title
Like Beckham, the emblematic and talented Zlatan Ibrahimovic landed at the LA Galaxy and it only took two seasons for him to make MLS history.
The Swedish striker arrived in California in 2018 from Manchester United and his debut with the white team, on March 31 of that year, was a total success, where he scored a double to guide his team’s victory over LAFC in El Tráfico .
This bombshell by Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the Goal of the Year in the MLS
Elegance also reached the MLS and it did so with the great figure of Andrea Pirlo. The midfielder, who shone in Serie A, winning local and European titles, joined New York City FC in July 2015 and catapulted the sky-blue team’s popularity.
In the New York team he played from 2015 to 2017, in which he scored a goal and assisted 11 times. His soccer career ended with this MLS team and then he dedicated himself to technical management.
Andrea Pirlo scores his first MLS goal for New York City FC, obviously from a free kick
Major League Soccer continued to break the international market and in 2015 hired one of the most important scorers of the Spanish team: David Villa.
El Guaje brought his scoring prowess to NYCFC and burned league nets with 18 goals in 30 games in 2015; in the 2016 season he scored 23 goals in 35 games; In 2017 he scored 24 touchdowns in 33 games and in his last campaign in New York he said goodbye with 15 points in 26 games.
David Villa discounts for New York City FC
A Ballon d’Or also went through the MLS. Ricardo Izacson Dos Santos Leite, better known as Kaká, delighted Orlando City SC fans between 2015 and 2017. In this period, the world champion with Brazil in 2002 scored 24 goals in 75 games.
Kaká says present in Orlando’s win
Parallel to David Beckham came a less bombastic star, but one that delighted the palates of all the stadiums he visited.
Cuauhtémoc Blanco put on the Chicago Fire jersey and the Mexican fans, one of the strongest in MLS, identified with the former América player. In three seasons, in which he played 71 games, he scored 17 points. A Mexican idol conquered the windy city!
Cuauhtémoc Blanco filled the MLS pitches with magic
The soccer fan in New York City began to speak French when, in 2010, the great goalscorer Thierry Henry landed with the Red Bulls. One of the best French players stomped on the metropolis both in football and in the media.
Titi displayed his talent and his goals from the aforementioned year until 2014, when he retired; he scored 52 points. In the 2011/2012 season he returned to his beloved Arsenal, but had a fleeting step before returning to New York.
But what a treat! Relive Thierry Henry’s best goals as a player in MLS
In 2015, a new soccer hope from distant Turin arrived in Toronto. Sebastian Giovinco, in four seasons spent with Toronto FC, became one of the greatest idols in the club’s history.
He led his team to win a franchise historic treble: Canadian Championship, Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup. Not a born center forward, the Italian scored 73 MLS goals.
Giovinco’s great goal gives Toronto victory over Philadelphia
Another world champion has arrived in Major League Soccer to make the fans happy. The German Bastian Schweinsteiger once again put the Chicago Fire on everyone’s lips.
The city knew that its new star was going to catapult them in the media and sports. He arrived from Manchester United and spent three seasons with the Fire.
Bastian Schweinsteiger made his Chicago Fire debut as the greats
Although his time in MLS was short, Didier Drogba brought joy to the (then) Montreal Impact. The expectation was huge for everything he did at Chelsea, where he won a Champions League.
He played two seasons in MLS and scored 22 goals, many of them aesthetically pleasing.
Drogba hat trick electrifies Montreal
Major League Soccer currently has very important sports and media weight players. The Mexicans Javier Hernández and Carlos Vela, from the Galaxy and LAFC, respectively, came to the league to revolutionize it both in football and in the media.
His successful spell at FC Barcelona consolidated him as one of the greatest exponents of soccer today. Winner of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022, he left PSG after two years without achieving the main goal, the UEFA Champions League.
Messi and Pipita lead Argentines who have played at Inter Miami
