Since the MLS began in December 1993, the league has been blessed with the presence of several world-class players. Although many of the most famous names make the trip to the MLS towards the end of their careers, there are also some notable players who have flourished in America and have been picked up by some of the biggest teams in the World.
Below, we’ll take a look at some of the best players to have entered the MLS over the past two decades.
- David Beckham
The Manchester United, Real Madrid and England superstar needs no introduction. Beckham made the shock move from Madrid to the MLS in 2007 and became a hit, not only with LA Galaxy fans but with America as a whole.
Even more impressively, Beckham is the co-owner of new MLS club Inter Miami which was launched into the league in 2020. His club finished 10th in the MLS Eastern Conference in the 2020 season.
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is another player to have graced the pitch at LA Galaxy after making the move from Premier League side Manchester United in 2018.
The all-time leading goalscorer for Sweden had a truly impressive record in front of goal for LA Galaxy having found the net a total of 52 times in just 56 games.
Playing for clubs such as Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan, PSG and Manchester United, along with his somewhat controversial personality, makes him one of the most famous and best footballers to have played in the MLS.
- Thierry Henry
Unlike Beckham and Ibrahimovic, Henry moved to the West coast and joined New York Red Bulls from La Liga giants Barcelona in 2010.
Thierry Henry is considered to be one of the best players ever and spent 8 years of his career at Premier League club Arsenal where he scored an impressive 174 goals in 254 games. The Frenchman, who is now an assistant coach for the Belgium national side, found the net 51 times for his MLS club in 122 appearances.
- Wayne Rooney
Another Manchester United superstar made his way to the MLS in 2018 after transferring from his boyhood club, Everton.
Rooney found the net an impressive 23 times in 48 games for DC United and produced some tremendous moments including several impressive goals from free-kicks and one of the assists of the season for Luciano Acosta’s goal after tracking back and retrieving the ball against Orlando to win the goal in stoppage time.
- Andrea Pirlo
One of the coolest guys in football, Andrea Pirlo, joined New York City FC in 2015 from Juventus.
Pirlo was never a prolific goalscorer and managed just 1 in 60 matches in the MLS. However, he made 18 assists and became a favorite at his club.
The 2016 World Cup champion helped New York City FC reach the playoffs in two consecutive seasons.
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