‘If he has decided that he wants to retire here, then we don’t want him,’ says the MLS before Neymar’s interest in a future signing

Although he appreciates the interest expressed by Neymar or Lionel Messi, the MLS commissioner, Don Garber warned Tuesday that the North American Soccer League is not a place of retirement for world stars.

In his press appearance prior to the start of the new season on Saturday, Garber referred to some comments by Neymar expressing his desire to play in the United States at least one season when his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires in 2025.

“The championship there is short, so you have three or four months of vacation (…) It allows us to play a lot of more years”, said the Brazilian star30, a few days ago on the podcast and YouTube show phenomena.

“I really want to to play in the United States, that’s what I want. At least one season,” he said.

Asked about the will expressed by stars like Neymar or Messi to one day play in the MLS, the commissioner Garber stressed that the league is past the days when it needed to attract attention. through large retreating figures.

“We don’t need to bring in a big name player at the end of his career. because he has decided that he wants to retire in MLS,” he said. “If they don’t come here to play and contribute importantly their teams and our league, and they respect the league and its fans, so we don’t want them in MLS”.

“We want our story to consist of young players come here in their early stages or in the prime of their careers and make our league your choice,” Garber said.

The Argentinian Leo Messi34, and Neymar’s partner at PSG, said a few months ago that he was attracted by the possibility of playing in the United States in the futurean idea also expressed in the last week by Colombian James Rodríguez, 30 years old.

Garber put the Swiss Xherdan Shaqiri, recently signed by the Chicago Fire at 30 years old, as an example that more and more figures choose to play in the United States in a moment of fullness. “I’m proud that we’re bringing in players 30 and younger,” he said.

The commissioner, however, recognized the value contributed by some stars who practically hung up their boots in MLS, such as David Beckhamand other veterans who arrived with a competitive mindset.

In that last case, Garber lamented that the arrival of the Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2018 was seen differently. than when he returned to AC Milan a year later, when “nobody said he was going to retire to Italy”.

“Frankly I felt insulted by it,” he said.

In addition to Shaqiri, other fWorld figures that will join the MLS this season They are the Italian Lorenzo Insigne (Toronto FC) and the Brazilian Douglas Costa, who will join the Galaxy. (D)