Messi, member of a list of stars who have chosen to play in the United States

Lionel Messi is about to star in the next chapter in the history of the soccer of USA and North America.

With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, Messi’s announcement Wednesday that he will join MLS side Inter Miami is another historic moment for the league and the sport.

But he is not the first internationally renowned name to bring his talents to the United States. Here’s a look at others that came before him:

Pele

Edson Arantes do Nascimento had already been a three-time world champion and was undoubtedly the best player when he left Brazil in 1975 to dazzle in American soccer.

The main bearer of the banner of the call “nice game”, joined the NASL’s New York Cosmos. He was 34 years old at the time and possibly far from “The king”. But he continued to exert an imposing presence on the field and caused a stir that soccer in the United States did not.

Pelé scored 64 goals in three seasons with the Cosmos, the team he led to the title in 1977. His last meeting was a friendly, on October 1, 1977, between the Cosmos and Santos, the Brazilian team with which he spent a good part of three decades. Passing away in December, Pelé is perhaps the most renowned athlete in history, along with Muhammad Ali.

david beckham

David Beckham’s arrival in the United States validated the MLS.

Beckham was 31 years old and had recently left Real Madrid after four seasons to join the LA Galaxy in 2007. It was the most lucrative deal in the league to that point and set the stage for Beckham to become the eventual owner of Inter Miami. .

Beckham spent six seasons in Los Angeles — with a couple of stints in between at AC Milan. He helped the Galaxy win two titles and appeared in 98 regular-season games and 17 in the postseason.

Beckham returned to Europe and ended his career at PSG.

franz beckenbauer

Pelé was the first big international name to call the NASL home. Beckenbauer followed him.

The German followed in Pelé’s footsteps and joined the New York Cosmos for four seasons at the start of 1977. The Cosmos won the league championship three times with Beckhenbauer on the team. He returned to Germany for two seasons before returning to the Cosmos for his final playing season in 1983.

Beckhenbauer became an international star with East Germany and in Europe playing for Bayern Munich. But he made such an impact in the United States that in 1998 Beckhenbauer entered the Soccer Hall of Fame in this country.

Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff acknowledged that he retired too soon after becoming an international star with Ajax and Barcelona. His brief retirement came to an end in 1979 when he signed with the Los Angeles Aztecs of the NASL. He was voted league player of the year in his only season with Los Angeles in which he scored 14 goals in 22 games.

He stayed in the league until 1980, but went to the Washington Diplomats. Cruyff played the entire 1980 campaign and five games in 1981 before returning to the Netherlands and ending his career with Ajax and Feyenoord.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

“Here I am, like a Ferrari among Fiats.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic spent just two seasons in MLS with the LA Galaxy, but they were spectacularly memorable, filled with swagger, talent, flair and spectacular goals.

Ibrahimovic scored a goal almost from midfield in their first game against city rival LAFC. In 2019, at the age of 37, he had 30 goals in 31 games, including two hat-tricks and six duels with two goals.

The Swede became another player who used MLS as a springboard to return to Europe and find more success. He spent his last four seasons with AC Milan, scoring 34 times in 64 games and winning the Serie A title in 2022.

Thierry Henry

Thierry Henry was far from his days as an Arsenal star when he joined the New York Red Bulls in 2010. Henry spent parts of five seasons in New York and although the team won the Supporters’ Shield for best team in the regular season in 2013 , his impact on the court did not match his price. Henry had 51 goals in 121 regular season games.

But Henry’s arrival was important in keeping the door open with Europe and led to the arrival of Beckham in 2007. The Frenchman also maintained his league involvement after the end of his coaching career for a year in Montreal.

Wayne Rooney

After setting all Manchester United records for a striker and after a brief return to Everton — his childhood team — Wayne Rooney arrived in the United States with DC United in 2018 at the age of 32. He played a season and a half with the team in which he scored 23 goals in 48 regular season games.

His connection with the club went further.

After returning to England to serve with Derby Country as a player-coach, Rooney returned to DC United in the summer of 2022 as manager. DC United currently sits seventh in the Eastern Conference.

“Really coming here, back to MLS, back to DC United was an exciting challenge for me and something that will help me develop as a manager.”Rooney commented upon his return.

Source: AP