The newest major name to boost soccer’s popularity in the US is Messi, who is travelling to Miami

The future era of men’s football in North America will include Lionel Messi.

Messi’s Wednesday announcement that he would join Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami is another historic milestone for the league and the sport in the United States as the 2026 World Cup approaches.

He is, however, only the most recent well-known foreign athlete to bring his skills to the United States. Here are some examples of those who came before him:

PELÉ

When Edson Arantes do Nascimento left Brazil in 1975 to represent football in North America, he was already a three-time World Cup winner and unquestionably the finest player in the world.

The representative of “the beautiful game” joined the NASL’s New York Cosmos. At the time, he was 34 and may not have been “The King.” However, he continued to demand attention on the pitch, and the buzz his name generated helped the sport gain traction in North America.

For the Cosmos, Pelé scored 64 goals in three seasons, helping them win the league championship in 1977. The exhibition game between the Cosmos and Santos, the Brazilian team he spent a good portion of three decades playing for in his native country, took place on October 1, 1977. Muhammad Ali, who is perhaps the only other athlete whose fame is known around the world, was one of the dignitaries there.

THEODORE BECKHAM

Arrival of David Beckham in the United States contributed to the legitimacy of Major League Soccer.

When Beckham joined the LA Galaxy in 2007, he was 31 years old and had recently completed four seasons with Real Madrid. It was the richest agreement the league had ever seen and it helped Beckham establish himself as the future owner of Inter Miami.

With a few spells at AC Milan thrown in, Beckham spent portions of six seasons in Los Angeles. Beckham played in 98 regular-season games and an additional 17 MLS playoff games as he assisted the Galaxy in winning two MLS Cups.

In order to end his career at PSG, Beckham travelled back to Europe.

BECKENBAUER, FRANZ

The first well-known foreign athlete to reside in the NASL was Pelé. The following was Beckenbauer.

Beckenbauer joined the New York Cosmos for four seasons starting in 1977, following in Pele’s footsteps. With Beckenbauer on their team, the Cosmos won the league title three times. Before returning the Cosmos for his last season as a player in 1983, he went back to Germany for two seasons.

Beckenbauer became well-known on a global scale while representing West Germany and Bayern Munich in Europe. But Beckenbauer’s influence in America was so great that in 1998, he was admitted to the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame.

CRUYFF, JOHAN

Johan Cruyff stated that after rising to fame playing for Ajax and Barcelona, he left the game too soon. His temporary retirement came to an end in 1979 when he joined the NASL’s Los Angeles Aztecs. After scoring 14 goals in 22 games during his one season in Los Angeles, he was chosen as the league’s player of the year.

In 1980, he remained in the NASL but changed teams to play for the Washington Diplomats. Before going back to the Netherlands and finishing his career playing for Ajax and Feyenoord, Cruyff spent the 1980 season and five matches of the 1981 season with the Diplomats.

IBRAHIMOVIC ZLATAN

“In this place, I am a Ferrari among Fiats.”

Although Zlatan Ibrahimovic played for the LA Galaxy for only two MLS seasons, they were two very memorable ones packed with bravado, theatrics, panache, and some incredible goals.

Ibrahimovic scored a goal against rival LAFC in his first game from almost midfield. Ibrahimovic scored 30 goals in 31 games in 2019 while still playing at the age of 37, including two hat tricks and six games with two goals.

Ibrahimovic became just another example of a player who used the MLS as a launching pad to go back to Europe and succeed. Ibrahimovic returned to AC Milan for his last four seasons, scoring 34 goals in 64 appearances and taking home the Serie A championship in 2022.

Timothy Henry

When Thierry Henry joined the New York Red Bulls in 2010, he had long since left his days as a standout player for Arsenal. While the Red Bulls did win the Supporters’ Shield in 2013, Henry played portions of five seasons there, but his contributions on the pitch fell short of expectations. In 121 games during the regular season, Henry scored 51 goals for New York.

But Henry’s stay in New York was crucial because it preserved the European pipeline following Beckham’s relocation in 2007. After his playing career ended, Henry continued to be active in the league by leading Montreal for one season.

Wayne Robinson

Wayne Rooney, 32, comes in America with D.C. United in 2018 after breaking all goal-scoring records at Manchester United and briefly returning to his childhood team Everton. Rooney spent 11 and a half seasons in Washington, making 48 regular season games and tallying 23 goals, but his relationship with the team extended beyond what he contributed on the pitch.

Rooney returned to D.C. United as the club’s head coach in the summer of 2022 after a short stint in England when he played and served as a player-coach for Derby County. In the standings for the Eastern Conference, D.C. United is presently ranked eighth.

When he returned, Rooney stated, “Really coming here, back to the MLS, back to D.C. United was an exciting challenge for me and something which I feel can develop me as a coach.”