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#3 Didier Drogba - Montreal Impact
Another Premier League legend to have plied his trade in the MLS is none other than former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.
The Ivorian had a brilliant spell during his time at Stamford Bridge and won several honors with the Blues. He was even voted as the club's greatest ever player in 2012.
The former Marseille man scored 164 goals and registered 87 assists in 381 games for Chelsea. His trophy cabinet with the Blues includes four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups and a Champions League. He also won two Premier League Golden Boots during his time in England.
Drogba joined MLS outfit Montreal Impact after finishing his second spell with Chelsea in the summer of 2015. Drogba spent a season-and-a-half with the club during which the striker registered 23 goals and seven assists in 41 games. He even scored a hat-trick on his debut for the club, becoming the first-ever player in the league to do so.
Drogba continued to play his football in America and had spells in the second-division with Arizona United and Phoenix Rising before finally hanging up his boots in 2018.
#2 Thierry Henry - New York Red Bulls
Perhaps the best French player to play in the Premier League, Thierry Henry is another former Premier League star who plied his trade in the MLS before retiring.
Henry had a glorious career in Europe, winning everything there was to win with the likes of Monaco, Arsenal and Barcelona before moving to the MLS in 2010. His time in the Premier League with Arsenal was a particularly fruitful one as Henry registered 228 goals and 106 assists in 376 games for the Gunners.
The former French international won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups at Arsenal before leaving for Barcelona in 2007. Henry even returned to the Premier League with Arsenal on a month-long loan from the Red Bulls during the off-season and scored a memorable FA Cup winner against Leeds.
At Barcelona, Henry was part of the treble-winning squad for the 2008-09 season while the forward was also part of France's 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship winning teams.
After signing for the New York Red Bulls in 2010, Henry went on to play for four-and-a-half seasons in the MLS. Henry scored 51 goals and 35 assists in 122 appearances in the MLS while he also added a goal and seven assists in 13 play-off matches for the club.
The numbers really speak for themselves, showing the high quality of football played by him even during this late stage of his career.
After hanging up his boots in 2015, the former Premier League star continued his affiliation with the MLS by coaching Montreal Impact before stepping down in February this year. He is now the assistant manager of the Belgian national team.
#1 David Beckham - LA Galaxy
Without a doubt, there could only be one man who tops this list. The man who brought millions of people with him on his MLS journey. It is, of course, David Beckham, who made a move to the MLS, joining the LA Galaxy in 2007.
Beckham also played for the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Paris-Saint Germain during his glorious career. But it is his time with his boyhood club Manchester United that he is most fondly remembered by.
During his time with the Red Devils in the Premier League, Beckham made 388 appearances across all competitions, registering 85 goals and 101 assists. He won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one Champions League title before a fallout with Sir Alex Ferguson saw him move to Real Madrid in 2003.
Beckham had a couple of loan spells at AC Milan during his five-and-a-half years at LA Galaxy, but his time in the MLS was hugely successful. His arrival saw a lot of interest generated in the MLS from around the globe and it increasingly became popular in England following his move.
The Englishman went on to play 124 games for the club, registering 20 goals and 40 assists, while also winning back-to-back MLS Cups in 2011 and 2012.
Following his retirement from football, Beckham pursued the option of having his own MLS franchise and finally founded Inter Miami, who began their top-flight journey in the 2020 campaign.
There's no doubt that Beckham is arguably the most influential Premier League star to play in the MLS. LA Galaxy have made a statue in his honour outside their stadium.
