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American-based Major League Soccer (MLS) has seen its stock rise in recent years, with a number of former Premier League stars plying their trade in the league before retiring.
The MLS has always been dependent on big names from across Europe to attract more crowds and gain publicity. Several European stars have gone on to play in the league towards the end of their careers to help the sport gain more traction in and around America.
Few Premier League legends have had spells in the MLS
As such, there are a number of former Premier League stars who have played in the MLS for a few years before hanging up their boots. While some were successful in the league, others went there merely for the experience.
Here, we take a look at five of the greatest former Premier League stars to feature in the MLS:
#5 Frank Lampard - New York City FC
Having joined New York City FC in the summer of 2014, Frank Lampard spent the 2014-15 season on loan with their parent club Manchester City. He joined up with fellow Sky Blues in the MLS at the end of the season and went on to play for the club for 18 months.
Lampard left English shores as a Premier League legend, having had a hugely successful career at Chelsea sandwiched between spells at West Ham United and Manchester City.
The midfielder scored a staggering 211 goals and registered 150 assists during his 13 years at Chelsea, becoming the club's record goalscorer. He won every major trophy possible for Chelsea, including three Premier League titles, one Champions League, one Europa League, four FA Cups and two English League Cups.
When the former England international joined MLS in 2015, he played alongside Italian legend Andrea Pirlo in midfield. David Villa was also part of the same squad, rounding off a star-studded line-up.
Lampard registered 15 goals and four assists in 31 games for New York City FC, helping the club reach the MLS Playoffs in 2016. He tallied just over 2000 minutes during his one-and-a-half seasons at the club before finally hanging up his boots at the start of 2017.
#4 Wayne Rooney - D.C. United
One of England's greatest Premier League players alongside Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney joined MLS side D.C. United in 2018, after spending 16 successful years in the English top-flight.
Graduating from the Everton academy, Rooney joined Manchester United in 2004 and went on to become one of the greatest ever players for the club. He became the all-time top scorer for the Red Devils with 253 goals in 559 appearances. The former Premier League star is also the top scorer for his country, with 53 goals to his name.
Rooney won five Premier League titles, one Champions league, one Europa League, four League Cups and one FA Cup at Old Trafford before returning to Everton in 2017. The forward spent just one season with the Toffees before finally leaving the Premier League to arrive in the MLS with D.C. United.
The former Manchester United star made an instant impact with D.C. United and immediately became a fan-favourite of the side from the capital. In two full seasons with the club, Rooney scored 23 goals and registered 15 assists in just 48 games, helping the club get into the MLS playoffs in both 2018 and 2019.
He will always be remembered by D.C. fans for his tireless effort, demonstrated by the goal he set up for Luciano Acosta. The forward tracked back more than 50 yards to make a tackle, lunging in to win the ball and then teeing up Acosta with a brilliant pass for a last-minute winner against Orlando City.
After two seasons with the club, Rooney headed back to England, signing for Derby County in the Championship. He went on to become a player-coach at the club before finally hanging up his boots in January 2021 to take up the coaching job permanently.
#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.
