helped provide validity for Major League Soccer.īeckham was 31 and had just finished four seasons at Real Madrid when he joined the LA Galaxy in 2007.

Among the dignitaries on hand was perhaps the only other athlete whose renown spanned the globe - Muhammad Ali.ĭavid Beckham’s arrival in the U.S. 1, 1977, between the Cosmos and Santos, the Brazilian club he spent parts of three decades playing for in his home country. His final game was an exhibition played on Oct. Pelé scored 64 goals in three season for the Cosmos, leading them to the 1977 league title.

He was 34 at the time and perhaps no longer “The King.” But he was still a commanding presence on the field and his name brought a buzz the sport lacked in North America. The standard-bearer of “the beautiful game” joined the New York Cosmos of the NASL. Here's a look at others who have come before him:Įdson Arantes do Nascimento was already a three-time World Cup champion and undoubtedly the best player in the world when he left Brazil in 1975 for the chance to be the face of soccer in North America. With a World Cup on the horizon in 2026, Messi's announcement Wednesday that he will join Major League Soccer's Inter Miami is another landmark moment for the league and the sport in the United States.īut he's only the latest big-name international player to bring his talents to the U.S. Lionel Messi is set to become part of the next chapter of men's soccer in North America.

Cartoon bobble head soccer player