David Beckham and 10 signings that made Major League Soccer

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Major League Soccer has gone from strength to strength in terms of popularity and quality over the last 20 years to the point where superstar players no longer consider it to be a retirement home of sorts, but rather an opportunity to showcase their talents in one of the biggest countries in the world.

Part of the appeal of MLS is seeing how star players from Europe and other continents perform when making the switch to either the Eastern Conference or the Western Conference.

Here, we looks at 10 transfers that helped make MLS.

10. Jaime Moreno - Middlesbrough to DC United (1996)

One of the fundamental pieces of the dominant DC United team that won four MLS Cups between 1996 and 2004, Jaime Moreno was coaxed to the new league from Middlesbrough, where he had just become the first Bolivian to play in the Premier League. The first player to both score and assist 100 MLS goals.

9. Giovani dos Santos - Villarreal to LA Galaxy (2015)

Giovani dos Santos option to join the Galaxy from a side flying high in Spanish and European football when he was still at the peak of his powers was one of the first indications that MLS could shed its reputation as a retirement league and become a destination for players not yet in their 30s.

8. Justin Mapp - Montreal Impact to Sporting Kansas City (2015)

As a player, Justin Mapp doesn't belong anywhere near the illustrious names on this list, having only played six times for Sporting KC. But, as the first player to sign as a free agent in MLS, he belongs alongside some of the most important transfers in the league's history. In a soccer landscape that long had been too restrictive on player movement, Mapp being able to select his destination signalled that chance was on the way.

While free agency remains limited - only players aged 24 and older with at least five MLS seasons who are out of contract are eligible (when Mapp moved you had to be at least 28 and have played eight MLS seasons) - more and more players are able to choose where they play rather than being subject to the whims of the league office.

He'll never be as famous of a name as Jean-Marc Bosman or pioneering Major League Baseball activist Curt Flood, but Mapp became a pioneer when he put pen to paper with Sporting KC ahead of the 2015 season.

7. Carlos Valderrama - Atletico Junior to Tampa Bay Mutiny (1996)

Ahead of its inaugural season, MLS needed to attract some exciting new faces - and Carlos Valderrama was perfect for the role.

A two-time South American Footballer of the Year, he entered the consciousness of American soccer fans in the summer of 1994 when he captained Colombia against the USA at the Pasadena Rose Bowl during the World Cup.

He didn't disappoint. Dictating games with stunning passes, clever assists and some spectacular goals, Valderrama set the league alight. He was named the first-ever MVP as the Mutiny topped the table to win the inaugural Supporters' Shield and might have led them through the playoffs as well if he hadn't been called up to play in a World Cup qualifier on the same day as the Eastern Conference final.

In 2000, following a brief spell at Florida rivals Miami Fusion, Valderrama returned to rack up an extraordinary 26 assists for the Mutiny - no player has collected more in an MLS season. Indeed, his total tally of 114 assists in 175 games places him fourth on the league's all-time ranking of creative talents.

He ended his career with two years at Colorado Rapids and remains one of the most entertaining players in MLS history.

6. Carlos Vela - Real Sociedad to Los Angeles FC (2018)

The first-ever signing for LAFC as an expansion as an expansion club, Carlos Vela sent notice to future arrivals that simply being a marketable name was no longer enough. The Mexico international already had plenty of fans upon showing up in Southern California from Real Sociedad, but he put down a foundation for the new club with double-digit goal and assist totals in his first two years.

His 2019 campaign, in which he scored 34 goals and assisted 15 on the way to the Supporters' Shield (then added two more goals and an assist in the post-season) remains one of the league's best-ever individual seasons. No player has ever scored so many MLS goals in one year.

Vela never reached those heights again, hampered by the COVID pandemic and entering the final stages of his career. But he became a poster child for a player who had success in Europe, had marketing value, enjoyed living his life in the United States, and not only delivered on the pitch but did so in a way that led to trophies and established an expectation of success at a new club. He was the perfect player for an expansion team and has reset what teams look for when they try to select their first player.

5. Sebastian Giovinco - Juventus to Toronto FC (2015)

Sebastian Giovinco was so eager to join Toronto he arrived six months early, and his commitment showed in results. The league's top scorer and MVP in his first year, he went on to win the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup in 2017 and reach the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League final.

4. Miguel Almiron - Lanus to Atlanta United (2016)

Miguel Almiron's arrival from Lanus was significant, but his departure to the Premier League helped MLS craft the narrative that it is a place that can take raw South American talent, refine it and then send those players on to bigger - and more lucrative - leagues.

3. Clint Dempsey - Tottenham to Seattle Sounders (2013)

It's easy to forget how much of a shock it was at the time for the Sounders to bring the best American player ever back to MLS from the Premier League. Clint Dempsey put his faith in the Sounders and the partnership worked better than either could have ever expected.

2. Lionel Messi - Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami (2023)

The only transfer that could possibly compete with David Beckham on this list is one that the Inter Miami owner helped engineer.

Lionel Messi's arrival in MLS as a world champion immediately provided an economic jolt for the league ahead of the 2026 World Cup. While MLS was already taking innovative risks, like its broadcast deal with tech company Apple, the Argentine's arrival meant it could go even further. After all, eyeballs were going to be on Messi and MLS no matter what. A Messi-cam on TikTok? Sure. A pre-season world tour putting Inter Miami against teams from El Salvador, Saudi Arabia and Japan? That happened, though it didn't work as well. Lesson learned.

The league could still could try more to promote Messi and to prepare for life after his exit. Messi, too, could do more. His team fell in the first round of the 2024 playoffs after lifting the Supporters' Shield and is looking for its first MLS Cup. And there are more deals to be had if he wants them. Such is the power of the biggest name in the sport being in one of the flashiest markets in the world.

But on the pitch, there can be few complaints. Soccer fans around the country queue up to catch a glimpse of Messi when Inter Miami are in town and he has rarely disappointed, named MVP for 2024 with 20 goals and 16 assists.

1. David Beckham - Real Madrid to LA Galaxy (2007)

The Galaxy securing David Beckham's signature and commitment was a turning point for MLS. In a league where spending and ambition was intentionally tamped down by owners afraid of repeating the missteps of the NASL decades before, Beckham's arrival made it clear that MLS was going to take a big step toward competing with the world's top leagues. The Designated Player rule, functionally instituted to allow for Beckham's entrance, is still the roster mechanism teams utilise to bring in top stars today.

Stadiums filled to see Beckham and off the field the merger of Hollywood and soccer elevated the sport's status and forced discussions of soccer to be had in spaces where previously only baseball, American football or basketball would be topics of conversation.

Beckham handled it all with grace, becoming an ambassador for the league even as he pushed to raise its professionalism. His influence goes beyond silverware but he lifted four major trophies with the Galaxy - then showed he wasn't washed up by winning the French league with Paris Saint-Germain after departing MLS.

Beckham remains close with MLS, utilising one of the perks that wooed him to the US by setting up his own expansion team and bringing Inter Miami into the league.

While the move was initially met for scepticism in some circles, Beckham emphatically proved his doubters wrong.

Words by Jon Arnold