5 MLS Soccer Players that Started in European Leagues

The best soccer stars reside in European leagues, like La Liga, English Premier League, Ligue 1, and the Bundesliga. Stars like Robert Lewandowski, James Rodriguez, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Neymar, Antoine Griezmann, James Rodriguez, Edison Cavani, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo. The list of stars in the aforementioned leagues is never-ending.

But what happens when these players are not appreciated as they should be? What happens to these players once “Father Time” catches up and their talent diminishes? Do they get to retire proudly from the team they played with since the beginning, like Francesco Totti? Or maybe they leave their career team and go back to where it all starte, like Wayne Rooney? These are feasible options, but the road most traveled leads these stars from Europe leagues right to the MLS. Below is a list of 5 players that have gone from a European team to the MLS.

David Villa | Nathan Congleton

1. David Villa: Atletico Madrid to New York City FC

David Villa, the Spanish striker who scored 59 goals in 98 senior appearances with the Spanish National Team, is one of the most prestigious players on this list to have made the leap to MLS play. Villa played in the final match of the 2010 World Cup where Iniesta scored a goal against the Netherlands leading Spain to win the Championship. Villa received the Silver Shoe for his spectacular showing during the 2010 World Cup. He played with Atletico Madrid in 36 appearances and managed to score 13 goals, he averaged .36 GPG (Goals Per Game). During this time, Villa was valued at 10.80 million Euros, after he was transferred to New York City FC, his value declined to 9.0 million Euros. With New York City FC, however, Villa appeared in 94 matches and scored 63 goals, averaging 0.67 GPG, nearly double what he averaged with Atletico Madrid.

Andrea Pirlo | Simon Heseltine

2. Andrea Pirlo: Juventus to New York City FC

Another legend on this list, Andrea Pirlo was a star with the Italian National Team ever since U15. Considering Pirlo is a midfielder, we cannot fully gauge his talent based off goals, he was primarily an assister. Pirlo was on the winning Italian National Team in the 2006 World Cup, one of the many accolades he collected during that tournament. Pirlo was awarded the title of “Man of the Match” 3 times in the World Cup, the Bronze Ball, and was the top assist provider. Pirlo had a legendary career with Italy, like his career with Juventus. Andrea appeared in 119 matches with Juventus and scored 16 goals, an average of .13 GPG. His departure from Juventus took him to New York City FC where he appeared in 60 matches and only managed to score 1 goal, an average of 0.02 GPG. As you can tell, his true talent was in the realm of assisting. Pirlo’s value with Juventus was 9.0 million Euros; however, after his tenure with the NYCFC his value diminished to a mere 900 thousand Euros.

3. Kaka: Milan to Orlando City

Yet another legend on the list. Kaka is a Brazilian born striker who has played with the senior Brazilian National Team since 2002 and has scored 29 goals. Kaka has had the honor of earning the Ballon d’Or in 2007, the Golden Boot in the 2007 World Cup and the honor of committing the most assists in that same World Cup, what a historic year! Another addition, aside from his National Team accomplishments, is the fact that Kaka and Milan won the 2007 UEFA Champions League, one of the most difficult tasks to achieve. Kaka left Milan in 2009, only to come back in 2013. During that year, Kaka appeared in 30 matches and scored 7 goals, averaging 0.23 GPG. He then left Milan once again, this time he went to Orlando City where he appeared in 19 matches and scored 2 goals, an average of 0.11 GPG. His value went from 9.0 million Euros with Milan to 5.40 million Euros with Orlando City.

Kaka | via ESPN

4. Sebastian Giovinco: Juventus to Toronto FC

30-year-old Giovinco might be too young to be considered a “legend” in the same sense as others on this list but he is on the right path to be considered one in the future. Giovinco has been a part of the Italian National Team since 2003 when he belonged to their U16 squad. In that year, he played in 7 matches and scored 4 goals. He eventually moved into the senior Italian National team where he has appeared in 23 matches and scored 1 goal. Sebastian was a part of the team that won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship Team of the Tournament. He won the MLS Golden Boot in 20 15 along with the MLS MVP Award. He was also awarded the MLS Top Assist Provider in the same year. Giovinco also holds the honor of the having scored the most points in a single MLS season, this includes both assists and goals for a total of 38 points. Giovinco is a young talent who once played for Juventus, he appeared in 93 matches and scored 14 goals, averaging 0.15 GPG. He later went to play with Toronto FC in 86 appearances and scoring 55 goals during that tenure, averaging 0.64 GPG. Giovinco’s value after leaving Juventus was worth 8.10 million Euros and even after his stellar performance with the MLS league, his value still went down to 7.20 million Euros.

Sebastian Giovinco | via USA Today

5. David Beckham: Real Madrid to LA Galaxy

The biggest name on the list, the legendary midfielder David Beckham. The list of accolades for Beckham are never-ending. He has honors surrounding his international play, European club play, MLS club play, his charitable contributions, his film appearances, his managerial affiliations – David is the true jack of all trades. Beckham began his career as a youth player with the Ridgeway Rovers, later the Tottenham Hotspur, and eventually with Manchester United’s youth squad. He eventually moved into the senior Manchester United squad appearing in 265 matches and scoring 62 goals. He then made his transition to La Liga, playing with Real Madrid in 116 matches and scoring 13 goals, an average of 0.11 GPG. After Real Madrid, David went to the MLS and played for the LA Galaxy. He appeared in 98 matches, scoring 18 goals, an average of 0.18 GPG. He left Real Madrid with a value of 17.82 million Euros, and was reassessed at 8.10 million Euros after leaving the LA Galaxy. David Beckham holds a plethora of honors. David was a part of the 1998-99 Manchester United team that won the UEFA Champions League against Bayern Munich. They also followed up that win with another win in the Intercontinental Cup. David won the first-place honor in La Liga with Real Madrid in 2006-07. He also won the Premier League a total of 6 times with Manchester United. With the LA Galaxy, he brought the MLS Cup to Los Angeles twice, in 2011 and 2012. His final team was PSG who won Ligue 1 with him in the roster.

David Beckham | via helmet2helmet