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Messi opted for a move to Inter Miami as Barcelona dallied with their finances while an offer from Saudi Arabia proved lucrative but ultimately unattractive to the World Cup winner. David Beckham's club have managed to secure one of the biggest names in world football and it's a huge boost for both the club and the league as a whole.
The former Paris Saint-Germain attacker is not the first ex-Barça star to swap Europe for MLS towards the latter stage of his career. Here are the names he will surely emulate for impact as arguably the greatest footballer ever.
Messi's only former Barcelona teammate currently playing in MLS is Riqui Puig. The midfielder was shipped off from Camp Nou on a free transfer after they decided he was an expendable part of the project. He put in some great performances for Barcelona and was largely a victim of their desperate need to lower the wage bill in the 2022 summer transfer window. The Spaniard signed for LA Galaxy rather than a European team, but it's been a struggle with the Los Angeles side currently rotting away at the bottom of the Western Conference.
Thierry Henry was one of the first really massive names in football to make the move to MLS. When his Barcelona contract expired in July 2010, the French World Cup winner decided to sign for New York Red Bulls, where he played 122 games in the MLS before retiring, netting 51 times and grabbing 35 assists. After a year and a half at the club, the opportunity of an emotional return to Arsenal arose and he took it. It was just a loan deal and he was happy to return to New York where he played for another three years before announcing his retirement. Those goal returns are figures Messi might decide he can get ahead of in the next couple of years if he hits the ground running.
Something of a cult hero for many clubs, Giovani dos Santos has had a very unusual career path which can always be a bit refreshing in football. Not many players can say they have played for Barcelona, Tottenham, Ipswich, Galatasaray and LA Galaxy. Dos Santos did not make the biggest splash at Barcelona, much like his brother Jonathan. Giovani rocked up at LA Galaxy in 2017 and quickly cemented himself as one of the most prominent players in the league, racking up 88 MLS appearances, scoring 28 times and grabbing 19 assists. He later moved on to Club America in Mexico but is now without a club. Jonathan actually played 105 times for LA Galaxy but could only manage seven goals and seven assists from a deeper midfield position.
A real Barcelona and Spain legend, albeit after a fairly short stint with the Blaugrana, David Villa took his skills to New York City in 2014 after leaving Atletico Madrid on a free transfer. Villa played 119 games for Barcelona and scored a very impressive 48 goals in that time, also chipping in with 24 assists. Even though he is mostly associated with Barcelona and Spain, he played more for New York City, racking up 126 appearances. He scored 80 times and got another 21 assists. His career actually ended in Japan with Vissel Kobe, the club Andres Iniesta also played for.
A more historic name, Hristo Stoichkov became a part of Johan Cruyff's 'Dream Team' at Barcelona and helped the Blaugrana win La Liga four seasons in a row in the early 1990s. He ended up winning La Liga five times in total with Barcelona, as well as the Champions League once and the Copa del Rey twice among other honours. He later played for Al-Nassr where Cristiano Ronaldo currently resides but signed for Chicago Fire in 2000 on a free transfer. He made 65 appearances in the MLS for them, scoring 22 goals and getting 15 assists. Stoichkov's second and final MLS club was D.C. United where he ended his career, playing 23 times.
One of the many youngsters to come through La Masia and fail to live up to the immense expectations placed upon him, Cristian Tello will be quickly forgotten by MLS fans. The one-time Spain international signed for LAFC in 2022 but he was only able to manage five appearances in which he did not play a role in any goals. Before that, though, he played 86 times for Barcelona's senior team. He got 20 goals and 14 assists and was briefly one of the most promising wingers in the world. There were spells at Real Betis, FC Porto and Fiorentina, and he now plays in Saudi Arabia for Al-Fateh SC.
Source: 90min.com
