Why MLS has never seen a player like Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi

Updated Jun. 8, 2023 8:46 p.m. ET

Lionel Messi has yet to play his first match for Inter Miami CF, and he’s already the most iconic, most accomplished player in MLS history, due to his storied European career.

In his 20 years in Europe — 18 of which he played with Barcelona — Messi won 37 trophies, including 12 league trophies and four Champions Leagues. That run included two European trebles, which is something only 12 other players have done. The 35-year-old also been awarded the Ballon d’Or a record seven times, two more than his longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, his status as arguably the greatest player of all time was cemented when he won the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar with Argentina as the team’s best player. Including international trophies, Messi is tied with Dani Alves for the player with the most trophies in soccer; he can pass Alves with a trophy in MLS.

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Simply put, MLS has never seen a player like Messi because there’s never been a player like Messi. But that doesn’t mean that the league hasn’t been home to a few of soccer’s all-time greats before.

Here are 10 other players that have used their icon status to elevate soccer in the United States:

Kaká, Midfielder, Brazil (2015-17)

After an injury-plagued spell with Real Madrid and a pair of briefs returns to AC Milan and São Paulo, Kaká joined MLS expansion team Orlando City SC in 2014 as the club’s first designated player. During his prime years with AC Milan, Kaká won the Serie A, the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or. He also won the FIFA World Cup in 2002 with Brazil.

Kaká’s the only player in MLS history to win a Ballon d’Or and a World Cup; Lionel Messi will soon be the second. But Kaká won his World Cup in 2002 and the Ballon d’Or in 2007, seven years before he played his first game for Orlando. Messi won his last Ballon d’Or in 2021 and won the World Cup in December 2022.

Frank Lampard, Midfielder, England (2015-16)

Frank Lampard’s illustrious career with Chelsea F.C. ended in 2014, when he signed a two-year contract with New York City FC. In 13 years with the West London club, Lampard won three Premier League titles, four FA Cup titles and the coveted Champions League in 2012, beating Messi’s Barcelona in the semifinal.

Lampard and Messi were the same age when they joined MLS, but Lampard’s final years in Europe weren’t as productive as Messi’s.

Wayne Rooney, Striker, England (2018-19)

Wayne Rooney, Manchester United’s all-time leading goalscorer and England’s second all-time leading goalscorer, signed a three-and-a-half year deal with D.C. United in 2018 after winning five Premier League titles and a Champions League title in 13 years with the Red Devils. Rooney made three Champions League finals with United, but he lost the other two to Barcelona teams headlined by Messi. Rooney is now coaching D.C. United despite being two years younger than Messi.

Steven Gerrard, Midfielder, England (2015-16)

Steven Gerrard played for just two clubs in his 18-year senior career: Liverpool, where he played for 17 years, and the LA Galaxy, where he played for a year toward the end of his career. Gerrard is infamous for never winning the Premier League with Liverpool, but he did win the Champions League with the Reds in 2005 and was named the Man of the Match for the final.

Gerrard was voted onto the FIFA FIFPro XI three times from 2007 to 2009 alongside Messi. However, 2009 was Gerrard’s last appearance on the FIFPro XI whereas Messi has been voted to the last 16 teams.

Alexi reacts to Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami, MLS over FC Barcelona and Saudi Arabia

David Villa, Striker, Spain (2015-18)

David Villa’s crowning achievement was winning the World Cup with Spain in 2010, but he also had a decorated club career in the following years, winning two La Liga titles and a Champions League alongside Lionel Messi at Barcelona, and capping off his European career with one last La Liga title at Atletico Madrid in 2014. Villa joined NYCFC in 2015, the same year Messi won his third Champions League with Barcelona. He also made his move to MLS at the age of 32; Messi will be 36 in June.

Bastian Schweinsteiger, Midfielder, Germany (2017-2019)

As part of one of the most dominant dynasties in Bundesliga history, Bastian Schweinsteiger won 18 trophies at Bayern Munich, including eight league titles and a Champions League in 2013. Schweinsteiger was able to put a bow on his illustrious European career with a World Cup in 2014 over Lionel Messi’s Argentina. He joined the Chicago Fire in 2017 after a brief spell with Manchester United.

But even though he was part of a historically great Bayern Munich team, Schweinsteiger’s 18 trophies in Germany don’t rival the 34 trophies Messi won with Barcelona, and by the time he came stateside at 32 years old, he had already been a reserve in Europe for three years.

Andrea Pirlo, Midfielder, Italy (2015-17)

Andrea Pirlo joined NYCFC in 2015 as its third designated player alongside David Villa and Frank Lampard. The midfield maestro came to the club with seven Serie A titles, two Champions League titles and a World Cup to his name. He was named Serie A Player of the Year three consecutive times from 2012 to 2014.

Like Messi, Pirlo joined MLS at 35, and like Messi, he was still considered good enough to play in Europe. The key difference between Pirlo and Messi, though, is that Messi was a star attacker in his final season in Europe whereas Pirlo was a stable force for Juventus deep in the midfield. Messi’s responsibilities and expectations will be different in MLS.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Striker, Sweden (2018-19)

When Zlatan Ibrahimovic signed with the LA Galaxy in 2018, he took a full-page advertisement in the Los Angeles Times and that said, “Dear Los Angeles, you’re welcome.” And his confidence, while brash, was warranted, as he had won at least one major trophy in the five top-flight European leagues he played in prior to joining MLS, including the La Liga title with Messi’s Barcelona in 2009.

Ibrahimovic is arguably the most unique player on this list because, despite 36 years old when he came to MLS, he continued to have a successful career in Europe after spending two seasons stateside, and his resume at the club level is excellent. If anything, it’s testament to Messi’s greatness that Zlatan is not considered the most talented player to ever play in MLS.

Thierry Henry, Striker, France (2012-2014)

If David Beckham was the first big domino to drop in European superstars raising the profile of MLS, Thierry Henry was the second and arguably biggest in terms of stature. The French striker was part one Arsenal’s Invincibles, which won the Premier League in 2004 without losing a game. Henry, a four-time Premier League golden boot-winner, scored 30 goals that season, something only Andy Cole, Alan Shearer and Kevin Phillips had done at the time. He was the runner-up for the Ballon d’Or in 2003. Henry continued his success at Barcelona alongside Messi, winning the European treble in 2009 before leaving for the New York Red Bulls in 2010.

Add all of that to Henry’s international achievements — he won the World Cup (1998) and the Euros (2000) — and you have one of the greatest strikers of all time. Unfortunately, that’s still not enough to compare to his former teammate, who is joining MLS at the same age Henry played his second season with New York. Henry retired a year later.

David Beckham, Midfielder, England (2010-2012)

By the time David Beckham announced his shocking decision to leave the mighty Real Madrid to play in the United States, his celebrity had overshadowed his accomplishments on the pitch. But make no mistake: Beckham was more than just a global ambassador for the sport. During his time in Europe, he won the Premier League six times, most famously in 1999, when Manchester United completed the treble. That same year, he was runner-up for the Ballon d’Or.

Messi is the best of both worlds, and then some. Not only has he raised the international profile of Inter Miami, which is owned by Beckham, since his announcement, but he’s brought the same esteem that Beckham had when he joined the Galaxy from Los Blancos. He could have continued in Europe — Real Madrid wanted him to — but he had his sights set on a new chapter in the U.S.

So, too, does Messi.

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