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America's Major League Soccer (MLS) is one of the fastest-growing domestic football leagues in the world.
The MLS is home to some of the best players in the continent, including Carlos Vela, Josef Martinez and Luiz Araujo. The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney made the cross-continent trip in recent years.
The league is extremely competitive. Moreover, MLS clubs offer lucrative financial packages, along with the opportunity to reside in some of the best cities in the world. That makes the MLS an attractive destination for world-class players to end their career there.
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A generation of talented footballers has now given way to a new generation led by Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are probably the last remnants of the golden era. The likes of Giorgio Chiellini, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Ramos are entering the twilight phase of their glorious career. It will be interesting to see if they choose the MLS to call time on their career.
On that note, here's a look at five legendary footballers who could end their career in the Major League Soccer (MLS).
#5 Franck Ribery
Franck Ribery would've certainly won the Ballon d'Or award at least once if not for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's duopoly in the last decade.
After an illustrious 12-year career at the Allianz Arena, the Frenchman parted ways with Bayern Munich in the summer of 2019 to join Fiorentina. At 36, Ribery was well past his prime when he arrived in Italy, but he fared decently. In 51 appearances for the Serie A outfit, he scored five goals and provided ten assists.
Ribery recently joined newly-promoted US Salernitana, who are currently languishing in 19th place in the Serie A table. The club has only won two matches out of their 12 this campaign. Salernitana are one of the favourites to go back down to the second division.
In such a scenario, Ribery could consider making the final move of his career to the MLS instead of Serie B.
#4 Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon's £47.6 million move to Juventus from boyhood club Parma two decades ago remains one of the most expensive goalkeeper transfers of all time.
This summer, Buffon's footballing journey completed a full circle when he returned to his boyhood club after 20 years. Parma are currently in Italy's second division - Serie B. They are 14th in the Serie B table, but will hope to make their place among Italy's top dogs, with Buffon in their ranks.
Many have claimed Parma might be Buffon's last club, as he might look to retire where it all started for him. However, the Italian superstar is going strong even at 43.
Buffon aims to lead Parma back to where they belong, but the club does not look like a contender for promotion this season. That could entice the legendary goalkeeper to end his extraordinary career with a final flourish in the MLS.
Despite Parma's leaky defence, Buffon has kept four clean sheets in Serie B this season. That is evidence that Buffon might have some years in his tank to prosper in a 'lesser' league like the MLS.
#3 Gareth Bale
Despite having four Champions League titles under his belt, Gareth Bale has never received the respect he deserves from the Real Madrid faithful.
While Bale may not have lived up to the ridiculous expectations of the Madridistas, he would have been considered a club legend almost anywhere else. In 254 appearances for Los Blancos, Bale has been directly involved in 174 goals (106 goals, 68 assists).
That includes his stunning solo goal in the Copa Del Rey final against Barcelona, where he sprinted from his own half to secure a 2-1 victory for Madrid on the night.
Bale was extremely impressive for Tottenham Hotspur on loan last season, but has failed to nail down a starting spot under Carlo Ancelotti this campaign. The Welshman has registered only three appearances this season, scoring a goal in his limited playing time.
Bale still looks unsettled in the Spanish capital, and his relationship with the fans remains a fractured one. That could force Bale to part ways with Real Madrid and spend the last few years of his illustrious career in America in the MLS.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
Much to the dismay of football fans worldwide, the Ronaldo-Messi era is nearing its end, with both legends in their mid-30s now.
Even at 36, Cristiano Ronaldo remains one of the fittest footballers around. and could easily carry on at the highest level until 40. The Portuguese recently signed a two-year contract with Manchester United, with the option of extending it by another year.
That could mean that Ronaldo might depart Old Trafford when he's 38 or 39, with a couple of years still left in his tank. While there are rumours that the Portuguese might return to his boyhood club Sporting Lisbon, a move to the MLS could also be on the cards.
In an interview with GQ back in 2016, Ronaldo said:
"What's happening there is great, it's fantastic—maybe in the future will be a good chance for me to play there. You never know, but it's something interesting."
The Manchester United man continued:
"I consider it, of course, because as I've said, soccer there has become better and better, so why not? I think that this is maybe going to be possible."
It remains to be seen if Ronaldo treads the MLS route or opts to call it time on his legendary career at his boyhood club Sporting Lisbon.
#1 Lionel Messi
Along with Ronaldo, Lionel Messi is nearing the end of his glorious career after dominating world football since his debut in 2003.
The Argentine recently won his first major international trophy, claiming the 2021 Copa America title for Argentina, who beat hosts Brazil 1-0 in the final. However, Barcelona shocked the footballing world when they announced that they were unable to offer Messi an extension due to falling foul of La Liga regulations. That forced Messi to make the first transfer of his career, joining forces with Neymar and Mbappe at PSG.
While the Argentine has gotten off to a slow start in Paris, he has been extremely impressive in the Champions League. Messi has scored three times in as many appearances in Europe's elite club tournament for his new club.
The Barcelona faithful will hope Messi returns to the Camp Nou in the near future. In all probability, Messi, too, might be keen to complete the final lap of his career at Barcelona. However, the Blaugrana are still under massive financial stress and cannot afford to sign Messi for the next couple of years, at the very least.
If the financial situation at Barcelona keeps worsening, Messi could play the final leg of his career in the MLS. As a South American native, the MLS could be the perfect destination for the Argentine.
