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Zlatan Ibrahimovic will become arguably the greatest footballer to grace Major League Soccer when he turns out for LA Galaxy in the forthcoming season.
The veteran Swede was released by Manchester United earlier this week only to announce his arrival in the USA in typically flamboyant style, taking out a full page advert in the LA Times with the message: “Dear Los Angeles, You're welcome.”
Indeed, he follows former Manchester United team-mate Bastian Schweinsteiger west, with the Germany international trolling Ibrahimovic for becoming something of a stalker:
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Although his time at Old Trafford was cut short by his inability to fully recover from a serious knee injury, it is anticipated that the 36-year-old will prove to be a success in the States.
He is not, however, the first big-name to finish off his career in the MLS, which has become a popular destination for ageing players over the years who wish to experience a change in scenery and a comfortable lifestyle to boot, away from the glare of the fishbowl European media.
Indeed, some of the world’s very best players have blazed a trail for Ibra to follow.
Here, we take a look at five of the very best and study just how they fared.
#5 Bastian Schweinsteiger
The tale of Bastian Schweinsteiger in the MLS is a cautionary one for Zlatan Ibrahimovic as his former team-mate has at times struggled to cope with the dip in standard coming from a big European team into a lesser league.
Like the Swede, Schweinsteiger, a veteran of 500 games with Bayern Munich, moved to America off the back of a disappointing spell at Manchester United, which was plagued by physical problems. The German, who moved to Chicago Fire, clashed with Jose Mourinho and departed in March 2017 under a cloud.
Right from the outset, things seemed to go well for him. He looked at ease in his opening match against Montreal Impact, even getting on the scoresheet, which was something of a rarity for him throughout his career.
Chicago enjoyed a strong season with him in the heart of the field, as he drove them up to the top of the MLS standings, but though he was named in the MLS All-Star Fan XI and accepted a one-year contract extension option, he has not been without his critics, some caused by his outspoken views.
“We all know that this league is just not like the Premier League or the Bundesliga, and, of course, it can be frustrating on the pitch at times when things discussed [in the team meeting] are not implemented or when somebody loses a ball or just does not have an eye for the teammate,” he told Suddeutsche Zeitung.
#4 Kaka
A winner of the Ballon d’Or in 2007, Kaka was the marquee addition of Orlando City when they joined the league in 2015, having been inspired by the club’s Brazilian owner Flavio Augusto da Silva to move to the States.
At his peak, when the playmaker was strutting his stuff for Real Madrid and AC Milan, he was the greatest in the world, and he was made the highest-paid star in MLS history with the move, which guaranteed him $7.2 million each year.
In order to stay sharp before City began competitive action in March 2015, he was shipped out to Sao Paolo, where he played 24 matches, and by the time he arrived for action in the USA, he was still in excellent shape. Indeed, he scored on the team’s first competitive outing, firing home a free kick against New York City and was ranked second in the League’s Player of the Month award.
He was a roaring success throughout his time in Orlando, as he was named for the MLS All-Star game in each of his three seasons in the league, claiming the MVP award in 2015.
Kaka scored nine times in each of his first two campaigns and notched six in his final year before retirement.
#3 Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard’s career will be forever associated with Liverpool. He spent 17 years with his boyhood club, scoring 120 league goals for the Reds in a spell that spanned over 500 games, earning him the Champions League in 2005.
By the time he moved to the LA Galaxy, though, he was past his 35th birthday and would spend little more than a year with the Californian outfit.
He was hastily integrated into the team barely a month after the end of the 2014-15 Premier League season, featuring in a friendly on July 11 against Club America before his competitive bow came just three days later in a US Open Cup quarter-final loss to Real Salt Lake.
His MLS debut could scarcely have gone any better as he scored one and laid on another as LA beat the San Jose Earthquakes 5-2, though he would find the net only once more before the end of the season.
Gerrard would last only one further season in America, having struggled to cope with the extensive travel times and dramatically varying climate that the league posed.
He is another who went to the US expecting riches in terms of trophies but could not deliver, despite an All-Star game appearance in 2015.
#2 Andrea Pirlo
New York City boasted a classy roster as they first exploded into existence, with former Spain international striker David Villa and ex-Chelsea star Frank Lampard dreaming up with Italy great Andrea Pirlo, who saw out his career in the Big Apple.
A cultured midfielder who was once branded “a genius” by Johan Cruyff, his game was based on vision and technique.
“Pirlo spots a pass in a split-second that lesser players could spend a whole lifetime waiting to see,” Carlo Ancelotti said of the former Juventus man, who AC Milan foolishly released in 2011, believing he was past his prime.
The Brescia-born midfielder was 36 when he eventually made his way to the MLS as one of expansion team New York City’s marquee players, instantly making an impact as he played a vital role as a substitute on debut in a 5-3 win over Orlando City.
But his time in the US was not straightforward by any means. He faced criticism for his poor work rate defensively, while his team failed to live up to expectations in their first season, missing out on the playoffs, despite a lavishly built squad.
Two Eastern Conference semi-finals followed, but both resulted in disappointment for the Italian, who quit the game the day after defeat in 2017.
#1 David Beckham
When David Beckham moved to LA Galaxy in 2007, it was a major coup for MLS. The England star was an icon of the game during his spells at Manchester United and Real Madrid, which spanned 15 years.
His arrival was greeted with the kind of fanfare one would expect for a global superstar, with 5,000 fans gathered at the Home Depot Center, with over quarter of a million Beckham branded jerseys sold before he had so much been unveiled as an LA Galaxy player.
“I'm coming there not to be a superstar. I'm coming there to be part of the team, to work hard and to hopefully win things,” he said, distancing himself from his own brand.
“With me, it's about football. I'm coming there to make a difference. I'm coming there to play football.
“I'm not saying me coming over to the States is going to make soccer the biggest sport in America. That would be difficult to achieve. Baseball, basketball, American football, they've been around. But I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think I could make a difference.”
He spent his summers playing for LA and had a couple of loan stints with AC Milan during the winter, proving that he had not lost any of his ability to play at the highest level.
He would spend four complete seasons with the Galaxy, with his last – the 2012 campaign – the most successful as he scored seven times in 24 outings.
Although Beckham failed to win any major silverware in the US, he returned to Europe for one last hurrah with Paris Saint-Germain, while he is now making progress towards a Miami franchise for MLS, which is set for action in 2020.
