LAFC’s signing of South Korean star Son Heung-min earlier this month is a major coup not just for the team. It’s also the latest in a spate of acquisitions that has brought an unprecedented level of talent and attention to MLS as the league nears the end of its 30th anniversary season.
Since Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami shortly after winning the 2022 World Cup, MLS has welcomed more than two dozen global standouts, from World Cup champions Hugo Lloris, Olivier Giroud, Rodrigo De Paul and Thomas Mueller to Germany’s Marco Reus and Uruguay’s Luis Suárez.
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Some were a bit past their prime but others, including Messi, have proven to be dominant MLS players. The addition of Son, arguably the best Asian player of all time, opens a new chapter for the league and U.S. soccer as the country prepares to welcome the World Cup back next summer.
With that as a backdrop, here’s one man’s list of the 10 most important signings in MLS history:
1. David Beckham (Galaxy, 2007-12)
Galaxy star David Beckham, right, shakes hands with FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi before a friendly match at the Rose Bowl in August 2009. (Robert Mora / MLS via Getty Images)
Beckham did more than anyone to change the trajectory of MLS and, by extension, soccer in the U.S. By leaving Real Madrid for the Galaxy in 2007 he put the league on the international map and forced it to make room in its salary structure for high-paid “designated players” — an exception to the payroll cap still known as the “Beckham Rule.” More important, he was bullish on MLS, helping recruit other international players such as Robbie Keane, Kaka, Frank Lampard and, as an owner, Messi and Suárez.
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2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Galaxy, 2018-19)
Galaxy star Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates after scoring against Portland in March 2019. (Katharine Lotze / Getty Images)
If the proper and reserved Beckham, who was subsequently knighted by King Charles III, brought pomp and class to MLS, the brash and entertaining Ibrahimovic was the troublemaking media-friendly prankster who made the MLS must-see TV. In his short stay with the Galaxy he scored 52 goals and had 13 assists in 56 games. And he did it all with a smirk on his face and a chip on his shoulder, relentlessly chiding the league over its salary cap, the level of play, travel and officiating.
3. Lionel Messi (Inter Miami, 2023-present)
Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi controls the ball during a match against the Galaxy on Aug. 16. (Megan…