Major League Soccer plays its 30th season in 2025, making it a good time to look at the most important players in the league's history.
From global superstars to up-and-coming players who were later transferred for big fees, MLS has seen its fair share of talent spend time in the league.
Now, the league has arguably more talent within its ranks than ever thanks in part to some of the names on this list.
Let's take a look at the five most important players in MLS history.
MLS Seasons: 2001-2014, 2016
Appearances: 340
Goals: 145
Assists: 104
Teams: San Jose Earthquakes (2001-2004), LA Galaxy (2005-2014, 2016)
As one of two players with over 100 goals and 100 assists in his MLS career - the other being DC United legend Jaime Moreno - Landon Donovan has had a nearly unmatched career in America's top league.
The league's all-time assists leader has won six MLS Cups and won the 2009 MVP Award with the LA Galaxy after scoring 12 goals with six assists in 25 appearances. His record goalscoring season was in 2008, when he scored 20 in 25 games. He had eight MLS campaigns with 10+ goals.
Between some MLS seasons, Donovan would head out on loans to various European clubs. He played seven matches for Bayer Leverkusen between the 2004-2005 seasons, six matches for Bayern Munich between 2008-2009, and, over two spells in 2009/10 and 2011/12, 17 matches with two goals and six assists for Everton.
He always came back to MLS, and he has become one of the players most synonymous with US Soccer in the 2000s thanks to his goalscoring endeavors for club and country.
MLS Seasons: 2017-2018
Appearances: 62
Goals: 21
Assists: 19
Teams: Atlanta United
Ahead of Atlanta United's first MLS season in 2017, people weren't totally sure how the South would take to soccer. Mercedes-Benz Stadium's construction was delayed, meaning the new MLS franchise wouldn't get to open it until the middle of the season. The team had to play the first half of the season at Bobby Dodd Stadium, so fans would have to sit through some cold March weather.
But when those fans saw attacking midfielder Miguel Almiron, the relatively unknown, left-footed Designated Player from Paraguay get on the ball, they knew their ticket was worth whatever they paid.
Almiron scored nine goals with eight assists in 30 appearances while leading Atlanta to a fourth-placed finish in the MLS standings in the franchise's inaugural season, and in his second year, he had 12 goals and 11 assists while leading the team to win MLS Cup.
Following that MLS Cup-winning campaign, Newcastle United paid a MLS-record $27 million transfer fee to bring Almiron to England's Premier League, and that record still stands today. Almiron's signing, development and transfer became a model that every franchise around the league wants to replicate.
MLS Seasons: 1996-2002
Appearances: 175
Goals: 16
Assists: 114
Teams: Tampa Bay Mutiny (1996-1997, 1999-2001), Miami Fusion (1998-1999), Colorado Rapids (2001-2002)
Carlos Valderrama, a tricky attacking midfielder from Colombia with an iconic blonde afro, was the league's first megastar and first-ever MVP Award winner.
'El Pibe' arrived in MLS with two Colombian Championships, a French Cup, two South American Footballer of the Year Awards and three South American Team of the Year honors to his name.
Valderrama hit the ground running when he joined the Tampa Bay Mutiny ahead of the inaugural 1996 season, and his four goals and 11 assists earned him the MVP and were crucial to his team's first-place finish, but the Mutiny eventually lost in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Although he never won an MLS Cup, Valderrama is still regarded as the first superstar to ever join the league, and who knows how it would have fared without a player of his pedigree to help MLS launch.
MLS Seasons: 2023-2024
Appearances: 25
Goals: 22
Assists: 30
Teams: Inter Miami
Eight Ballon d'Or wins, four FIFA The Best Men's Player Awards, two UEFA Champions League Player of the Year Awards and two World Cup Best Player Awards. That was the resume the GOAT, Lionel Messi, brought to Major League Soccer when he left Paris Saint-Germain for Inter Miami.
He has played the equivalent of less than one full season, and he's already by far the most famous player the league has ever had. He's also the best: Messi won the 2024 MVP Award with 20 goals and 11 assists in just 19 appearances in his age-37 season.
Right after he joined the Inter Miami in 2023, MLS took a break for Leagues Cup, which Messi dominated. In seven matches, he had 10 goals and four assists while leading Miami to win the title.
For the MLS brass, the crucial part of Messi joining the league is the fact people wear his Inter Miami jersey all over the world and that his presence drives subscriptions for the league's streaming package. The only reason he isn't at the top of the list is because the person in that position is a part-owner of the team Messi plays for.
MLS Seasons: 2007-2012
Appearances: 98
Goals: 18
Assists: 31
Teams: LA Galaxy
David Beckham's transfer to the LA Galaxy both inspired the Designated Player rule and guaranteed Becks equity in a future MLS expansion franchise, which has turned out to be Inter Miami.
Those feats alone are worthy of leading this list. But the longtime England international also delivered some great moments on the pitch.
Beckham led the Galaxy to consecutive MLS Cups in his final seasons with the team, setting up scoring opportunities for Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane and netting long-range screamers of his own.
While he didn't dominate the league at an MVP level, Beckham brought Major League Soccer to an audience beyond pre-existing soccer fans. The superstar raised the level of brand recognition around the globe for the league, and while fans might be wearing Messi jerseys these days, they wouldn't have known about MLS if it weren't for Beckham.