Major League Soccer appears to have been replaced as the retirement home for elite players coming from Europe's top leagues in recent seasons. With the rise of footballing wealth coming from Saudi Arabia, China and Qatar, those who previously appeared destined to end up in America are no longer making the move.
Whereas in the past 10 years the Champions League winning figures of David Villa, Andrea Pirlo, Bastien Schweinsteiger, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and most recently Gareth Bale, have all crossed to USA for an MLS honeymoon, there is more incentive elsewhere currently.
38-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo chose to join Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia after his contract at Manchester United was terminated. Karim Benzema, who this week announced he would be leaving Real Madrid after 14 years at the club, is set to join him in the league with Al-Ittihad.
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Their former Los Blancos rival Lionel Messi is out of work as well after Paris Saint-Germain boss Christophe Galtier revealed that the Argentine wouldn't be playing in Paris past this summer. “I had the privilege of coaching the best player in the history of football. It will be Leo’s last match at the Parc des Princes against Clermont," he said.
Messi is now set to be a free agent for the second time since 2021. This was the type of hotbead that MLS used to thrive on. Zlatan Ibrahimovich, another who has made a major statement by announcing his retirement from the game, moved to America before then re-entering the European market.
MLS, and many other even more established leagues are now finding it harder to offer deals as grand and financially as incentivised as the middle eastern countries. It is a power shift that leaves MLS in a state of flux with its A-list attraction one if its most redeeming qualities. Without the big names there is less to sell.
For Chelsea, they have more vested interest in the latest players linked with a move to the USA. It wasn't just Benzema that called time on his Real Madrid career, Eden Hazard also announced his own farewell after four seasons of struggle and pain. "Real Madrid Football Club and Eden Hazard have reached an agreement whereby the player will leave the club as of 30 June 2023," read a club statement.
"Eden Hazard has been part of our club for four seasons, during which time he has won 8 titles: 1 European Cup, 1 Club World Cup, 1 European Super Cup, 2 LaLiga titles, 1 Copa del Rey and 2 Spanish Super Cups. Real Madrid would like to express our affection to Eden Hazard and we wish him and his family the best of luck for the next stage of his career."
Chelsea have long been linked with a deal to end Hazard's torturous time at Santiago Bernabeau but over the winter it was the MLS that was said to be his next destination. French publication L'Equipe reported that the option of going to America interested the Belgian.
"I have one more year and I have to show [what I can do] but it isn't easy. I'm not playing, I want to play more. I'm really sorry about what has happened," said Hazard during an interview prior to the start of the World Cup.
"In January it's impossible [to leave], because I have family and I like the city," he said earlier this year. Now, with his future at a crossroads, the next step for the 32-year-old is unknown. Chelsea fans have made their stance clear, though, with the former winger still held in the highest regard.
"Bring him back to Cobham as a coach/ambassador/scout/whatever he wants," one fan wrote on social media. "We brought back Drogba as a backup option to provide leadership in our 2014-2015 title season. I’d be totally fine with bringing back Eden Hazard to do the same for next season. Propa Chels and a serial winner," said another.
However, even if an unlikely offer from Chelsea did come in to stop a potential move to MLS, Hazard is said to be considering retirement from the game. It would come as a blow for the American audience after Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal were both linked with him.
One player that is far from ready to retire is Messi. He is reportedly closing in on a staggering £344.9m ($427.7m) per year deal to join Al-Hilal in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. The offer, the Athletic say, was proposed much earlier this year and a final answer is expected soon.
However, there is an MLS option for Messi as well. Inter Miami had made great strides towards making the World Cup winner their statement signing but his camp now deny such talks or a formal offer. Part-owned by David Beckham, they are one of the remaining options for the 35-year-old.
Barcelona are struggling to get to grips with legal issues that could end their bid to welcome him back to Catalonia, meanwhile there is the lingering ambition of Todd Boehly to bring Chelsea a true superstar. Given the Argentina connection between him and Pochettino, plus the long-standing admiration, a link to Chelsea is obvious.
The incumbent manager, however, is unlikely to sanction a deal for Messi due to his desire for a mobile and high-pressing frontline as well as the major obstacle of Messi's financial demands and lack of Champions League football on offer at Stamford Bridge.
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