Although Europe is still the powerbase of football, the beautiful game has now expanded out to six of the seven continents on the planet, with each bosting teams of quality. North America is, perhaps, the most intriguing of these areas, with the United States’ Major League Soccer (MLS) having grown in popularity since the mid 2000s.
Despite the presence of American Football, Ice Hockey, Baseball and Basketball, ‘soccer’ has grown massively in America, with the success of the USMNT (the national team) having boosted the progress being made in the top tier, which now attracts a host of household players, including Chelsea hero, Didier Drogba. The Ivorian signed for Montreal Impact over the summer, and has already hit nine goals in nine league games to make him a fans’ favourite at the Saputo Stadium.
However, Drogba is not the first big name to head Stateside from the Premier League to sample the delights of MLS, and here are FIVE of the best to have gone from England to America…