Former England captain David Beckham and his ex-Los Angeles Galaxy team mates Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane were named on a list of 25 greatest Major League Soccer players on Wednesday as the competition celebrated its silver jubilee.
The 25 were selected from a list of 137 players by a panel of nearly 200 MLS experts from across North America, recognising those who achieved team and individual accolades and made an impact off the field.
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Official! Meet the 25 players who have had the greatest influence on the first 25 years of MLS, as voted by players, media & staff.Swipe for the full group ↔️
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) December 9, 2020
Nine different nationalities are represented on the list with players appearing for 20 different MLS clubs over their careers.
Former Colombia international Carlos Valderrama and ex-U.S. international Clint Dempsey were also on the list.
Former England captain Wayne Rooney and his ex-Manchester United team mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic were among the nominees but did not make the final 25.
Also missing out were Brazil's Kaka, Frenchman Thierry Henry and Spain's David Villa who all had spells in the United States.
I'm very grateful to be part of such a distinguished list of @MLS 25 Greatest Players. While I am so fortunate for the on-field success, I feel like the relationships I've made, the places I've seen and the people I've met have been such an incredible gift. Here's to another 25! pic.twitter.com/gKcj0ZP3zo
— Jeff Agoos (@JeffAgoos) December 9, 2020
Full list: Jeff Agoos, Kyle Beckerman, David Beckham, Carlos Bocanegra, Dwayne De Rosario, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Marco Etcheverry, Robin Fraser, Sebastian Giovinco, Kevin Hartman, Cobi Jones, Robbie Keane, Chad Marshall, Josef Martinez, Tony Meola, Jaime Moreno, Eddie Pope, Preki, Steve Ralston, Nick Rimando, Carlos Valderrama, Diego Valeri, Chris Wondolowski, Bradley Wright-Phillips.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
