In recent days, after Neymar and Lionel Messi declared their interest in playing in MLS, commissioner Don Garber took a stance at a press conference saying the tournament was not a ‘retreat for stars’ . For many years, to attract the attention of the media and fans at home and abroad, Americans chose to hire players who were about to retire. Kaká, Pirlo, Lampard and Schweinsteiger are examples of athletes who succeeded in Europe and retired in the United States.
Over the years, the reality has changed. The league has started investing in signing South American prospects and top players in Europe, such as Lorenzo Insigne, who was traded by Napoli to Toronto FC, and Xherdan Shaqiri, formerly of Lyon, who was signed by Chicago Fire . Over the past year, countless young players who have distinguished themselves in Brazil have been signed to play in MLS.
New York City bought Talles Magno, sold by Vasco for 42 million reais. In a similar negotiation, São Paulo sold the Brenner striker to Cincinnati FC for 70 million reais. Besides Talles and Brenner, 23-year-old Venezuelan striker Soteldo has made a name for himself for Santos and has been signed by Toronto FC, the Canadian club that competes in the competition.
In the opinion of Rui Costa, director of São Paulo, this change of mentality began to be implemented by the North Americans some time ago.
– MLS is a very professional league. Before, they used to bring big idols in search of audience, but now they started betting on young sportsmen with possibility of resale. They are very organized, this is a plan that must have existed for years and has become more and more evident – explains the leader.
– Negotiations between Brazilian and North American clubs are increasingly frequent. The appreciation of the dollar makes the deal advantageous for MLS teams, since they are athletes with an affordable cost and who deliver sporting results. It is a structured championship and very strong economically – analyzes Júnior Chávare, a football executive who has worked in Bahia, Atlético-MG, São Paulo, Grêmio and Juventus (ITA).
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