As much celebrity as he was footballer, Beckham\u2019s arrival in Hollywood transformed the image of America\u2019s domestic league almost overnight. LA Galaxy experienced a stratospheric rise in global prominence, transforming themselves from a fledgling club in a fledgling league to global phenomenon on the back of the man in the iconic No.23 jersey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where Beckham led, others followed. At LA Galaxy alone, a metaphorical galaxy of stars have passed through in the ensuing years – Robbie Keane, Steven Gerard and Zlatan Ibrahimovic among them – while the rest of the league also experienced an influx as international superstars such as Thierry Henry, David Villa and Andrea Pirlo moved Stateside to conclude their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for the league itself, when Beckham arrived it contained a modest 13 clubs spread across two divisions. In the 16 years since that game-changing signing, a further 16 teams have been added to a league that now contains 29 teams and has ambitions for even further growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s safe to conclude that without Beckham\u2019s arrival, the trajectory of growth in MLS would not have been the same. It owes its modern success to Beckham\u2019s arrival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In terms of celebrity footballers, however, Cristiano Ronaldo far outstrips the former England international. In the age of social media he is the very definition of a celebrity footballer. He is the very definition of celebrity, full stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n