Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was previously an LA Galaxy star, spoke about the issues affecting Major League Soccer (MLS) growth. He said the league is not growing as it should due to having “too many rules.” Zlatan Ibrahimovic is considered one of the most garnished players over the past 20 years. The former Swedish forward spent two seasons with the LA Galaxy after joining in 2018. However, later in 2019, he returned to Italy to end his career with AC Milan.
After he left MLS, the league expanded to 29 teams, up from 24. San Diego FC will be joining the MLS in 2025 to push the number to 30. Despite the increase in the number of teams and quality players from Europe, Ibrahimovic still feels there’s a lot to deal with in MLS.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Viewpoint on MLS
Ibrahimovic, who has now become a senior advisor to Milan, spoke to ESPN’s “First Take.” He feels that improvement can be made to enhance the standards in MLS. This could make the league comparable to the ones in Europe. The ex-Man United star said that the league needs to keep developing more young talent. At the same time, it can continue to bring in more established players from Europe.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic commented on MLS’s slow growth. “It’s growing in the right direction, but I think it’s growing slowly because when I was here I remember, it has too many rules to make it grow faster,” he said. “It’s a slow process.”
Ibrahimovic Claims European Levels Much Higher
The Swede continued saying, “But when it comes to the game, quality, the individuals, the game is growing and getting better and better. And you have the World Cup also in 2026, which will be important for the country and MLS especially.”
And how does the Swede compare Europe to the USA? “I think when you bring over these big players and they’re showing their quality, you understand more how the level is in Europe. The level is much higher in Europe, with all due respect for MLS. But it’s growing. You need to build it from the base. It’s not only about the big stars coming and playing. They’re not the future; they’re the present,” Ibra explained.
New Rules Associated with MLS
MLS, unlike European top leagues, limits the salary caps of their clubs. However, the one exception is signing three specific players who can have salaries that go above the club’s budget. This is alongside another three players aged 22 or younger at a lower rate.
The MLS has been placed under a lot of pressure to weaken those rules, especially when Lionel Messi came to Inter Miami. In July, the league brought some modifications to the rules. These were to give more convenience to clubs when signing players. The new rules were mostly centered on loosening the limitations on the number of incoming transfers of “Designated Players,” besides the 22 players already signed.
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