Designated Player Rule

Major League Soccer rule

David Beckham was the league's first Designated Player, with the rule being nicknamed the "Beckham Rule".

The Designated Player Rule, nicknamed the Beckham Rule, allows Major League Soccer franchises to sign up to three players that would be considered outside their salary cap (either by offering the player higher wages or by paying a transfer fee for the player). The rule, which was adopted ahead of the 2007 MLS season, enables teams to compete for star players in the international football market. The rule is one of two mechanisms by which MLS teams may exceed their salary cap, the other being allocation money. As of December 2019, there have been 209 Designated Players in league history.

The rule is informally named after David Beckham, in anticipation of MLS teams signing lucrative deals with internationally recognized players, after Beckham entered into negotiations to join the league.[1][2] Beckham was the first player signed under this rule, signing a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 with a guaranteed annual salary of $6.5 million.[3][4]

## History[edit]

The team salary cap was estimated to be around US$1.9 million in 2006,[5] was $2.1 million in 2007, and was raised to $2.3 million for the 2008 season.[6][7] As part of the 2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLS and the MLS Players' Union, the 2010 salary cap was $2.55 million, with an automatic five percent increase each year until the expiration of the agreement at the end of the 2014 season.

Under the 2007 rule:

* The rule expires at the end of the 2009 season, and must be renewed then or allowed to lapse.
* For each Designated Player, $400,000[7][8] of his salary is charged to the salary cap and paid by the league, with any remaining salary being paid by the team's owner. This value was increased for the 2009 season to $415,000.
* Prior to the 2007 season, there were three players whose salary exceeded $400,000. These players were Landon Donovan, Carlos Ruiz, and Eddie Johnson. According to the rule, these players were grandfathered in for the 2007 season, and the exemption was extended after the 2007 season, with the league planning to review the issue at a future date. It was possible that the league would be required to renegotiate these players' contracts or consider them Designated Players. However, prior to the start of the 2008 season, Johnson moved to Fulham of the Premier League,[9] while following Dwayne De Rosario's signing by Toronto FC in January 2009, Ruiz was released by the club and left MLS to play for Olimpia Asunción. This left Donovan as the lone player whose 2009 salary remained grandfathered under the exemption provision. However, there were several more players whose guaranteed salary exceeded the Designated Player amount, but whose salary cap expense was actually lower than their true salary due to the allocation rule. These players include Shalrie Joseph ($450,000), Christian Gomez ($430,000), Dwayne De Rosario ($425,750), and Taylor Twellman ($420,000).
* Each team initially had one Designated Player spot, but could trade their Designated Spot to another team; teams were allowed a maximum of two Designated Players.
* Only $325,000 of a team's second Designated Player counted against the salary cap, which was increased to $335,000 in 2009.[7]

The 2010 changes:[10]

* The rule has no expiration date.
* For each Designated Player, $335,000 of his salary is charged to the salary cap and paid by the league ($167,500 for DP players joining during the MLS summer transfer window), with any remaining salary being paid by the team's owner. This amount is halved for Designated Players signed in the middle of the season. The salary cap value of Designated Players can also be reduced using allocation money. Finally, teams whose Designated Players transfer abroad in the middle of a season can recoup part of the Designated Players' salary cap value.
* Landon Donovan is no longer grandfathered into the rule and must be considered a Designated Player.
* Each team is allowed two Designated Player spots, and they can no longer trade their Designated Player spots. The New York Red Bulls will receive $70,000 in allocation money in return for the nullification of their 2007 trade with Chivas USA for an additional Designated Player spot. This means that both New York and Chivas USA will have two Designated Player spots for the 2010 season.
* Teams can pay a $250,000 "luxury tax" for the right to sign a third Designated Player. This $250,000 would be distributed equally to all MLS teams that have not signed a third Designated Player in the form of allocation money.

The 2012 changes:[11]

Starting with the 2012 season, the rule was changed with respect to younger players. MLS announced the changes in August 2011 after clubs expressed concern about signing young international players with no guarantees that they would develop into stars.

* Designated Players over the age of 23 will carry a salary budget charge of $350,000, unless the player joins his club in the middle of the season, in which case his budget charge will be $175,000.
* Designated Players 21–23 years old count as $200,000 against the club's salary budget.
* Designated Players 20 years old or younger count as $150,000 against the club's salary budget.
* The budget charge for the midseason signing of a young Designated Player (23 years old and younger) is $150,000 and this amount cannot be lowered with allocation funds.
* Clubs will not have to buy the third DP roster slot to accommodate Designated Players 23 years old and younger.
* Age of player is determined by year (not date) of birth.

The maximum budget charge for Designated Players over age 23 was increased to $368,750 for 2013, $387,500 in 2014, $436,250 in 2015, $457,500 in 2016, and $480,625 in 2017. The budget charge for those who join during the midseason transfer window has remained at one-half of the full-season cap charge since the inception of the rule. The budget charges for younger players have not changed since 2012.[12]

## Background[edit]

The rule is informally named after David Beckham, in anticipation of MLS teams signing lucrative deals with internationally recognized players of Beckham's caliber.[1][2] Beckham was the first player to be signed under this rule, signing a lucrative contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy worth up to $250 million over five years, with direct guaranteed compensation from MLS and Galaxy at $6.5 million a year.[3]

## Current Designated Players[edit]

As of 16 June 2024[13]
Year signed
as DP | Player | Nation­ality | Current club | 2024 guaranteed compensation[14]

|
|
|
|

2017 | Albert Rusnák |  | Seattle Sounders | $2,221,667
2018 | Raúl Ruidíaz |  | Seattle Sounders | $2,729,120
2019 | Johnny Russell |  | Sporting Kansas City | $1,000,000
2019 | Carles Gil |  | New England Revolution | $4,452,083
2020 | Hany Mukhtar |  | Nashville SC | $5,211,667
2020 | Darlington Nagbe |  | Columbus Crew | $1,540,000
2020 | Alan Pulido |  | Sporting Kansas City | $3,600,000
2020 | Cristian Espinoza |  | San Jose Earthquakes | $2,002,000
2020 | Victor Wanyama |  | CF Montréal | $1,800,000
2021 | Luciano Acosta |  | FC Cincinnati | $4,216,413
2021 | Kévin Cabral |  | Colorado Rapids | $1,950,000
2021 |  Talles Magno |  | New York City FC | $1,198,000
2021 | Sebastián Driussi |  | Austin FC | $6,722,500
2021 | Ryan Gauld |  | Vancouver Whitecaps | $2,985,000
2022 | Alexander Ring |  | Austin FC | $1,665,000
2022 | Julián Carranza |  | Philadelphia Union | $1,000,000
2022 | Sebastián Ferreira |  | Houston Dynamo | $2,290,200
2022 | Jesús Ferreira |  | FC Dallas | $2,204,000
2022 | Facundo Torres |  | Orlando City | $1,812,400
2022 | Mikael Uhre |  | Philadelphia Union | $2,040,000
2022 | Alan Velasco |  | FC Dallas | $1,451,000
2022 | Thiago Martins |  | New York City FC | $2,462,000
2022 | Thiago Almada |  | Atlanta United | $2,232,000
2022 | Xherdan Shaqiri |  | Chicago Fire | $8,153,000
2022 | Obinna Nwobodo |  | FC Cincinnati | $1,289,400
2022 | Andrés Cubas |  | Vancouver Whitecaps | $1,146,375
2022 | Walker Zimmerman |  | Nashville SC | $3,456,979
2022 | Héctor Herrera |  | Houston Dynamo | $5,246,875
2022 | Cucho Hernández |  | Columbus Crew | $2,886,000
2022 | Lorenzo Insigne |  | Toronto FC | $15,400,000
2022 | Giacomo Vrioni |  | New England Revolution | $1,947,500
2022 | Federico Bernardeschi |  | Toronto FC | $6,295,381
2022 | Christian Benteke |  | D.C. United | $4,432,778
2022 | Denis Bouanga |  | Los Angeles FC | $3,609,500
2023 | João Klauss |  | St. Louis City | $1,370,284
2023 | Eduard Löwen |  | St. Louis City | $1,344,250
2023 |  Evander |  | Portland Timbers | $2,355,000
2023 | Dániel Gazdag |  | Philadelphia Union | $1,757,500
2023 | Martín Ojeda |  | Orlando City | $972,600
2023 | Mateusz Klich |  | D.C. United | $2,093,588
2023 | Leonardo Campana |  | Inter Miami | $722,333
2023 | Carlos Gruezo |  | San Jose Earthquakes | $1,681,086
2023 | Dante Vanzeir |  | New York Red Bulls | $1,489,767
2023 | Riqui Puig |  | LA Galaxy | $2,449,996
2023 | Santiago Rodríguez |  | New York City FC | $1,331,333
2023 | Cristian Arango |  | Real Salt Lake | $2,088,746
2023 | Aaron Boupendza |  | FC Cincinnati | $1,759,600
2023 | Teemu Pukki |  | Minnesota United | $3,550,000
2023 | Rafael Navarro |  | Colorado Rapids | $1,427,708
2023 | Lionel Messi |  | Inter Miami | $20,446,667
2023 | Sergio Busquets |  | Inter Miami | $8,774,996
2023 | Sam Surridge |  | Nashville SC | $2,907,639
2023 | Diego Rossi |  | Columbus Crew | $3,376,827
2024 | Tomás Chancalay |  | New England Revolution | $1,010,000
2024 | Emil Forsberg |  | New York Red Bulls | $6,035,625
2024 | Djordje Mihailovic |  | Colorado Rapids | $1,675,000
2024 | Pedro de la Vega |  | Seattle Sounders | $1,164,000
2024 | Gabriel Pec |  | LA Galaxy | $2,459,000
2024 | Petar Musa |  | FC Dallas | $2,230,000
2024 | Hugo Cuypers |  | Chicago Fire | $3,528,044
2024 | Luis Muriel |  | Orlando City | $4,336,150
2024 | Joseph Paintsil |  | LA Galaxy | $3,358,000
2024 | Stian Rode Gregersen |  | Atlanta United | $1,120,000
2024 | Liel Abada |  | Charlotte FC | $2,448,500
2024 | Jonathan Rodríguez |  | Portland Timbers | $n/a
2024 | Hernán López |  | San Jose Earthquakes | $n/a
2024 | Olivier Giroud |  | Los Angeles FC | $n/a
2024 | Osman Bukari |  | Austin FC | $n/a
2025 | Hirving Lozano |  | San Diego FC | $n/a

Notes

* Chart indicates when players signed their current Designated Player contract, not necessarily their first year in MLS.
* Other players in MLS may also be paid a salary that takes them above the Designated Player threshold, but they have had their salary reduced against the salary cap using General or Targeted Allocation Money.[15]
* Player salaries may be below the Designated Player threshold, but their transfer fee might mean the total compensation takes them above the threshold.
* Player salaries include compensation from their MLS contract, not including any bonuses or compensation from contracts with individual teams or their affiliates.

## Club DP history[edit]

As of 14 May 2024[16]

Notes

* The below list indicates players who have had their contract assigned as a Designated Player (DP) contract during their time in MLS. Players may have not always have had a DP contract, or have later had their contract negotiated below a DP level. Similarly, some players have been in MLS whose salary has been at a DP level, but the club has opted to bring their salary below the DP threshold using General Allocation Money or Targeted Allocation Money. Their listed "Years as DP" indicates what seasons they were active as a DP for that club only. Players in bold are currently signed to a DP contract by their club.
* Former MLS sides Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny were dissolved before the introduction of the Designated Player Rule.

### Atlanta United FC[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Héctor Villalba |  San Lorenzo | 2017
Miguel Almirón |  Lanús | 2017–2018
Josef Martínez |  Torino | 2017–2022
Esequiel Barco |  Independiente | 2018–2021
Pity Martínez |  River Plate | 2019–2020
Marcelino Moreno |  Lanús | 2020
Alan Franco |  Independiente | 2021
Luiz Araújo |  Lille | 2021–2023
Thiago Almada |  Vélez Sarsfield | 2022–
Giorgos Giakoumakis |  Celtic | 2023–2024
Saba Lobzhanidze |  Hatayspor | 2023
Stian Rode Gregersen |  Bordeaux | 2024–

### Austin FC[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Cecilio Domínguez |  Independiente | 2021–2022
Tomás Pochettino |  Talleres | 2021
Sebastián Driussi |  Zenit Saint Petersburg | 2021–
Alexander Ring |  New York City FC | 2022–
Emiliano Rigoni |  São Paulo | 2022–2024
Osman Bukari |  Red Star Belgrade | 2024–

### Charlotte FC[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Jordy Alcívar |  L.D.U. Quito | 2022
Karol Świderski |  PAOK | 2022–2023
Kamil Jóźwiak |  Derby County | 2022–2023
Enzo Copetti |  Racing Club | 2023–2024
Liel Abada |  Celtic | 2024–

### Chicago Fire FC[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Cuauhtémoc Blanco |  América | 2007–2009
Freddie Ljungberg |  Seattle Sounders | 2010
Nery Castillo |  Shakhtar Donetsk | 2010
Álvaro Fernández |  Seattle Sounders | 2012–2013
Sherjill MacDonald |  Germinal Beerschot | 2012–2013
Federico Puppo |  Danubio | 2012–2014
Egidio Arévalo Ríos |  Tijuana | 2013
Juan Luis Anangonó |  El Nacional | 2013–2014
Gilberto |  Toronto FC | 2015–2016
David Accam |  Helsingborg | 2015–2017
Shaun Maloney |  Wigan Athletic | 2015
Kennedy Igboananike |  AIK | 2015–2016
Nemanja Nikolić |  Legia Warsaw | 2017–2019
Bastian Schweinsteiger |  Manchester United | 2017–2019
Aleksandar Katai |  Alavés | 2019
Robert Berić |  Saint-Étienne | 2020–2021
Ignacio Aliseda |  Defensa y Justicia | 2020–2021
Gastón Giménez |  Vélez Sarsfield | 2020–2022
Xherdan Shaqiri |  Lyon | 2022–
Jairo Torres |  Atlas | 2022–2023
Ousmane Doumbia |  Lugano | 2023
Hugo Cuypers |  Gent | 2024–

### Chivas USA (defunct)[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Juan Pablo Ángel |  LA Galaxy | 2011–2012
Oswaldo Minda |  Deportivo Quito | 2012–2014
Shalrie Joseph |  New England Revolution | 2012
Erick Torres |  Guadalajara | 2013–2014
Mauro Rosales |  Seattle Sounders | 2014

### FC Cincinnati[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Fanendo Adi |  Portland Timbers | 2019
Allan Cruz |  Herediano | 2019–2020
Yuya Kubo |  Gent | 2020, 2021–2022
Jürgen Locadia |  Brighton & Hove Albion | 2020–2021
Brenner |  São Paulo | 2021–2023
Luciano Acosta |  Atlas | 2021–
Obinna Nwobodo |  Göztepe | 2022–
Aaron Boupendza |  Al-Shabab | 2023–

### Colorado Rapids[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Gabriel Torres |  Zamora | 2013–2015
Juan Edgardo Ramírez |  Argentinos Juniors | 2015–2017
Kevin Doyle |  Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2015–2016
Shkëlzen Gashi |  Basel | 2016–2018
Tim Howard |  Everton | 2016–2019
Younes Namli |  Krasnodar | 2020–2021
Gyasi Zardes |  Columbus Crew | 2022
Kévin Cabral |  LA Galaxy | 2023–
Andreas Maxsø |  Brøndby | 2023
Rafael Navarro |  Palmeiras | 2023–
Djordje Mihailovic |  AZ | 2023–

### Columbus Crew[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Guillermo Barros Schelotto |  Boca Juniors | 2009–2010
Andrés Mendoza |  Diyarbakırspor | 2010–2011
Federico Higuaín |  Colón | 2012–2019
Kei Kamara |  Middlesbrough | 2016
Jonathan Mensah |  Anzhi Makhachkala | 2017
Pedro Santos |  Braga | 2017–2019
Gyasi Zardes |  LA Galaxy | 2019–2022
Darlington Nagbe |  Atlanta United | 2020–
Lucas Zelarayán |  Tigres UANL | 2020–2023
Cucho Hernández |  Watford | 2022–
Diego Rossi |  Fenerbahçe | 2023–

### FC Dallas[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Denílson |  Al-Nassr | 2007
David Ferreira |  Atlético Paranaense | 2009–2013
Fabián Castillo |  Deportivo Cali | 2011–2015
Julian de Guzman |  Toronto FC | 2012
Eric Hassli |  Toronto FC | 2013
Mauro Díaz |  River Plate | 2013–2016
Andrés Ramiro Escobar |  Dynamo Kyiv | 2014
David Texeira |  Groningen | 2014–2015
Carlos Gruezo |  VfB Stuttgart | 2016–2018
Aníbal Chalá |  El Nacional | 2017
Cristian Colmán |  Nacional Asunción | 2017–2018
Santiago Mosquera |  Millonarios | 2018–2020
Bryan Acosta |  Tenerife | 2019–2021
Pablo Aránguiz |  Unión Española | 2019
Franco Jara |  Pachuca | 2020–2022
Jesús Ferreira |  FC Dallas Academy | 2022–
Alan Velasco |  Independiente | 2022–
Petar Musa |  Benfica | 2024–

### D.C. United[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Luciano Emílio |  Olimpia | 2008–2009
Marcelo Gallardo |  Paris Saint-Germain | 2008
Branko Bošković |  Rapid Wien | 2010–2012
Dwayne De Rosario |  New York Red Bulls | 2011–2013
Hamdi Salihi |  Rapid Wien | 2012
Rafael Gladiador |  Bahia | 2013
Eddie Johnson |  Seattle Sounders | 2014–2015
Fabián Espíndola |  New York Red Bulls | 2015–2016
Paul Arriola |  Tijuana | 2017–2021
Wayne Rooney |  Everton | 2018–2019
Lucas Rodríguez |  Estudiantes | 2019
Edison Flores |  Morelia | 2020–2022
Taxiarchis Fountas |  Rapid Wien | 2022–2023
Victor Pálsson |  Schalke 04 | 2022
Christian Benteke |  Crystal Palace | 2022–
Mateusz Klich |  Leeds United | 2023–
Matti Peltola |  HJK | 2024–

### Houston Dynamo FC[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Luis Ángel Landín |  Morelia | 2009–2010
Boniek García |  Olimpia | 2012–2014
Giles Barnes |  Doncaster Rovers | 2012–2016
Alexander López |  Olimpia | 2013–2014
DaMarcus Beasley |  Puebla | 2014–2016
Mauro Manotas |  Uniautónoma | 2015–2016, 2020
Erick Torres |  Guadalajara | 2015–2017
Alberth Elis |  Monterrey | 2017–2020
Tomás Martínez |  Braga | 2017–2019
Darwin Quintero |  Minnesota United | 2020–2021
Teenage Hadebe |  Yeni Malatyaspor | 2021–2023
Sebastián Ferreira |  Libertad | 2022–
Héctor Herrera |  Atlético Madrid | 2022–

### Inter Miami CF[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Matías Pellegrini |  Estudiantes | 2020
Rodolfo Pizarro |  Monterrey | 2020–2023
Gonzalo Higuaín |  Juventus | 2020–2022
Blaise Matuidi |  Juventus | 2021
Gregore |  Bahia | 2021–2023
Alejandro Pozuelo |  Toronto FC | 2022
Leonardo Campana |  Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2023–
Lionel Messi |  Paris Saint-Germain | 2023–
Sergio Busquets |  Barcelona | 2023–

### Sporting Kansas City[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Claudio López |  Racing Club | 2008
Omar Bravo |  Guadalajara | 2011
Jéferson |  Vasco da Gama | 2011
Claudio Bieler |  L.D.U. Quito | 2013–2014
Matt Besler |  University of Notre Dame | 2014–2016
Graham Zusi |  University of Maryland | 2014–2017
Roger Espinoza |  Wigan Athletic | 2015–2018
Diego Rubio |  Valladolid | 2016
Gerso Fernandes |  Belenenses | 2017
Yohan Croizet |  Mechelen | 2018–2019
Felipe Gutiérrez |  Real Betis | 2018–2020
Johnny Russell |  Derby County | 2019–
Alan Pulido |  Guadalajara | 2020–
Gadi Kinda |  Beitar Jerusalem | 2021–2023

### LA Galaxy[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

David Beckham |  Real Madrid | 2007–2012
Landon Donovan |  Bayer Leverkusen | 2010–2014
Juan Pablo Ángel |  New York Red Bulls | 2011
Robbie Keane |  Tottenham Hotspur | 2011–2016
Omar Gonzalez |  University of Maryland | 2013–2015
Steven Gerrard |  Liverpool | 2015–2016
Giovani dos Santos |  Villarreal | 2015–2018
Jelle Van Damme |  Standard Liège | 2016–2017[17]
Romain Alessandrini |  Marseille | 2017–2019
Jonathan dos Santos |  Villarreal | 2017–2021
Zlatan Ibrahimović |  Manchester United | 2019
Cristian Pavón |  Boca Juniors | 2020
Javier Hernández |  Sevilla | 2020–2023
Kévin Cabral |  Valenciennes | 2021–2022
Douglas Costa |  Juventus | 2022–2023
Riqui Puig |  Barcelona | 2023–
Gabriel Pec |  Vasco da Gama | 2024–
Joseph Paintsil |  Genk | 2024–

### Los Angeles FC[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Carlos Vela |  Real Sociedad | 2018-2023
Diego Rossi |  Peñarol | 2018-2021
André Horta |  Benfica | 2018-2019
Brian Rodríguez |  Peñarol | 2019-2021
Denis Bouanga |  Saint-Étienne | 2022-
Olivier Giroud |  AC Milan | 2024-

### Minnesota United FC[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Darwin Quintero |  América | 2018-2019
Ángelo Rodríguez |  Deportes Tolima | 2018-2019
Ján Greguš |  Copenhagen | 2019-2021
Thomás Chacón |  Danubio | 2019-2020
Emanuel Reynoso |  Boca Juniors | 2020-2024
Adrien Hunou |  Rennes | 2021-2022
Luis Amarilla |  Vélez Sarsfield | 2022-2023
Ménder García |  Once Caldas | 2022-2023
Teemu Pukki |  Norwich City | 2023-

### CF Montréal[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Marco Di Vaio |  Bologna | 2012–2014
Hernán Bernardello |  Almería | 2013–2014
Ignacio Piatti |  San Lorenzo | 2014–2019
Didier Drogba |  Chelsea | 2015–2016
Lucas Ontivero |  Galatasaray | 2016
Blerim Džemaili |  Bologna | 2017
Saphir Taïder |  Bologna | 2018–2020
Victor Wanyama |  Tottenham Hotspur | 2020–
Aljaž Struna |  Houston Dynamo | 2021
Djordje Mihailovic |  Chicago Fire | 2021

### Nashville SC[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Hany Mukhtar[18] |  Brøndby | 2020–
Randall Leal |  Saprissa | 2020–2021
Jhonder Cádiz |  Benfica | 2020–2021
Aké Arnaud Loba |  Monterrey | 2021–2023
Walker Zimmerman |  Los Angeles FC | 2022–
Sam Surridge |  Nottingham Forest | 2023–

### New England Revolution[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Milton Caraglio |  Rosario Central | 2011
Shalrie Joseph |  New York Freedom | 2012
Jerry Bengtson |  Motagua | 2012–2014
Jermaine Jones |  Beşiktaş | 2014–2015
José Gonçalves |  Sion | 2016
Xavier Kouassi |  Sion | 2016–2017
Kei Kamara |  Columbus Crew | 2016–2017
Claude Dielna |  Sheffield Wednesday | 2018
Carles Gil |  Deportivo La Coruña | 2019–
Gustavo Bou |  Tijuana | 2019–2023
Adam Buksa |  Pogoń Szczecin | 2020–2022
Giacomo Vrioni |  Juventus | 2022–
Tomás Chancalay |  Racing Club | 2024–

### New York City FC[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

David Villa |  Atlético Madrid | 2014–2018
Frank Lampard |  Manchester City | 2015–2016
Andrea Pirlo |  Juventus | 2015–2017
Maximiliano Moralez |  León | 2017–2021
Jesús Medina |  Libertad | 2018–2021
Alexandru Mitriță |  Universitatea Craiova | 2019–2020
Talles Magno |  Vasco da Gama | 2021–
Thiago Martins |  Yokohama F. Marinos | 2022–
Santiago Rodríguez |  Montevideo City Torque | 2023–

### New York Red Bulls[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Claudio Reyna |  Manchester City | 2007–2008
Juan Pablo Ángel |  Aston Villa | 2007–2010
Thierry Henry |  Barcelona | 2010–2014
Rafael Márquez |  Barcelona | 2010–2012
Frank Rost |  Hamburger SV | 2011
Tim Cahill |  Everton | 2012–2014
Bradley Wright-Phillips |  Charlton Athletic | 2015–2016, 2017–2019
Gonzalo Verón |  San Lorenzo | 2015–2017
Sacha Kljestan |  Anderlecht | 2016–2017
Omer Damari |  RB Leipzig | 2016
Kaku |  Huracán | 2018–2021
Josh Sims |  Southampton | 2019–2020
Dru Yearwood |  Brentford | 2020–2021
Patryk Klimala |  Celtic | 2021–2022
Luquinhas |  Legia Warsaw | 2022–2023
Dante Vanzeir |  Union SG | 2023–
Emil Forsberg |  RB Leipzig | 2024–

### Orlando City SC[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Kaká |  Milan | 2014–2017
Carlos Rivas |  Deportivo Cali | 2015–2017
Bryan Róchez |  Real España | 2015–2016
Matías Pérez García |  San Jose Earthquakes | 2016–2017
Giles Barnes |  Vancouver Whitecaps | 2017
Yoshimar Yotún |  Malmö FF | 2017
Dom Dwyer |  Sporting Kansas City | 2018–2020
Sacha Kljestan |  New York Red Bulls | 2018
Josué Colmán |  Cerro Porteño | 2018–2019
Nani |  Sporting CP | 2019–2021
Mauricio Pereyra |  Krasnodar | 2019–2022
Facundo Torres |  Peñarol | 2022–
Ercan Kara |  Rapid Wien | 2022–2023
Martín Ojeda |  Godoy Cruz | 2023–
Luis Muriel |  Atalanta | 2024–

### Philadelphia Union[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Freddy Adu |  Benfica | 2011–2012
José Kléberson |  Bahia | 2013
Cristian Maidana |  Rangers de Talca | 2014–2015
Maurice Edu |  Stoke City | 2014–2017
Fernando Aristeguieta |  Nantes | 2015
Alejandro Bedoya |  Nantes | 2016–2019
Bořek Dočkal |  Henan Jianye | 2018
Marco Fabián |  Eintracht Frankfurt | 2019
Jamiro Monteiro |  Metz | 2020–2021
Julián Carranza |  Inter Miami | 2022–
Mikael Uhre |  Brøndby | 2022–
Dániel Gazdag |  Budapest Honvéd | 2023–

### Portland Timbers[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Diego Chará |  Deportes Tolima | 2011–2013
Kris Boyd |  Eskişehirspor | 2012
Diego Valeri |  Lanús | 2013–2019
Fanendo Adi |  Copenhagen | 2014–2015, 2016–2018
Liam Ridgewell |  West Bromwich Albion | 2014–2016
Lucas Melano |  Lanús | 2015–2016, 2019
Sebastián Blanco |  San Lorenzo | 2017–2023
Brian Fernández |  Necaxa | 2019
Yimmi Chará |  Atlético Mineiro | 2020–2023
Jarosław Niezgoda |  Legia Warsaw | 2020–2023
Evander |  Midtjylland | 2023–
Jonathan Rodríguez |  América | 2024–

### Real Salt Lake[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Álvaro Saborío |  Sion | 2011–2015
Javier Morales |  Vecindario | 2011–2015
Kyle Beckerman |  Colorado Rapids | 2015
Joao Plata |  Toronto FC | 2015–2016
Sebastián Jaime |  Unión Española | 2014–2015
Juan Manuel Martínez |  Boca Juniors | 2015–2016
Yura Movsisyan |  Spartak Moscow | 2016–2017
Albert Rusnák |  Groningen | 2017–2021
Jefferson Savarino |  Zulia
Atlético Mineiro | 2017–2019
2022–2023
Sam Johnson |  Vålerenga | 2019–2020
Jeizon Ramírez |  Deportivo Táchira | 2020–2021
Damir Kreilach |  Union Berlin | 2020–2023
Cristian Arango |  Pachuca | 2023–

### St. Louis City SC[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

João Klauss |  TSG 1899 Hoffenheim | 2023–
Eduard Löwen |  Hertha BSC | 2023–

### San Diego FC[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Hirving Lozano |  PSV Eindhoven | 2025–

### San Jose Earthquakes[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Geovanni |  Hull City | 2010
Chris Wondolowski |  Houston Dynamo | 2013–2019
Matías Pérez García |  Tigre | 2014–2016
Innocent Emeghara |  Qarabağ | 2015–2016
Simon Dawkins |  Derby County | 2016–2017
Valeri Qazaishvili |  Vitesse | 2017–2020
Magnus Eriksson |  Djurgårdens IF | 2018
Cristian Espinoza |  Villarreal | 2020–
Javier Eduardo López |  Guadalajara | 2021–2022
Jamiro Monteiro |  Philadelphia Union | 2022–2023
Carlos Gruezo |  FC Augsburg | 2023–
Hernán López |  Godoy Cruz | 2024–

### Seattle Sounders FC[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Freddie Ljungberg |  West Ham United | 2009–2010
Álvaro Fernández |  Nacional | 2010–2012
Blaise Nkufo |  Twente | 2010
Fredy Montero |  Deportivo Cali | 2011-2012
Mauro Rosales |  River Plate | 2011–2013
Christian Tiffert |  Kaiserslautern | 2012–2013
Shalrie Joseph |  Chivas USA | 2013
Obafemi Martins |  Levante | 2013–2015
Clint Dempsey |  Tottenham Hotspur | 2013–2018
Osvaldo Alonso |  Charleston Battery | 2014–2018
Nelson Valdez |  Eintracht Frankfurt | 2015–2016
Nicolás Lodeiro |  Boca Juniors | 2016–2023
Raúl Ruidíaz |  Morelia | 2018–
Víctor Rodríguez |  Sporting Gijón | 2019
Xavier Arreaga |  Barcelona S.C. | 2019
João Paulo |  Botafogo | 2020–2021
Albert Rusnák |  Real Salt Lake | 2022–
Pedro de la Vega |  Lanús | 2024–

### Toronto FC[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Julian de Guzman |  Deportivo La Coruña | 2009–2012
Mista |  Deportivo La Coruña | 2010
Danny Koevermans |  PSV Eindhoven | 2011–2013
Torsten Frings |  Werder Bremen | 2011–2012
Eric Hassli |  Vancouver Whitecaps | 2012
Matías Laba |  Argentinos Juniors | 2013
Gilberto |  Internacional | 2014
Michael Bradley |  Roma | 2014–2019
Jermain Defoe |  Tottenham Hotspur | 2014–2015
Sebastian Giovinco |  Juventus | 2015–2018
Jozy Altidore |  Sunderland | 2015–2021
Alejandro Pozuelo |  Genk | 2019–2022
Pablo Piatti |  Espanyol | 2020
Yeferson Soteldo |  Santos | 2021
Carlos Salcedo |  Tigres UANL | 2022
Lorenzo Insigne |  Napoli | 2022–
Federico Bernardeschi |  Juventus | 2022–
Jonathan Osorio |  SC Toronto | 2023–

### Vancouver Whitecaps FC[edit]

Player  | Previous club  | Years as DP

|
|

Eric Hassli |  Zürich | 2011–2012
Mustapha Jarju |  Mons | 2011
Barry Robson |  Middlesbrough | 2012
Kenny Miller |  Cardiff City | 2012–2014
Matías Laba |  Toronto FC | 2014–2017
Mauro Rosales |  Chivas USA | 2014
Pedro Morales |  Málaga | 2014–2016
Octavio Rivero |  O'Higgins | 2015–2016
Fredy Montero |  Tianjin TEDA
Sporting CP | 2017
2019
Brek Shea |  Orlando City | 2017–2018
Kendall Waston |  Saprissa | 2018
Hwang In-beom |  Daejeon Citizen | 2019–2020
Joaquín Ardaiz |  Chiasso | 2019
Ali Adnan Kadhim |  Udinese | 2019–2021
Lucas Cavallini |  Puebla | 2020–2022
Ryan Gauld |  Farense | 2021–
Andrés Cubas |  Nîmes | 2022–
Sergio Córdova |  FC Augsburg | 2023

## Past and present Designated Players by country[edit]

Number  | Country  | Players

|
|

54  |  Argentina  | Luciano Acosta, Ignacio Aliseda, Thiago Almada, Esequiel Barco, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Hernán Bernardello, Claudio Bieler, Sebastián Blanco, Gustavo Bou, Milton Caraglio, Julián Carranza, Tomás Chancalay, Enzo Copetti, Pedro de la Vega, Mauro Díaz, Sebastián Driussi, Fabián Espíndola, Cristian Espinoza, Brian Fernández, Alan Franco, Marcelo Gallardo, Federico Higuaín, Gonzalo Higuaín, Sebastián Jaime, Franco Jara, Matías Laba, Claudio López, Hernán López, Cristian Maidana, Juan Manuel Martínez, Pity Martínez, Tomás Martínez, Lucas Melano, Lionel Messi, Javier Morales, Maximiliano Moralez, Marcelino Moreno, Martín Ojeda, Lucas Ontivero, Cristian Pavón, Matías Pellegrini, Matías Pérez García, Ignacio Piatti, Pablo Piatti, Tomás Pochettino, Juan Edgardo Ramírez, Emanuel Reynoso, Emiliano Rigoni, Lucas Rodríguez, Mauro Rosales, Diego Valeri, Gonzalo Verón, Milton Valenzuela, Alan Velasco
25  |  United States  | Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore, Paul Arriola, DaMarcus Beasley, Kyle Beckerman, Alejandro Bedoya, Matt Besler, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Dom Dwyer, Maurice Edu, Jesús Ferreira, Omar Gonzalez, Tim Howard, Eddie Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Djordje Mihailovic, Darlington Nagbe, Claudio Reyna, Brek Shea, Chris Wondolowski, Gyasi Zardes, Walker Zimmerman, Graham Zusi
19  |  Brazil  | Luiz Araújo, Brenner, Douglas Costa, Denílson, Luciano Emílio, Evander, Geovanni, Gilberto, Rafael Gladiador, Jéferson, Kaká, João Klauss, José Kléberson, Luquinhas, Talles Magno, Thiago Martins, Rafael Navarro, João Paulo, Gabriel Pec
18  |  Mexico  | Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Omar Bravo, Nery Castillo, Marco Fabián, Javier Hernández, Héctor Herrera, Luis Ángel Landín, Javier Eduardo López, Hirving Lozano, Rafael Márquez, Rodolfo Pizarro, Alan Pulido, Carlos Salcedo, Giovani dos Santos, Jonathan dos Santos, Erick Torres, Jairo Torres, Carlos Vela
15  |  Colombia  | Juan Pablo Ángel, Cristian Arango, Fabián Castillo, Diego Chará, Yimmi Chará, Andrés Ramiro Escobar, David Ferreira, Ménder García, Cucho Hernández, Mauro Manotas, Fredy Montero, Santiago Mosquera, Luis Muriel, Darwin Quintero, Ángelo Rodríguez
14  |  Uruguay  | Joaquín Ardaiz, Thomás Chacón, Álvaro Fernández, Nicolás Lodeiro, Mauricio Pereyra, Federico Puppo, Egidio Arévalo Rios, Octavio Rivero, Brian Rodríguez, Jonathan Rodríguez, Santiago Rodríguez, Diego Rossi, David Texeira, Facundo Torres
12  |  Paraguay  | Miguel Almirón, Luis Amarilla, Cristian Colmán, Josué Colmán, Andrés Cubas, Cecilio Domínguez, Sebastián Ferreira, Gastón Giménez, Kaku, Jesús Medina, Nelson Valdez, Héctor Villalba
10  |  England  | David Beckham, Jermain Defoe, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Liam Ridgewell, Wayne Rooney, Josh Sims, Sam Surridge, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Dru Yearwood
9  |  France  | Romain Alessandrini, Kévin Cabral, Yohan Croizet, Claude Dielna, Olivier Giroud, Eric Hassli, Thierry Henry, Adrien Hunou, Blaise Matuidi
8  |  Ecuador  | Jordy Alcívar, Juan Luis Anangonó, Xavier Arreaga, Leonardo Campana, Aníbal Chalá, Carlos Gruezo, Oswaldo Minda, Joao Plata
7  |  Honduras  | Bryan Acosta, Jerry Bengtson, Alberth Elis, Roger Espinoza, Boniek García, Alexander López, Bryan Róchez
7  |  Spain  | Sergio Busquets, Carles Gil, Mista, Alejandro Pozuelo, Riqui Puig, Víctor Rodríguez, David Villa
7  |  Venezuela  | Fernando Aristeguieta, Jhonder Cádiz, Sergio Córdova, Josef Martínez, Jeizon Ramírez, Jefferson Savarino, Yeferson Soteldo
6  |  Germany  | Torsten Frings, Eduard Löwen, Hany Mukhtar, Frank Rost, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Christian Tiffert
6  |  Poland  | Adam Buksa, Kamil Jóźwiak, Mateusz Klich, Patryk Klimala, Jarosław Niezgoda, Karol Świderski
6  |  Scotland  | Kris Boyd, Ryan Gauld, Shaun Maloney, Kenny Miller, Barry Robson, Johnny Russell
5  |  Costa Rica  | Allan Cruz, Luis Díaz, Randall Leal, Álvaro Saborío, Kendall Waston
5  |  Italy  | Federico Bernardeschi, Marco Di Vaio, Sebastian Giovinco, Lorenzo Insigne, Andrea Pirlo
4  |  Belgium  | Christian Benteke, Hugo Cuypers, Jelle Van Damme, Dante Vanzeir
4  |  Canada  | Lucas Cavallini, Julian de Guzman, Dwayne De Rosario, Jonathan Osorio
4  |  Chile  | Pablo Aránguiz, Felipe Gutiérrez, Pedro Morales, Diego Rubio
4  |  Ghana  | David Accam, Osman Bukari, Jonathan Mensah, Joseph Paintsil
4  |  Ivory Coast  | Ousmane Doumbia, Didier Drogba, Xavier Kouassi, Aké Arnaud Loba
4  |  Nigeria  | Fanendo Adi, Kennedy Igboananike, Obafemi Martins, Obinna Nwobodo
4  |  Peru  | Edison Flores, Andrés Mendoza, Raúl Ruidíaz, Yoshimar Yotún
4  |  Portugal  | José Gonçalves, André Horta, Nani, Pedro Santos
4  |  Sweden  | Magnus Eriksson, Emil Forsberg, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Freddie Ljungberg
4  |  Switzerland  | Blerim Džemaili, Innocent Emeghara, Blaise Nkufo, Xherdan Shaqiri
3  |  Albania  | Shkëlzen Gashi, Hamdi Salihi, Giacomo Vrioni
3  |  Denmark  | Andreas Maxsø, Younes Namli, Mikael Uhre
3  |  Finland  | Matti Peltola, Teemu Pukki, Alexander Ring
3  |  Israel  | Liel Abada, Omer Damari, Gadi Kinda
3  |  Netherlands  | Danny Koevermans, Jürgen Locadia, Sherjill MacDonald
2  |  Armenia  | Yura Movsisyan, Lucas Zelarayán
2  |  Croatia  | Damir Kreilach, Petar Musa
2  |  Gabon  | Denis Bouanga, Aaron Boupendza
2  |  Georgia  | Saba Lobzhanidze, Valeri Qazaishvili
2  |  Greece  | Taxiarchis Fountas, Giorgos Giakoumakis
2  |  Hungary  | Dániel Gazdag, Nemanja Nikolić
2  |  Ireland  | Kevin Doyle, Robbie Keane
2  |  Jamaica  | Giles Barnes, Simon Dawkins
2  |  Slovakia  | Ján Greguš, Albert Rusnák
2  |  Slovenia  | Robert Berić, Aljaž Struna
1  |  Algeria  | Saphir Taïder
1  |  Australia  | Tim Cahill
1  |  Austria  | Ercan Kara
1  |  Cape Verde  | Jamiro Monteiro
1  |  Cuba  | Osvaldo Alonso
1  |  Czech Republic  | Bořek Dočkal
1  |  Gambia  | Mustapha Jarju
1  |  Grenada  | Shalrie Joseph
1  |  Guinea-Bissau  | Gerso Fernandes
1  |  Iceland  | Victor Pálsson
1  |  Iraq  | Ali Adnan Kadhim
1  |  Japan  | Yuya Kubo
1  |  Kenya  | Victor Wanyama
1  |  Liberia  | Sam Johnson
1  |  Montenegro  | Branko Bošković
1  |  Norway  | Stian Rode Gregersen
1  |  Panama  | Gabriel Torres
1  |  Romania  | Alexandru Mitriță
1  |  Serbia  | Aleksandar Katai
1  |  Sierra Leone  | Kei Kamara
1  |  South Korea  | Hwang In-beom
1  |  Zimbabwe  | Teenage Hadebe

## See also[edit]

* Association football portal

* Allocation money
* Franchise player

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b Wahl, Grant (November 28, 2011). "Hollywood Ending: If this was indeed David Beckham's final game in MLS, he went out in style, carrying the Galaxy to a championship and affirming the value of star power in America". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 25, 2011. "In the first four seasons of MLS's Beckham Rule, which allowed clubs to sign up to three designated players outside the salary cap, ...."
2. ^ a b Lansley, Pete (April 13, 2007). "Becks could be the next American idol". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on April 14, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
3. ^ a b "PlayersUnion". Mlsplayers.org. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved April 25, 2012.
4. ^ "Beckham hopes to make US history". BBC. January 12, 2007. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
5. ^ Goff, Steven (April 26, 2006). "Palencia Has Richest MLS Salary". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
6. ^ Mickle, Tripp (November 26, 2007). "Debate highlights MLS salary cap split". Sports Business Journal. Archived from the original on August 13, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
7. ^ a b c Bell, Jack (March 18, 2009). "In M.L.S., Designated Players Do Not Guarantee Great Expectations". The New York Times. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
8. ^ "Galaxy, Milan, Inter wait on Becks". CNN. February 24, 2009. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
9. ^ "Fulham complete Johnson signing". BBC Sport. January 23, 2008. Archived from the original on January 27, 2008.
10. ^ Mayers, Joshua (April 1, 2010). "Major League Soccer adds second DP slot, can purchase a third (league release)". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
11. ^ "2012 MLS Roster Rules". mlssocer.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012.
12. ^ "Roster Rules and Regulations". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on August 23, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
13. ^ "A Look into NYCFC's 2014 Payroll (or "David Villa is making k")". Empire of Soccer. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
14. ^ "2024 MLS Player Salaries". Major League Soccer Players Union.
15. ^ "MLS Roster Rules and Regulations - MLSsoccer.com". Retrieved June 20, 2017.
16. ^ "Former MLS Designated Players". Retrieved August 22, 2017.
17. ^ "Jelle van Damme completes exit from LA Galaxy and joins Royal Antwerp". espnfc.us. ESPN. August 18, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
18. ^ "Roster | Nashville SC".

## External links[edit]

* Designated Players glossary entry at MLSsoccer.com

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