Football players are no strangers to social media, with many spending most of their downtime on one platform or another.
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The recent trend for many is to make their social media presence a joint venture with a partner, such as Jordyn Huitema and Alphonso Davies or Oleksandr Zinchenko and Vlada Sedan.
In this article, we look at those footballers who currently ply, or used to ply their trade in the MLS, where Hollywood glamour blends with social media presence, and respect earned on the field of play.
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Many legends of the European game head to the US to enjoy the final few years of their playing career, doing what they can to further the sport stateside and generate one last big nest egg before father time and injuries force them to pack the game in.
Bastian Schweinsteiger certainly fits into that category, having wowed Champions League and Bundesliga fans for much of his career, and winning everything there is to win on the international stage with Germany.
He played with Chicago Fire FC for three seasons and is fondly remembered in the Windy City, having kept users of Illinois betting sites busy, as they backed him and his teammates in search of MLS glory.
Because of his relationship with former world number 1 tennis player Ana Ivanovic, Schweini – as he is known by his German fans – is huge on Instagram, garnering over 10 million followers to add to Ivanovic’s 1+ million. You can find out more about their dreamy relationship in the video below from German Vogue.
David Villa
Although not quite as big a star in Europe as Schweinsteiger was, David Villa still has a trophy cabinet that most players would envy.
Since moving to New York in 2014, to play for the new New York City FC, he has netted an impressive 77 goals and even now owns a stake in the newly formed Queensboro FC team.
However, it is not just his on-field antics that have brought him worldwide fame and fortune, with his social media game being well up to scratch as well. He now boasts over 28 million followers across all platforms and 6 million of those are on Instagram.
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Zlatan Ibrahimović
He may be back in Italy now, knocking in the goals for AC Milan, but this larger-than-life Swede still has a sweet spot for the MLS and is likely to make a return when the Serie A season is over and done with.
He quickly became a legend at the LA Galaxy, scoring an incredible 52 goals in 56 games, eclipsing the records of most other European legends who head stateside late in their careers.
His Zlatan alter ego not only makes him a locker room joker but also a fan favorite too, as is evidenced by the mammoth following he has accrued on social media.
45 million people around the world follow the striker’s every move on Instagram and that number only seems set to grow, especially if he makes another trip to play in the US. His love life is also the center of much media attention, making him a dream influencer for fans and brands alike. There aren’t many superstars like him in the MLB so he must be capitalizing on this extra attention from the US viewers for sure.
