MLS‘ stock continues to grow each year, as America’s Premier ‘Soccer’ League attracts more and more top-tier talents from Europe.
In tandem with the rise of football viewership in the country, the MLS has become an increasingly attractive prospect for players from all over the world.
In the recent past, we saw the likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham and Kaka travel overseas to play in front of American crowds.
The trend has since continued and numerous players who could’ve easily found new pastures in Europe have chosen to play in the MLS instead.
Lorenzo Insigne, Douglas Costa, Xherdan Shaqiri, Riqui Puig, Giorgio Chiellini the list goes on.
However, one transfer, in particular, grabbed all the headlines during the window, as a certain Welshman landed in Los Angeles.
The man in question is of course Gareth Bale, who joined LAFC on a free from Real Madrid.
Despite all the noise surrounding Bale’s name back in Spain, his credentials as one of the best forwards of our generation cannot be doubted.
The 33-year-old has recorded multiple iconic moments in his career.
His goals against Barcelona and Liverpool in the Copa Del Rey and Champions League finals instantly come to mind.
Needless to say, his transfer had plenty of fanfare around it.
The announcement itself went viral, and his debut drew in viewers from around the world.
Naturally, merchandise bearing the Welshman’s name was an automatic hit, and we have only just learned how far the Gareth Bale effect actually went.
The MLS recently published an official list ranking the top-selling MLS jerseys this season.
The list actually leads to some surprising revelations, such as Shaqiri selling more kits than Insigne and Douglas Costa.
Nevertheless, the top spot was easily predictable, as it was indeed Bale whose name sold the most.
Wales’ captain beat out some really popular MLS players including Javier Hernández, Carlos Vera and Josef Martinez, making the achievement all the more impressive.
Fans will be hoping that Bale recaptures some of that scintillating form which made him a Galactico.
The forward himself will look to get up to speed as the World Cup draws closer.
