The MLS is not a league for the retirement of soccer stars, warned commissioner Don Garber in response to Neymar Jr. And it is that the Brazilian PSG star declared that he was seduced by playing at least one season in the United States, since “the championship is short and you have three or four months of vacation”.
We don’t need to bring in a big-name player at the end of his career because he’s decided he wants to retire from MLS. If they don’t come here to play and contribute in a meaningful way to their teams and our league, and respect the league and its fans, then we don’t want them in MLS.”
Don Garber during the Media Day .
Along the same lines, he added: “We want our story to be about young players who come here in the early stages, or in the prime of their career, and make our league their favorite league. Like all the best leagues in the world, it’s about buying and selling players.”
Regarding the addition of Xherdan Shaqiri, who recently signed with the Chicago Fire, and the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic from the LA Galaxy, Garber stated: “I am proud to bring in players from 24 years or less. When Zlatan left MLS nobody said that he was going to retire in Italy. Frankly, I felt insulted by that.”
Neymar, aged 24, has a contract with PSG until June 2025. The Brazilian, as reported by ESPN.com, returned a few days ago from an injury in the ankle, and little by little he is recovering his physical fullness to finish one more season with the Parisian team.
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