MLS winter loans: which players have returned to Europe during the off-season?

Inter Miami may have been eliminated from playoff contention after Saturday’s defeat to Cincinnati FC, but don’t expect to see Lionel Messi jetting off to Europe for the winter.

In the past big-name MLS stars have sometimes sought to take advantage of the league’s ‘calendar year’ schedule to join up with a European side over the winter months. The MLS season typically runs from March to December, while most European leagues take place between August and May.

However in recent years the number of games being played by top players has increased considerably, as have the physical demands placed on most players for top sides. This has made the MLS off-season loan less attractive and much less common that it was in the past. The Athletic reports that Messi will remain in Miami during this off-season as his young family acclimatises to life in the United States.

We take a look back at some of the MLS stars who returned to the top European leagues over the winter months...

David Beckham, LA Galaxy to AC Milan

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Perhaps the most well-known, and certainly the most controversial, of the off-season MLS loans. David Beckham’s move to Los Angeles was heralded as the start of a new era of soccer in the United States, but his early years in MLS were not successful.

When Beckham spent the 2009 and 2010 off-seasons with Italian giants AC Milan elements of the Galaxy support unfurled banners saying ‘Go Home, Fraud’ after he extended his loan so it encroached on the MLS season. The Englishman managed to repair his relationship with the Galaxy fans and picked up back-to-back MLS Cups in 2011 and 2012.

Thierry Henry, New York Red Bulls to Arsenal

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Beckham was criticised for his off-season trips back to Europe, but few could blame Thierry Henry for making an emotional return to the club where he is an icon. The French World Cup winner signed for New York Red Bulls in 2010 and, after two years in MLS, opted to return to North London for a brief spell with former club Arsenal.

Henry scored twice during a one-month stint back at Arsenal, both late match-winners, extending his club-record goal tally. On his return to MLS he helped NYRB to the Supporters’ Shield and captained the All-Star Team.

Robbie Keane, LA Galaxy to Aston Villa

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Irish forward Robbie Keane is one of the most successful overseas imports to the league, picking up three MLS Cups in five years in the States. He was named in the MLS Best XI on four occasions and scored 104 goals across 165 appearances.

Keane’s form in MLS was so impressive that Premier League side Aston Villa took him back to England within a year of signing for the Galaxy. He did well during month-long spell with Villa, scoring a brace against local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on his debut for the club.

Landon Donovan, LA Galaxy to Bayern Munich and Everton

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Most of the high-profile players who embarked on an off-season MLS loan were big-name Europeans who moved to the States during the twilight of their career. However Landon Donovan’s loan move to Europe was something entirely different.

Clearly one of the most talented players in MLS, he made three off-season moves to the major European leagues to test himself against the best players on the other side of the pond. In 2008 he joined German giants Bayern Munich and made seven appearances in all competition. The following year he signed a two-month loan deal with Premier League side Everton, playing 13 times and scoring twice. He returned to Goodison Park two years later.