The Only 3 Ballon d’Or Winners To Play in the MLS as Lionel Messi Joins Inter Miami

• Lionel Messi has announced that he is joining Inter Miami in the MLS after two seasons in France
• The Argentina captain will join a short list of Ballon d'Or winners to play in the MLS
• Sports Brief takes a look at the other Golden Ball winners who played in the MLS

Paris Saint-Germain forward, Lionel Messi will become the fourth Ballon d'Or winner to showcase his talent in the Major League Soccer (MLS).

The Argentine magician confirmed that he's set to seal a deal with Inter Miami when his contract with the Parisians expires on June 30.

Following Messi's move to the David Beckham-owned club, the 35-year-old will follow in the footsteps of a host of former Golden Ball winners to have done so, the most recent of which was former Real Madrid and AC Milan star, Kaka.

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Kaka is not the only Ballon d'Or winner who plied his trade in the US top flight. Sports Brief takes a look at the only three other Golden Ball winners to have played in the MLS.

Lothar Matthaus

At age 29, the legendary defensive midfielder defied critics who thought he was past his best.

Matthaus won the Ballon d'Or and German Footballer of the Year awards in 1990 and took home the inaugural FIFA World Player of the Year prize in 1991 after scoring 23 goals in all competitions for Inter Milan during the 1990/91 campaign.

After two decades of playing top-level football for Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, and the German national team, Matthaus paved the way for the most famous players around the globe to join the Major League Soccer in 2000, according to Bundesliga's official webiste.

He became the first player to win the Ballon d’Or and play in the United States’ top flight after signing for Metro Stars, where he recorded 16 games and produced one assist.

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Hristo Stoichkov

"There are only two Christs; one plays for Barcelona, the other is in heaven," Hristo Stoichkov said before collecting his Ballon d'Or award in 1994, Bleacher Report cited.

You could be excused for supposing he was joking and that it was a play on words since Hristo directly translates as Christ, but you'd be incorrect.

Stoichkov possessed three enormous traits: a skill given to him by God, a god-sized ego, and a temperament more like the 'devil'.

Nicknamed The Dagger, Stoichkov spearheaded the unfanciful Bulgaria in the 1994 World Cup, where they won a historical best fourth position. He won the Ballon d'Or that year and is widely regarded as the greatest Bulgarian footballer ever.

He was a crucial member of Barcelona's 'Dream Team' that was coached by Johan Cryuff. After winning five La Liga titles and one Champions League title in Catalunya, Stoichkov joined the MLS in 2003, signing for Chicago Fire.

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He made 65 appearances for Chicago Fire, scoring 25 goals and providing 15 assists. In his time in Chicago, the Bulgarian won the US Open Cup. The second MLS side he played for was DC United, where he made 23 appearances and scored 5 goals.

Stoichkove is best remembered in the MLS for when he smashed a student's leg while playing for DC United in the MLS; he was sued for this horrendous challenge and eventually settled out of court.

Kaka

Kaka was regarded as one of the best players of his generation. Before Luka Modric won the Ballon d’Or in 2018, the Brazilian playmaker was the only footballer not named Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the award in 2008.

He was a member of the Selecao teams that won the World Cup in 2002, the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2005, and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009. He also won the Serie A, La Liga, and UEFA Champions League.

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Kaka was popular across the globe thanks to his silky smooth dribbling skills and exquisite finishing.

In 2014, he brought that class to the MLS. He scored 24 goals and produced 21 assists in three seasons with Orlando City.