مدير عام كرة القدم
Olivier Giroud departed LAFC this summer, becoming the latest high-profile Designated Player to underwhelm in Major League Soccer. The Frenchman had moments, but he never lived up to expectations. The same can be said for a number of high-profile players who have disappointed in that label since its introduction to the league 18 years ago.
Dubbed the “Beckham Rule,” the DP mechanism was originally created so the LA Galaxy could sign the إنجلترا icon. It’s since become a cornerstone of MLS roster building, and teams have heavily relied on it to bring superstar talent to the league. Not all have worked. Disastrous DP signings have plagued the league, with prominent examples such as Rafael Marquez and the New York Red Bulls, Steven Gerrard and the LA Galaxy, and Andrea Pirlo and NYCFC.
In recent years, though, the hit rate has vastly improved, with fewer "big-time" misses.
أؤكد رغبتي في رؤية محتوى خارجي. قد تُنقل بيانات التعريف الشخصية إلى جهات خارجية. اقرأ المزيد حول هذا الموضوع في سياسة الخصوصية الخاصة بنا.
Lionel Messi is the most historic DP signing to date, but the past five years have seen multiple success stories that elevated players, clubs, and coaches alike – from Messi to Denis Bouanga, former Columbus Crew ace Cucho Hernández and the mercurial Emanuel Reynoso.
Of course, not everyone lived up to the hype.
From Inter Miami’s disastrous duo of Blaise Matuidi and Rodolfo Pizarro to Insigne and Xherdan Shaqiri in Chicago, BALLGM highlights the top 10 most disappointing DP signings since 2020.
Olivier Giroud departed LAFC this summer, becoming the latest high-profile Designated Player to underwhelm in Major League Soccer. The Frenchman had moments, but he never lived up to expectations. The same can be said for a number of high-profile players who have disappointed in that label since its introduction to the league 18 years ago.u0026nbsp;
Dubbed the “Beckham Rule,” the DP mechanism was originally created so the LA Galaxy could sign the England icon. It’s since become a cornerstone of MLS roster building, and teams have heavily relied on it to bring superstar talent to the league. Not all have worked. Disastrous DP signings have plagued the league, u0026nbsp;with prominent examples such as Rafael Marquez and the New York Red Bulls, Steven Gerrard and the LA Galaxy, and Andrea Pirlo and NYCFC.u0026nbsp;
In recent years, though, the hit rate has vastly improved, with fewer “big-time” misses.u0026nbsp;
Lionel Messi is the most historic DP signing to date, but the past five years have seen multiple success stories that elevated players, clubs, and coaches alike – from Messi to Denis Bouanga, former Columbus Crew ace Cucho Hernández and the mercurial Emanuel Reynoso.
Of course, not everyone lived up to the hype.
From Inter Miami’s disastrous duo of Blaise Matuidi and Rodolfo Pizarro to Insigne and Xherdan Shaqiri in Chicago, بالجم highlights the top 10 most disappointing DP signings since 2020.
It was fun on paper, right? France’s all-time leading scorer, a forward who played at elite levels for أرسنال, تشيلسي, and AC Milan – a classic No. 9 who excels as a poacher or a target-man in the box.u0026nbsp;
Well, it wasn’t fun in real life, and that was unfortunate to watch. Giroud lasted just one year in MLS, joining LAFC as a free agent in 2024 before and and the club mutually terminating his contract this summer.u0026nbsp;
He helped LAFC to the كأس الدوري final in 2024, where he scored his first goal for the club, and he also helped them win the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. However, the Frenchman never found consistency in the final third and was reduced to a bench role more often than not under Steve Cherundolo.
He made 20 regular-season appearances, scoring three goals and adding four assists.u0026nbsp;
He made an impact at the club, helping them secure silverware in the Open Cup, but he was never a good fit under Cherundolo and never lived up to his DP price tag.
Jozwiak joined CLT in 2022 as a high-profile DP signing, transferring from Derby County in England. The Poland international, however, struggled the entire time he was in MLS.
He appeared in 44 regular-season matches, scoring just two goals while recording 10 assists.
His production in the final third was nothing short of lackluster, and the return he provided the club was not that of an established winger who plays for a top European nation. He played two seasons in MLS, but never hit his stride.
CLT managed to avoid using an offseason buy-out on the winger, with La Liga side Granada swooping in to secure his signature in 2024.u0026nbsp;
Araujo joined Atlanta with high expectations after starring for الدوري الفرنسي 1 heavyweights Lille. He played four seasons in France with the club, helping them to a stunning Ligue 1 title in 2020-2021. Signed at 25, Araujo played two seasons with the Five Stripes where it became apparent that he was just not a good fit.u0026nbsp;
Heading into the 2023 season, he was a top-10 earner within MLS, and just did not offer a high enough return for the salary he was being paid. In total, he made 59 appearances for Atlanta, scoring 11 goals and recording 10 assists, while earning an additional 10 yellow cards and one red card.
There were glimpses, and fun moments, but he just never lived up to expectations.
The lone positive spin is that Atlanta was able to flip Araujo for a reported $10M fee to Flamengo when he left in May 2023. They originally paid Lille a reported $10M plus $2M in potential add-ons. Small margins, but they didn’t lost a substantial amount of money.u0026nbsp;
Oh, Ake Loba. So much potential, but so much bad soccer.u0026nbsp;
Loba, an Ivory Coast youth international, starred at youth levels for his nation. After stints around Central America and Mexico as a young player, he joined Nashville in 2021 from CF Monterrey in Liga MX for a reported fee of $6.8 million. They also paid the Portland Timbers $230k for an international roster spot to bring Loba to the club.
Across 40 regular-season games, the striker scored just two goals and recorded two assists. In January 2023, he was loaned to Liga MX side Mazatlan, before a mutual contract termination arrived in May of that year.u0026nbsp;
So much potential, but he never once looked the part, and looking back, just really poor scouting from Nashville.
Dominguez was Austin FC‘s first Designated Player, and he made just 38 appearances for Verde across 2021 and 2022.
In his debut season, he scores just seven goals while tallying another four assists. In April 2022, he was suspended by Major League Soccer pending an investigation into a report of a domestic incident. He was reinstated in May of that year, before his contract was terminated in July.
He did not appear for Austin after March 20 in his second season in MLS. Ahead of their inaugural campaign, they paid a reported $4.4M for the Paraguayan. Just 18 months after, that fee was thrown aside and he left the club. Nothing went to plan here.u0026nbsp;
It needs to be said that Shaqiri had some incredible moments in MLS, and he reignited soccer in Chicago following a decade of irrelevancy. But all in all, he never performed at the level expected of him with the Eastern Conference side.u0026nbsp;
He joined the Fire as a DP in 2022 from OL Lyon for a reported club-record fee of $7.5 million. Upon signing, he was MLS’s highest earning forward before Insigne signed for Toronto, and Sergio Busquets and Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami.u0026nbsp;
A forward who previously played in Europe for both ليفربول و بايرن ميونيخ, Shaqiri made 75 appearances across all competitions for Chicago, scoring 16 goals and recording 20 assists.u0026nbsp;
In August 2024, the parties agreed to a mutual termination of his contract, and he eventually returned to his native Switzerland with FC Basel as a free agent. Shaqiri was fun to watch at times, but never lived up to the cost.
Costa came to the Galaxy in 2022, and lasted just two seasons in MLS before the club parted ways with him. He made just 51 appearances, scoring eight goals and recording 12 assists across all competitions.u0026nbsp;
In May 2023, an arrest warrant in Brazil was issued for Costa. He was often caught in the spotlight for off-pitch antics in Los Angeles, and never looked fully committed to the program.
When he signed for the Galaxy, his contract was the seventh-highest guaranteed in the league, but his return on the field was closer to that of someone playing on a veteran’s minimum within the league.u0026nbsp;
The former Bayern Munich and Juventus ace, who starred for the Selecao on the international stage at one point, never lived up to expectations in MLS.u0026nbsp;
Before Messi and Busquets, Inter Miami struggled with DP signings, and Pizarro is just one on that list. The Mexico international joined the club in 2020, making 58 appearances across three-plus seasons, while scoring just seven goals and recording 13 assists across all competitions.
They paid a reported fee of $12M, bringing him in from Liga MX giants Monterrey, but nothing about his time in MLS went according to plan. The Herons loaned him back to Monterrey during the 2022 season with a purchase option, but it wasn’t exercised by the club.
Upon signing, he was a top-10 most expensive player in league history, but offered a return of that of a SuperDraft pick. He’ll be remembered for scoring Miami’s first goal as a club, but that’s about it.
Insigne joined TFC and was supposed to be the darling of MLS. The Italy international was touted to be the most talented player in the league and take the Canadian side to unforeseen heights. Upon signing, TFC president Bill Manning called it “historic and exciting” to add the forward to their team in 2022.
He joined Toronto after a stellar career with Napoli in الدوري الإيطالي, where he made more than 400 appearances across all competitions for the Italian giants. He was only 30 in 2022, and this was a genuinely blockbuster move. He was just one year off starting for Italy in the EURO 2020 final, as the Azzurri lifted the title over England.
Fast forward to 2025, and Insgine had his contract terminated by TFC after months of asking him to secure a transfer away from the club. Across four years in MLS, Insigne scored 19 goals and recorded 18 assists in 76 matches. While rostered, he was the second-highest paid player in the league, making $15.4M – second only to Messi.
He’ll be remembered for a few stunning goals, sure, but his contract and the return he displayed for the Canadian outfit was a complete failure.
Llsten. Matuidi wasn’t technically a DP, we realize that, but that’s also why he’s sitting at No. 1 on this list: he was supposed to be.
Inter Miami broke MLS roster rules by not classifying him as one, despite paying him millions. It resulted in a $2 million fine for the Herons a monumental salary cap reduction, and sporting director Paul McDonough was banned for 18 months.
Matuidi’s performances on the pitch were just as good as the behind-the-scenes maneuvering of McDonough in the front office: terrible, horrible, no good, very bad.
Matuidi didn’t perform at the level of a World Champion while with Inter Miami. Across his storied European career, he was nothing short of exceptional, but his time with MLS will be remembered for the antics of Miami’s front office, not his play on the pitch.
u0026nbsp;
