George Best, a maverick of his day, played for the Los Angeles Aztecs, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and San Jose Earthquakes during several of his stints in the country.
Best's time with Manchester United, where he amassed 179 goals and won both the European Cup and the Ballon d'Or, formerly known as the European Footballer of the Year award, in the same year (1968), was unquestionably the most fruitful period of his career.
His time in America was fruitful; he made 61 appearances for the Aztecs, scoring 29 goals, and in his second season, he was crowned the best midfielder in the North American Soccer League.
When Best also moved to Hibernian, Bournemouth, and Fort Lauderdale Strikers during this time, he scored seven and 21 goals for each team.
Jacques Cruyff
Another player who is regarded as one of the best of all time frequently visited America.
At the club level, Cruyff is best known for leading the era-defining Ajax squad that won three consecutive European Cups between 1971 and 1973, while also earning three Ballon d'Or awards personally at that time.
Cruyff had to leave retirement due to financial issues, and the Los Angeles Aztecs offered him a lucrative contract in 1979.
He gave them something in return by scoring 15 goals and winning Player of the Year. Before returning to Holland, he briefly played with the Washington Diplomats before returning to Ajax and retiring with Feyenoord.
Henry Thierry
The French international who won the World Cup played with the MLS's New York Red Bulls from 2010 until 2014.
Henry is regarded as one of the greatest players of his time. He has won two Premier League championships, including an invincible crown with Arsenal in 2003–04, and was a member of the renowned Barcelona team that won the sextuple in 2009.
Henry scored 52 goals in 135 games for the New York team, surpassing David Beckham as the highest-paid player in the MLS. However, he was unable to win the MLS Cup; his best performance came in 2010, when the Red Bulls advanced to the quarterfinals.
When Henry took over as manager of the Montreal Impact in 2019, he made a comeback to the Major League Soccer.
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