Obafemi Martins, David Beckham & Thierry Henry Among Top Ten Designated Players In MLS History

Nigeria international Obafemi Martins has been ranked among the top ten 10 Designated Player signings in the history of Major League Soccer.

Before he parted ways with Seattle Sounders in February 2016, the former Inter Milan, Newcastle United and Wolfsburg star scored 40 goals in the regular season and recorded 23 assists in 72 matches.

The players that made the list aside from Martins include : Robbie Keane, Sebastian Giovinco, David Beckham, Thierry Henry, David Villa, Juan Pablo Angel, Diego Valeri, Ignacio Piatti, Cuauhtémoc Blanco and Nicolas Lodeiro.

Profiling Martins, who spent three seasons at Sounders,  the editors of MLS Soccer wrote : “His departure was a surprise and his time in the league far too short for Seattle fans, but there have been few players in MLS history to take the league by storm like Obafemi Martins.”

Martins, 32, signed with Seattle Sounders as a Designated Player in March 2013 after a brief spell in Spain with Levante.

Nigerian strikers Fanendo Adi (Portland Timbers), Innocent Emeghara (San Jose Earthquakes) and Kennedy Igboananike (Chicago Fire) were designated players for their clubs in 2016.

Igho Kingsley

Photo Credit : mlssoccer.com