Griezmann becomes 20th World Cup winner in MLS: Messi and Muller among them
Orlando City officially announced the signing of Antoine Griezmann on Tuesday, with the French star set to join Major League Soccer after the conclusion of the 2025–26 European season. He will join Lionel Messi and Thomas Muller as one of the FIFA World Cup winners to play in the league.
Griezmann becomes the 20th player to compete in MLS after previously winning the World Cup. He achieved that honor at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he, alongside Kylian Mbappe, led France to a convincing victory over Croatia in the final.
During that triumph, the Atletico Madrid forward played a pivotal role with four goals and four assists, earning the Silver Boot as the tournament’s second-leading scorer, recognition as its top assist provider, and the Bronze Ball as the third-best player—behind only Luka Modric and Eden Hazard.
Interestingly, that same France squad also featured another World Cup winner who later moved to MLS: Hugo Lloris. The goalkeeper joined Los Angeles FC in 2024 from Tottenham Hotspur and has since made 99 appearances across all competitions.
Active World Cup winners in MLS
Once he joins Orlando City SC this summer, Antoine Griezmann will become the fifth active player competing in MLS with a World Cup title. His former France teammate Hugo Lloris is also part of that select group, while Thomas Muller—who won the 2014 World Cup with Germany—now stars for Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
At Inter Miami are the other two. Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul were crowned champions with Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, defeating Griezmann and Lloris in the final. They are also teammates at club level, with Messi joining the Herons in the summer of 2023 and De Paul arriving in mid-2025.
All World Cup winners to play in MLS
Beyond the four players currently active in MLS, another 15 World Cup winners have played in the league over the past decades, adding quality and prestige to a competition that continues to grow in stature.
The first World Cup winner to play in MLS was Branco, who joined MetroStars in 1997 after winning the 1994 World Cup with Brazil. That same club later featured German legend Lothar Matthaus in 2000. The team eventually rebranded as New York Red Bulls and continued to attract high-profile talent, including Youri Djorkaeff and Thierry Henry, both World Cup winners with France. From the same country, Blaise Matuidi (Inter Miami) and Olivier Giroud (LAFC) also made their way to MLS in later years.
Among Brazilian World Cup winners to play in MLS are Denilson (FC Dallas), Kleberson (Philadelphia Union), and Kaka (Orlando City). They are joined by Italian stars Alessandro Nesta (CF Montreal) and Andrea Pirlo (New York City FC), as well as Spanish standouts David Villa (NYCFC) and Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami). Germany’s Bastian Schweinsteiger (Chicago Fire) also featured in the league.
The final case deserves special mention. Thiago Almada was part of Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning squad, alongside Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul. What makes his case unique is that he lifted the trophy while still a player for Atlanta United FC, making him the only player in history to win the World Cup while playing in MLS.