MLS commissioner: Kane interest ‘the fulfilment of a dream’ after Beckham, Messi moves

Harry Kane's interest in moving to MLS is the "fulfilment of a dream" for the league's commissioner Don Garber, who says David Beckham and Lionel Messi should be thanked for keeping the competition relevant.

Kane, who scored six goals in four appearances for England during the international break and matched Peter Shilton's team record of 125 caps, is close to reaching an agreement to extend his contract with Bayern Munich.

Reports suggest the Three Lions' captain will commit his future to the German giants until 2029, having scored 73 goals for club and country in 2025-26 to mark himself out as one of the favourites to win the Ballon d'Or.

But beyond that, the striker recently suggested he would be open to playing in MLS in the twilight of his career, with his ambition to become a kicker in the NFL being another attraction of a move stateside.

And for Garber, who has been in charge of MLS since 1999, that statement alone shows just how far the league has come.

"I would love for him to do that," Garber said. "I think, for me, it is the fulfilment of the dream that we had to build a proper soccer league that would drive a soccer nation. 

"That sounds colloquial, but we actually have that written down.

"We wanted to create something that would have the Harry Kanes of the world saying, 'I'd kind of like to play in MLS.'

1 – As well as equalling Peter Shilton's appearance record, Harry Kane has the England record for goals scored (89), major tournament appearances (36), goals at major tournaments (21), major tournament games as captain (32) and goals at Wembley (31). Legend. https://t.co/PpW3Rf63Tc

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 6, 2026

"I think Messi proved that. That was a competitive process, working to ensure that we had a dynamic that would be better than going back to Barcelona, a dynamic that would not have him wanting to play in Saudi Arabia.

"Play in Miami, have them be able to build a new stadium and have him set records and be an MVP, and then have an unbelievable goodbye from his international career."

Messi's move to Inter Miami in 2023 has been an immeasurable success for MLS, with the forward winning his eighth Ballon d'Or and leading Argentina to a second straight World Cup final while playing his club football in the United States.

But it was David Beckham's decision to join the LA Galaxy in 2007 that initially put the league on the map.

"I don't think I would say one is more important than the other," Garber said, when asked to compare Beckham and Messi's respective impacts on MLS.

"David put this league on the path to credibility and respect. In the prime of his career, he came to LA.

"He came into Major League Soccer and showed the world that this league can be competitive, it could be respected, it could be fun, it could have great players.

"It attracted [Thierry] Henry and many, many other players right after that, so without David, there's probably no Major League Soccer.

"That being said, Major League Soccer would not be the global phenomenon and not be on the hearts and minds of just about anybody in the world without Leo Messi."

The post MLS commissioner: Kane interest ‘the fulfilment of a dream’ after Beckham, Messi moves appeared first on SoccerNews.