Major League Soccer, once seen as a mediocre league, has now become an attraction for some of football’s biggest and most respected names.
A new trend, dominant but not limited to the English Premier League, has developed in the beautiful game recently, with high profile names in the beautiful game leaving Europe for the US.
This includes the likes of David Beckham, Thierry Henry, and Robbie Kean, with Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, David Villa, Andrea Pirlo, and Giovani Dos Santos the latest A-profile names to make the switch.
But now is Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri set to join that list? Eventually, but not anytime soon, according to the former Arsenal ace.
Speaking to Canal+ Sport, the Frenchman revealed that he would be interested in moving to the MLS once life at the Etihad hits its decline, as he prefers to discover something new rather than return back to his home country.
“I do not see myself returning to [France’s] Ligue 1,” said Nasri.
“I love the Premier League. I like my life in England. I see myself going to play in MLS – to discover something different – rather than going back to France.”
Of course, one could easily deduce that Nasri’s decision to opt against a return to Ligue 1 is down to his falling out with his national team and coach Didier Deschamps.
The 28-year-old was infamously axed from Les’ Blues World Cup squad in the months leading up to the tournament in Brazil, a decision which in turn led to the player’s retirement from international football last year.
Nasri, however, claims he has no regret and vows never to return to the national squad, no matter the circumstance.
“Even if my father was the manager, I wouldn’t go back. I suffered a lot with the national team,” he claimed. “The real split was in 2012. I wanted to stop then but my father said I should play at the World Cup. At the start, it was a dream. But to miss a World Cup, when I thought I was good enough, that wrecks things a little. I’m not perfect - I have flaws. But when you’re a top manager, you can manage egos.”
