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Who Are the Best LA Galaxy Soccer Players of All Time?

The LA Galaxy is an MLS team that first started playing in 1996. Through the teams’ 28-year history, the club has won five MLS Cups, four Supporters’ Shields, two US Open Cups, and one CONCACAF Champions Cup. With all of the rich history, who are some of the greatest footballers to play for LA Galaxy, and what have they accomplished with the club?

Top 10 Best LA Galaxy Players of All Time

Landon Donovan
Robbie Keane
Cobi Jones
David Beckham
Mauricio Cienfuegos
Kevin Hartman
Carlos Ruiz
Zlatan Ibrahimović
Omar Gonzalez
Greg Vanney

1. Landon Donovan

2009 MLS MVP
2011 Player of the Year
Four-time MLS champion

After playing for San Jose and in Europe, Landon Donovan joined the LA Galaxy for the 2005 season. Donovan is considered the best player in club history and won numerous honors during his eleven seasons with the team. The second striker helped the team to the US Open Cup in his first season in Los Angeles. Donovan also won four MLS Cups and two Supporters’ Shields with the club.

The forward had 21, 19, and 19 goal contributions during his first three seasons with the Galaxy respectively. Donovan led the MLS with 20 goals during the 2008 campaign. He took home the 2009 MLS MVP award after having 18 goal contributions and was named the 2011 Player of the Year while scoring 12 goals. Donovan had nine goals and 13 assists in 2012, and at 31 years old, had ten goals and 14 assists for the club. The forward played his final stint for LA Galaxy in 2016 before playing in the Mexican league. Donovan scored 135 goals and had 101 assists across 308 competitions. He has more goals and assists than any other player in club history.

2. Robbie Keane

2014 MLS MVP
Three-time MLS champion
Second most goals In LA Galaxy history

Robbie Keane played in Europe for most of his pro career before joining LA Galaxy in 2011. Keane won an MVP while with the club and helped the team to three MLS Cups. LA Galaxy won the MLS Cup in three of the Irishman’s first four seasons in the MLS. Keane also won the Supporters’ Shield with the team in his first season. The center forward scored 16 goals and had seven assists in his first full season in 2012. Keane had the same goal total in the following season but had a career-best ten assists.

In 2014, the forward was named the MLS MVP after scoring 19 goals and having nine assists. The Irish player had 20 goals and seven assists in the following season and finished his stint with the Galaxy with ten goals in 2016. Keane played in 165 games across all competitions for the club. His 104 goals for LA are second in the club’s history and his 41 assists are fifth for the club.

3. Cobi Jones

Two-time MLS champion
Three-time Supporters’ Shield winner
Most games played in LA Galaxy history

Cobi Jones joined the LA Galaxy for the 1996 season after playing in the Premier League. Jones played in 12 seasons with the club and helped the team win many awards during his tenure. With the right winger on the roster, the Galaxy won the MLS Cup twice, the Supporters’ Shield three times, the US Open Cup twice, and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Jones had double-digit goal contributions in each of his first seven seasons with the club. His best season came in 1998 when he had a career-best 19 goals and nine assists. The winger played through the 2007 campaign before retiring. Jones appeared in 359 matches across all competitions for the Galaxy which is more than any other player for the club. He scored 75 goals and had 76 assists during his tenure which place third and second respectively in the history of the team.

4. David Beckham

Two-time MLS champion
Two-time Supporters’ Shield winner
Fourth most assist for LA Galaxy

David Beckham enjoyed a trophy-filled career across Europe before joining the LA Galaxy in 2007. Beckham played in six seasons with the club and won four awards during his tenure. The right midfielder had five goals and eight assists in his first full season with the Galaxy in 2008. Beckham went on loan during the 2009 and 2010 seasons which caused him to miss portions of the seasons. He helped the club win its first of two consecutive Supporters’ Shields in 2010.

Beckham had 27 goal contributions across his final two seasons with the club. LA won the MLS Cup in both 2011 and 2012 with the midfielder. The English player spent one season in France in 2013 before retiring. Beckham played in 124 games across all competitions for the Galaxy. He scored 20 goals during his tenure and his 42 assists are the fourth most for the club in its history.

5. Mauricio Cienfuegos

2002 MLS champion
Two-time Supporters’ Shield winner
Third, most assist in LA Galaxy history

Mauricio Cienfuegos joined the LA Galaxy in 1996 after playing in El Salvador and Mexico. Cienfuegos played eight years for the club and helped the team win many awards. The attacking midfield won four trophies while with the Galaxy which include the 2002 MLS Cup, two Supporters’ Shields, and the 2001 US Open Cup.

Cienfuegos had five goals and ten assists during his first year in the MLS. The El Salvadorian player had 15 goal contributions in the following season as well. He scored a career-high 13 goals in 1998 while also having eight assists. 1999 was the fourth straight season that Cienfuegos had double-digit goal contributions as he put up three goals and nine assists that season.

The midfielder retired from the sport after the 2003 season with the Galaxy. Cienfuegos played in 245 matches across all competitions for the club. His 40 goals place him tied for the seventh most in club history and his 64 assists are good for the third most in LA’s history.

6. Kevin Hartman

Two-time MLS champion
Two-time US Open Cup winner
Most games by a goalie in LA Galaxy history

Kevin Hartman was taken in the third round of the 1997 MLS Draft by the LA Galaxy. Hartman played the most games by a goalie in club history and won two MLS Cups with the Galaxy. The Ohio native won the Supporters’ Shield in his first full season with LA in 1998. Hartman also helped the club win two MLS Cups and two US Open Cups.

The goalkeeper won 22 games in 1998 and 20 games in 1999. He had seven seasons with double-digit wins while with the Galaxy. Hartman had 11 clean sheets in 1999 as well. The goalie last played for LA in 2006 and he played for the K.C. Wizards and F.C. Dallas before retiring. Hartman played in 285 games with the club, which is the most by a goalie and the third most by any player in the history of the Galaxy.

7. Carlos Ruiz

2002 MLS MVP
Two-time MLS Top Goal Scorer
2002 MLS champion

Carlos Ruiz joined the LA Galaxy for the 2002 season after previously playing in Greece and Guatemala. Ruiz was an MVP winner and two-time top scorer while with the club. The center forward led the MLS with 24 goals and took home the MLS MVP in his first season with the Galaxy. The club also won the MLS Cup and the Supporters’ Shield that season. Ruiz was once again the top goal scorer in the league in 2003 as he scored 15 goals. The Guatemalan had eleven goals in the following season as well.

After playing a few seasons for F.C. Dallas, Ruiz returned to LA in 2008 where he played his final season for the club. The forward played in 94 games across all competitions for the Galaxy. His 62 goals for the club are the fourth most in its history.

8. Zlatan Ibrahimović

2019 ESPY Best MLS Player
Second most goals in the MLS in 2018 and 2019
Fifth most goals in LA Galaxy history

Zlatan Ibrahimović enjoyed a long career across Europe before joining the LA Galaxy in 2018 at the age of 36. Ibrahimović played in just two seasons for the club but was one of the most efficient goal-scorers in the MLS. The center forward was second in the entire league with 22 goals scored in 2018. Ibrahimović again finished second in the MLS for the most goals scored in 2019 as the Swedish player scored 30 goals that year.

After two years with the Galaxy, the forward played four seasons with Milan before retiring after the 2022-23 campaign. Ibrahimović played in just 58 games across all competitions during the two years he was with the club. The forward scored 53 goals while with the Galaxy which is the fifth most by any player for the team.

9. Omar Gonzalez

Three-time MLS champion
Two-time Supporters’ Shield winner
Eighth most games for the LA Galaxy

Omar Gonzalez was drafted with the third overall pick by the LA Galaxy in the 2009 MLS Draft. Gonzalez played in seven seasons with the club and helped the team win multiple trophies. The center-back started 30 games for the Galaxy in his rookie season. Gonzalez once again started every game that he played in 2010 while also winning the first of two Supporters’ Shields while with the club.

The defender won his first MLS Cup with the Galaxy in 2011, and he finished his tenure with the club winning the honor three times. Gonzalez’s best offensive season came in 2014 when he scored four goals and had two assists. The center-back last played for the club in 2015 and has since played for other MLS teams as well as in Mexico. Gonzalez has appeared in 223 matches across all competitions with the Galaxy which is the eighth most by any player for the club.

Greg Vanney

1998 Supporters’ Shield winner
2001 US Open Cup winner
Ninth most games in LA Galaxy history

Greg Vanney was a second-round selection in the 1996 MLS Draft by the LA Galaxy. Vanney played in seven seasons as a defender for the club and helped the club win hardware in two different competitions. The center-back was on the roster when the team won the 1998 Supporters’ Shield and the 2001 US Open Cup. Vanney scored four goals during the 1996 campaign with LA. He had five or more goal contributions for the club in each of his first six years with the Galaxy. Vanney’s highest offensive output came in 2001 when he had six goals and two assists. The defender left the club after that season to play in France.

After playing in Ligue 1 and for other MLS clubs, Vanney returned to the Galaxy for the 2008 season where he played in 25 games before retiring. Vanney played in 222 games with the club, which is the ninth most by any player.