Designated Player Rule

Major League Soccer rule From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Designated Player Rule, nicknamed the Beckham Rule, allows Major League Soccer franchises to sign up to three players that would be considered outside their salary cap (either by offering the player higher wages or by paying a transfer fee for the player). The rule, which was adopted ahead of the 2007 MLS season, enables teams to compete for star players in the international football market. The rule is one of two mechanisms by which MLS teams may exceed their salary cap, the other being allocation money. As of December 2019, there have been 209 Designated Players in league history.

David Beckham was the league's first Designated Player, with the rule being nicknamed the "Beckham Rule".

The rule is informally named after David Beckham, in anticipation of MLS teams signing lucrative deals with internationally recognized players, after Beckham entered into negotiations to join the league.[1][2] Beckham was the first player signed under this rule, signing a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 with a guaranteed annual salary of $6.5 million.[3][4]

History

The team salary cap was estimated to be around US$1.9 million in 2006,[5] was $2.1 million in 2007, and was raised to $2.3 million for the 2008 season.[6][7] As part of the 2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLS and the MLS Players' Union, the 2010 salary cap was $2.55 million, with an automatic five percent increase each year until the expiration of the agreement at the end of the 2014 season.

Under the 2007 rule:

  • The rule expires at the end of the 2009 season, and must be renewed then or allowed to lapse.
  • For each Designated Player, $400,000[7][8] of his salary is charged to the salary cap and paid by the league, with any remaining salary being paid by the team's operator. This value was increased for the 2009 season to $415,000.
  • Prior to the 2007 season, there were three players whose salary exceeded $400,000. These players were Landon Donovan, Carlos Ruiz, and Eddie Johnson. According to the rule, these players were grandfathered in for the 2007 season, and the exemption was extended after the 2007 season, with the league planning to review the issue at a future date. It was possible that the league would be required to renegotiate these players' contracts or consider them Designated Players. However, prior to the start of the 2008 season, Johnson moved to Fulham of the Premier League,[9] while following Dwayne De Rosario's signing by Toronto FC in January 2009, Ruiz was released by the club and left MLS to play for Olimpia Asunción. This left Donovan as the lone player whose 2009 salary remained grandfathered under the exemption provision. However, there were several more players whose guaranteed salary exceeded the Designated Player amount, but whose salary cap expense was actually lower than their true salary due to the allocation rule. These players include Shalrie Joseph ($450,000), Christian Gomez ($430,000), Dwayne De Rosario ($425,750), and Taylor Twellman ($420,000).
  • Each team initially had one Designated Player spot, but could trade their Designated Spot to another team; teams were allowed a maximum of two Designated Players.
  • Only $325,000 of a team's second Designated Player counted against the salary cap, which was increased to $335,000 in 2009.[7]

The 2010 changes:[10]

  • The rule has no expiration date.
  • For each Designated Player, $335,000 of his salary is charged to the salary cap and paid by the league ($167,500 for DP players joining during the MLS summer transfer window), with any remaining salary being paid by the team's operator. This amount is halved for Designated Players signed in the middle of the season. The salary cap value of Designated Players can also be reduced using allocation money. Finally, teams whose Designated Players transfer abroad in the middle of a season can recoup part of the Designated Players' salary cap value.
  • Landon Donovan is no longer grandfathered into the rule and must be considered a Designated Player.
  • Each team is allowed two Designated Player spots, and they can no longer trade their Designated Player spots. The New York Red Bulls will receive $70,000 in allocation money in return for the nullification of their 2007 trade with Chivas USA for an additional Designated Player spot. This means that both New York and Chivas USA will have two Designated Player spots for the 2010 season.
  • Teams can pay a $250,000 "luxury tax" for the right to sign a third Designated Player. This $250,000 would be distributed equally to all MLS teams that have not signed a third Designated Player in the form of allocation money.

The 2012 changes:[11]

Starting with the 2012 season, the rule was changed with respect to younger players. MLS announced the changes in August 2011 after clubs expressed concern about signing young international players with no guarantees that they would develop into stars.

  • Designated Players over the age of 23 will carry a salary budget charge of $350,000, unless the player joins his club in the middle of the season, in which case his budget charge will be $175,000.
  • Designated Players 21–23 years old count as $200,000 against the club's salary budget.
  • Designated Players 20 years old or younger count as $150,000 against the club's salary budget.
  • The budget charge for the midseason signing of a young Designated Player (23 years old and younger) is $150,000 and this amount cannot be lowered with allocation funds.
  • Clubs will not have to buy the third DP roster slot to accommodate Designated Players 23 years old and younger.
  • Age of player is determined by year (not date) of birth.

The maximum budget charge for Designated Players over age 23 was increased to $368,750 for 2013, $387,500 in 2014, $436,250 in 2015, $457,500 in 2016, and $480,625 in 2017. The budget charge for those who join during the midseason transfer window has remained at one-half of the full-season cap charge since the inception of the rule. The budget charges for younger players have not changed since 2012.[12]

Background

The rule is informally named after David Beckham, in anticipation of MLS teams signing lucrative deals with internationally recognized players of Beckham's caliber.[1][2] Beckham was the first player to be signed under this rule, signing a lucrative contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy worth up to $250 million over five years, with direct guaranteed compensation from MLS and Galaxy at $6.5 million a year.[3]

Current Designated Players

As of January 26, 2026[13]
More information Year signed as DP, Player ...
Year signed
as DP
PlayerNation­alityCurrent club2025 guaranteed compensation[14]
2017Albert RusnákSlovakiaSeattle Sounders$2,575,000
2019Carles GilSpainNew England Revolution$4,702,083
2020Hany MukhtarGermanyNashville SC$5,311,667
2020Cristian EspinozaArgentinaNashville SC$2,002,000
2021 Talles MagnoBrazilNew York City FC$1,065,000
2021Ryan GauldScotlandVancouver Whitecaps$3,675,000
2022Thiago MartinsBrazilNew York City FC$2,162,000
2022Andrés CubasParaguayVancouver Whitecaps$1,146,375
2022Denis BouangaGabonLos Angeles FC$3,709,500
2023João KlaussBrazilLA Galaxy$1,370,284
2023 EvanderBrazilFC Cincinnati$4,736,411
2023Dániel GazdagHungaryColumbus Crew$2,597,643
2023Martín OjedaArgentinaOrlando City$1,032,600
2023Riqui PuigSpainLA Galaxy$5,779,688
2023Rafael NavarroBrazilColorado Rapids$1,449,600
2023Lionel MessiArgentinaInter Miami$20,446,667
2023Sam SurridgeEnglandNashville SC$3,182,639
2023Diego RossiUruguayColumbus Crew$3,426,827
2024Emil ForsbergSwedenNew York Red Bulls$6,035,625
2024Pedro de la VegaArgentinaSeattle Sounders$1,379,000
2024Gabriel PecBrazilLA Galaxy$2,459,000
2024Petar MusaCroatiaFC Dallas$2,680,000
2024Hugo CuypersBelgiumChicago Fire$3,528,044
2024Joseph PaintsilGhanaLA Galaxy$4,182,000
2024Liel AbadaIsraelCharlotte FC$2,548,500
2024Ezequiel PonceArgentinaHouston Dynamo$2,852,200
2024Marcel HartelGermanySt. Louis City SC$2,183,113
2024Kelvin YeboahItalyMinnesota United$1,477,200
2024Aleksei MiranchukRussiaAtlanta United$4,885,441
2024Joaquín PereyraArgentinaMinnesota United$754,800
2025Hirving LozanoMexicoSan Diego FC$7,633,333
2025Kévin DenkeyTogoFC Cincinnati$3,810,000
2025Eric Maxim Choupo-MotingCameroonNew York Red Bulls$3,530,667
2025Brandon VázquezUnited StatesAustin FC$3,551,778
2025Jordan MorrisUnited StatesSeattle Sounders$2,260,000
2025Jonathan BambaIvory CoastChicago Fire$5,581,806
2025Wilfried ZahaIvory CoastCharlotte FC$2,751,667
2025Anders DreyerDenmarkSan Diego FC$2,434,314
2025Myrto UzuniAlbaniaAustin FC$2,225,000
2025Miguel AlmirónParaguayAtlanta United$7,871,000
2025Dejan JoveljićSerbiaSporting Kansas City$3,306,250
2025Manu GarcíaSpainSporting Kansas City$2,325,313
2025Emmanuel Latte LathIvory CoastAtlanta United$4,030,546
2025Marco PašalićCroatiaOrlando City$1,650,667
2025David Da CostaPortugalPortland Timbers$3,425,000
2025Bruno DamianiUruguayPhiladelphia Union$726,700
2025Nicolás FernándezArgentinaNew York City FC$3,650,000
2025Wessam Abou AliPalestineColumbus Crew$2,157,375
2025Matt TurnerUnited StatesNew England Revolution$1,942,886
2025Son Heung-minSouth KoreaLos Angeles FC$11,152,852
2025Djordje MihailovicUnited StatesToronto FC$2,278,335
2025Kristoffer VeldeNorwayPortland Timbers$3,027,000
2025Paxten AaronsonUnited StatesColorado Rapids$2,228,063
2025Iván JaimeSpainCF Montréal$1,991,200
2026Rodrigo De PaulArgentinaInter Miami$3,619,320
2026Thomas MüllerGermanyVancouver Whitecaps$1,436,956
2026Tai BariboIsraelD.C. United$810,000
2026Louis MunteanuRomaniaD.C. United$n/a
2026 GuilhermeBrazilHouston Dynamo$n/a
2026Facundo TorresUruguayAustin FC$n/a
2026Timo WernerGermanySan Jose Earthquakes$n/a
2026Mateusz BoguszPolandHouston Dynamo$n/a
2026Germán BerterameMexicoInter Miami$n/a
2026Jorge RuvalcabaMexicoNew York Red Bulls$n/a
2026Morgan GuilavoguiGuineaReal Salt Lake$n/a
2026Josh SargentUnited StatesToronto FC$n/a
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Notes

  • Chart indicates when players signed their current Designated Player contract, not necessarily their first year in MLS.
  • Other players in MLS may also be paid a salary that takes them above the Designated Player threshold, but they have had their salary reduced against the salary cap using General or Targeted Allocation Money.[15]
  • Player salaries may be below the Designated Player threshold, but their transfer fee might mean the total compensation takes them above the threshold.
  • Player salaries include compensation from their MLS contract, not including any bonuses or compensation from contracts with individual teams or their affiliates.

† Player on loan at another club outside MLS
‡ Player on loan from another club inside MLS
≠ Player on season-ending injury list, so not necessarily an active Designated Player

Club DP history

As of December 19, 2025[16]

Notes

  • The below list indicates players who have had their contract assigned as a Designated Player (DP) contract during their time in MLS. Players may have not always have had a DP contract, or have later had their contract negotiated below a DP level. Similarly, some players have been in MLS whose salary has been at a DP level, but the club has opted to bring their salary below the DP threshold using General Allocation Money or Targeted Allocation Money. Their listed "Years as DP" indicates what seasons they were active as a DP for that club only. Players in bold are currently signed to a DP contract by their club.
  • Former MLS sides Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny were dissolved before the introduction of the Designated Player Rule.

Atlanta United FC

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Austin FC

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Charlotte FC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
Ecuador Jordy Alcívar Ecuador L.D.U. Quito 2022
Poland Karol Świderski Greece PAOK 2022–2023, 2024
Poland Kamil Jóźwiak England Derby County 2022–2023
Argentina Enzo Copetti Argentina Racing Club 2023–2024
Israel Liel Abada Scotland Celtic 2024–
Spain Pep Biel Greece Olympiacos 2024
Ivory Coast Wilfried Zaha Turkey Galatasaray 2025–
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Chicago Fire FC

Chivas USA (defunct)

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FC Cincinnati

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Player Previous club Years as DP
Nigeria Fanendo Adi United States Portland Timbers 2019
Costa Rica Allan Cruz Costa Rica Herediano 2019–2020
Japan Yuya Kubo Belgium Gent 2020, 2021–2022
Curaçao Jürgen Locadia England Brighton & Hove Albion 2020–2021
Brazil Brenner Brazil São Paulo 2021–2023
Argentina Luciano Acosta Mexico Atlas 2021–2024
Nigeria Obinna Nwobodo Turkey Göztepe 2022–2024
Gabon Aaron Boupendza Saudi Arabia Al-Shabab 2023–2024
Togo Kévin Denkey Belgium Cercle Brugge 2025–
Brazil Evander United States Portland Timbers 2025–
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Colorado Rapids

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Columbus Crew

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FC Dallas

D.C. United

Houston Dynamo FC

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Inter Miami CF

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Sporting Kansas City

LA Galaxy

Los Angeles FC

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Minnesota United FC

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CF Montréal

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Nashville SC

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New England Revolution

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New York City FC

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New York Red Bulls

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Orlando City SC

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Philadelphia Union

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Portland Timbers

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Real Salt Lake

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St. Louis City SC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
Brazil João Klauss Germany TSG 1899 Hoffenheim 2023–2025
Germany Eduard Löwen Germany Hertha BSC 2023–2024
Germany Marcel Hartel Germany FC St. Pauli 2024–
Switzerland Roman Bürki Germany Borussia Dortmund 2026–
Venezuela Sergio Córdova Switzerland Young Boys 2026–
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San Diego FC

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Player Previous club Years as DP
Mexico Hirving Lozano Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 2025–
Denmark Anders Dreyer Belgium Anderlecht 2025–
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San Jose Earthquakes

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Seattle Sounders FC

Toronto FC

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Past and present Designated Players by country

More information Number, Country ...
Number Country Players
58 Argentina Argentina Luciano Acosta, Ignacio Aliseda, Thiago Almada, Esequiel Barco, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Hernán Bernardello, Claudio Bieler, Sebastián Blanco, Gustavo Bou, Milton Caraglio, Julián Carranza, Tomás Chancalay, Enzo Copetti, Pedro de la Vega, Rodrigo De Paul, Mauro Díaz, Sebastián Driussi, Fabián Espíndola, Cristian Espinoza, Brian Fernández, Nicolás Fernández, Alan Franco, Marcelo Gallardo, Federico Higuaín, Gonzalo Higuaín, Sebastián Jaime, Franco Jara, Matías Laba, Claudio López, Hernán López, Cristian Maidana, Juan Manuel Martínez, Pity Martínez, Tomás Martínez, Lucas Melano, Lionel Messi, Javier Morales, Maximiliano Moralez, Marcelino Moreno, Martín Ojeda, Lucas Ontivero, Cristian Pavón, Matías Pellegrini, Joaquín Pereyra, Matías Pérez García, Ignacio Piatti, Pablo Piatti, Tomás Pochettino, Ezequiel Ponce, Juan Edgardo Ramírez, Emanuel Reynoso, Emiliano Rigoni, Lucas Rodríguez, Mauro Rosales, Diego Valeri, Gonzalo Verón, Milton Valenzuela, Alan Velasco
30 United States United States Paxten Aaronson, Freddy Adu, Jozy Altidore, Paul Arriola, DaMarcus Beasley, Kyle Beckerman, Alejandro Bedoya, Matt Besler, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Dom Dwyer, Maurice Edu, Jesús Ferreira, Omar Gonzalez, Tim Howard, Eddie Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Djordje Mihailovic, Jordan Morris, Darlington Nagbe, Claudio Reyna, Josh Sargent, Brek Shea, Matt Turner, Brandon Vázquez, Chris Wondolowski, Gyasi Zardes, Walker Zimmerman, Graham Zusi
22 Brazil Brazil Luiz Araújo, Artur, Brenner, Douglas Costa, Rwan Cruz, Denílson, Luciano Emílio, Evander, Geovanni, Gilberto, Rafael Gladiador, Guilherme, Jéferson, Kaká, João Klauss, José Kléberson, Luquinhas, Talles Magno, Thiago Martins, Rafael Navarro, João Paulo, Gabriel Pec
20 Mexico Mexico Germán Berterame, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Omar Bravo, Nery Castillo, Marco Fabián, Javier Hernández, Héctor Herrera, Luis Ángel Landín, Javier Eduardo López, Hirving Lozano, Rafael Márquez, Rodolfo Pizarro, Alan Pulido, Jorge Ruvalcaba, Carlos Salcedo, Giovani dos Santos, Jonathan dos Santos, Erick Torres, Jairo Torres, Carlos Vela
16 Colombia Colombia Juan Pablo Ángel, Cristian Arango, Eduard Atuesta, Fabián Castillo, Diego Chará, Yimmi Chará, Andrés Ramiro Escobar, David Ferreira, Ménder García, Cucho Hernández, Mauro Manotas, Fredy Montero, Santiago Mosquera, Luis Muriel, Darwin Quintero, Ángelo Rodríguez
16 Uruguay Uruguay Joaquín Ardaiz, Felipe Carballo, Thomás Chacón, Bruno Damiani, Álvaro Fernández, Nicolás Lodeiro, Mauricio Pereyra, Federico Puppo, Egidio Arévalo Rios, Octavio Rivero, Brian Rodríguez, Jonathan Rodríguez, Santiago Rodríguez, Diego Rossi, David Texeira, Facundo Torres
12 Paraguay Paraguay Miguel Almirón, Luis Amarilla, Cristian Colmán, Josué Colmán, Andrés Cubas, Cecilio Domínguez, Sebastián Ferreira, Gastón Giménez, Kaku, Jesús Medina, Nelson Valdez, Héctor Villalba
11 Spain Spain Jordi Alba, Pep Biel, Sergio Busquets, Manu García, Carles Gil, Iván Jaime, Mista, Alejandro Pozuelo, Riqui Puig, Víctor Rodríguez, David Villa
10 England England David Beckham, Jermain Defoe, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Liam Ridgewell, Wayne Rooney, Josh Sims, Sam Surridge, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Dru Yearwood
9 France France Romain Alessandrini, Kévin Cabral, Yohan Croizet, Claude Dielna, Olivier Giroud, Eric Hassli, Thierry Henry, Adrien Hunou, Blaise Matuidi
9 Germany Germany Torsten Frings, Marcel Hartel, Eduard Löwen, Hany Mukhtar, Thomas Müller, Frank Rost, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Christian Tiffert, Timo Werner
8 Ecuador Ecuador Jordy Alcívar, Juan Luis Anangonó, Xavier Arreaga, Leonardo Campana, Aníbal Chalá, Carlos Gruezo, Oswaldo Minda, Joao Plata
7 Honduras Honduras Bryan Acosta, Jerry Bengtson, Alberth Elis, Roger Espinoza, Boniek García, Alexander López, Bryan Róchez
7 Ivory Coast Ivory Coast Jonathan Bamba, Ousmane Doumbia, Didier Drogba, Xavier Kouassi, Emmanuel Latte Lath, Aké Arnaud Loba, Wilfried Zaha
7 Poland Poland Mateusz Bogusz, Adam Buksa, Kamil Jóźwiak, Mateusz Klich, Patryk Klimala, Jarosław Niezgoda, Karol Świderski
7 Scotland Scotland Stuart Armstrong, Kris Boyd, Ryan Gauld, Shaun Maloney, Kenny Miller, Barry Robson, Johnny Russell
7 Venezuela Venezuela Fernando Aristeguieta, Jhonder Cádiz, Sergio Córdova, Josef Martínez, Jeizon Ramírez, Jefferson Savarino, Yeferson Soteldo
6 Italy Italy Federico Bernardeschi, Marco Di Vaio, Sebastian Giovinco, Lorenzo Insigne, Andrea Pirlo, Kelvin Yeboah
6 Portugal Portugal David da Costa, Diogo Gonçalves, José Gonçalves, André Horta, Nani, Pedro Santos
5 Canada Canada Lucas Cavallini, Julian de Guzman, Dwayne De Rosario, Richie Laryea, Jonathan Osorio
5 Costa Rica Costa Rica Allan Cruz, Luis Díaz, Randall Leal, Álvaro Saborío, Kendall Waston
4 Albania Albania Shkëlzen Gashi, Hamdi Salihi, Myrto Uzuni, Giacomo Vrioni
4 Belgium Belgium Christian Benteke, Hugo Cuypers, Jelle Van Damme, Dante Vanzeir
4 Chile Chile Pablo Aránguiz, Felipe Gutiérrez, Pedro Morales, Diego Rubio
4 Denmark Denmark Anders Dreyer, Andreas Maxsø, Younes Namli, Mikael Uhre
4 Ghana Ghana David Accam, Osman Bukari, Jonathan Mensah, Joseph Paintsil
4 Israel Israel Liel Abada, Tai Baribo, Omer Damari, Gadi Kinda
4 Nigeria Nigeria Fanendo Adi, Kennedy Igboananike, Obafemi Martins, Obinna Nwobodo
4 Peru Peru Edison Flores, Andrés Mendoza, Raúl Ruidíaz, Yoshimar Yotún
4 Sweden Sweden Magnus Eriksson, Emil Forsberg, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Freddie Ljungberg
4 Switzerland Switzerland Blerim Džemaili, Innocent Emeghara, Blaise Nkufo, Xherdan Shaqiri
3 Croatia Croatia Damir Kreilach, Petar Musa, Marco Pašalić
3 Finland Finland Matti Peltola, Teemu Pukki, Alexander Ring
3 Hungary Hungary Dániel Gazdag, Nemanja Nikolić, Dániel Sallói
3 Serbia Serbia Dejan Joveljić, Aleksandar Katai, Nemanja Radoja
2 Armenia Armenia Yura Movsisyan, Lucas Zelarayán
2 Czech Republic Czechia Bořek Dočkal, Ondřej Lingr
2 Gabon Gabon Denis Bouanga, Aaron Boupendza
2 Georgia (country) Georgia Saba Lobzhanidze, Valeri Qazaishvili
2 Greece Greece Taxiarchis Fountas, Giorgos Giakoumakis
2 Republic of Ireland Ireland Kevin Doyle, Robbie Keane
2 Jamaica Jamaica Giles Barnes, Simon Dawkins
2 Netherlands Netherlands Danny Koevermans, Sherjill MacDonald
2 Norway Norway Stian Rode Gregersen, Kristoffer Velde
2 Romania Romania Alexandru Mitriță, Louis Munteanu
2 Slovakia Slovakia Ján Greguš, Albert Rusnák
2 Slovenia Slovenia Robert Berić, Aljaž Struna
2 South Korea South Korea Hwang In-beom, Son Heung-min
1 Algeria Algeria Saphir Taïder
1 Australia Australia Tim Cahill
1 Austria Austria Ercan Kara
1 Cameroon Cameroon Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting
1 Cape Verde Cape Verde Jamiro Monteiro
1 Cuba Cuba Osvaldo Alonso
1 Curaçao Curaçao Jürgen Locadia
1 The Gambia Gambia Mustapha Jarju
1 Grenada Grenada Shalrie Joseph
1 Guinea Guinea Morgan Guilavogui
1 Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau Gerso Fernandes
1 Iceland Iceland Victor Pálsson
1 Iraq Iraq Ali Adnan Kadhim
1 Japan Japan Yuya Kubo
1 Kenya Kenya Victor Wanyama
1 Liberia Liberia Sam Johnson
1 Montenegro Montenegro Branko Bošković
1 Palestine Palestine Wessam Abou Ali
1 Panama Panama Gabriel Torres
1 Russia Russia Aleksei Miranchuk
1 Sierra Leone Sierra Leone Kei Kamara
1 Togo Togo Kévin Denkey
1 Turkey Turkey Cengiz Ünder
1 Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Teenage Hadebe
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