If only more footballers were like Landon Donovan | OneFootball

Eyebrows were furrowed, memes generated and jokes cracked as Landon Donovan came out of retirement to join Mexican side Club Léon this month.

The re-entry into the world of professional football will be Donovan’s second — or third, depending on how you look at it.

He took an extended sabbatical between the 2012 and 2013 MLS seasons and then retired in 2014, only to return to LA Galaxy briefly in 2016 before calling it quits again.

Now, more than a year later, the joint-leading scorer in American national team history is back.

And he absolutely could not care less about any eyebrows, memes or jokes.

Donovan has never had much time for other people’s opinions. He is adored and revered — at least in some part — not despite, but because of this.

From the moment Donovan defied his mother’s advice as a 17-year-old and shipped off to join Bayer Leverkusen rather than attending UCLA, he has been his own man.

He makes decisions not because he’s expected to but because he can.

It was this impulse that pushed him to shoot from an impossibly acute angle in the 2010 World Cup against Slovenia as he scored one the most memorable goals in his country’s history.

He had, in that moment, all he ever wanted: A clear head and the chance to write his own future.

It’s worth noting that the greatest pain in his career was not from his failures at Leverkusen or Bayern Munich.

His biggest heartache came from not being included in the USA squad for the World Cup and the fact that his destiny had been taken out of his hands. It was a decision made by Jürgen Klinsmann and — on the pitch at least — there was little or nothing that Donovan could do about it.

This is what makes Donovan quintessentially American: he cherishes freedom above all else.

He said in his Léon introduction that he, “doesn’t believe in walls”. Of course he doesn’t. Walls are restrictive and Donovan’s whole career, in both a literal and figurative sense, has been about having acres of space to run into with the ball and show his creativity.

Donovan’s freedom — his candidness in interviews, his decision to openly prioritise his mental health over his career — remains as refreshing today as it was when he burst onto the scene as a youngster all those years ago.

In an age when footballers’ images are micromanaged and decisions are taken for public relations reasons rather than sporting ones, it’s a pleasure to see Donovan open himself up as he has.

He is — in many ways — the antithesis of his old Los Angeles Galaxy team-mate David Beckham. Beckham, loveable and professional as he was, was and remains a slave to public opinion.

His club choices, commercial deals and appearances are all calculated for maximum promotional effect. Beckham may be wealthy and incredibly successful but he is not a free man.

As for Donovan? He has no such concerns. He may have never truly lived up to the enormous expectations thrust upon him early in career. People may question his mental toughness, his legacy, and even his hairline.

However, as he embarks on what figures to be (surely now) his final adventure, Donovan could hardly be less bothered.

He will go to Mexico, practice a language that he enjoys speaking, eat some delicious food and most importantly, he will play football and compete because that’s what gives him pleasure right now.

Like the Patriots of 1776, Donovan has chosen freedom. Ironically, going to Mexico is just about the most American thing he could do.