PELE, Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto and Neeskens are just some of the famed players to pull on the shirt of American football side New York Cosmos.

And now, with the original club reborn, Scottish footballer Adam Moffat plays a starring role.

The 29-year-old midfielder originally from Linwood, made the switch to Cosmos in January having spent the last eight years plying his trade across the pond.

For Moffat, a move to the US was the last roll of the dice for a football career he was on the verge of giving up. Failed stints at Rangers and Ross County put the buffers on a once promising youth prospect, and a move to part-time with Elgin City saw Moffat considering a complete change of direction.

What he never knew however, was how a season in the Highlands would change the course of his entire life. Now married to his Californian wife, Jennifer, and playing alongside footballing icons Raul and Marcos Senna on a daily basis, Moffat revealed it was all down to one phonecall from his former Elgin coach Richie Huxford.

Moffat told Gazette Sport: “The move to the states came about in 2007.

“I was finishing my season with Elgin and I got a phone call from Richie, an old coach of mine with Elgin and he told me he had a friend in Cleveland Ohio who was starting a professional team who were gonna be a couple leagues down from MLS.

“I wasn’t sure where or what I was going to be doing after the season with Elgin finished so I jumped at the thought of continuing my career in America.

“It worked out great and that’s been over eight years now I’ve been here and I’ve enjoyed every moment.” A former Scotland youth international, Moffat has represented his country up to under-18 level.

His time in America has seen him play for a host of MLS clubs, including Columbus Crew, Portland Timbers, Houston Dynamo, Seattle Sounders and FC Dallas.

Cosmos currently play in the North American Soccer League (NASL), but their instantly recognisable brand make them one of the most well-renowned clubs, not just in the US, but on the planet.

The club have managed to attract legends such as Spanish international Raul, and his counterpart Senna, to New York in recent seasons and Moffat admits he has to pinch himself when he thinks of some of the players his American experience has allowed him play alongside and against.

“It is great to be a part of the great Cosmos organisation and the brand they have around the world,” added Moffat.

“I have actually met Pelé a few times this year. It is a great honour to meet the greatest footballer of all time a few times in a year.

“Playing alongside the likes of Raul and Marcos Senna is incredible.

“Obviously they are older now and nearing the end of their careers but you can still see that class they have. Also both are really down to earth so its great that they integrate themselves fully into the team and that helps us be successful.” He continued: “I had a pretty successful time in MLS with a few different teams.

“I won the MLS Cup in 2008 with Columbus Crew but was unable to play as I’d had knee surgery a few months before to repair my cruciate ligaments.

“Then with the Houston Dynamo we got to the final in both 2011 and 2012 and I played in both those games, sadly we lost them but it was great to be a part of that.

“Playing in those finals against the likes of Beckham, Donovan and Keane is a memory that will stay with me.” Reflecting on his life abroad, the midfielder admits he has no intentions of returning to his homeland just yet.

Major League Soccer is enjoying something a renaissance, with it’s popularity on a par with the attention the original Cosmos side received in the 70s — and Moffat admits it is so far removed from how he imagined his career turning out.

“I never dream of any of this growing up,” he said.

“Playing in Scotland you think you are lucky if you can make it down to England to play, and that seemed like the only possibility when talking about playing in a different country.

“I don’t really keep up with Scottish football too much. I’ll still check the scores every now and then and see how old teammates are getting on — but no, I don’t really plan on going back home.

“Being over here I have seen the sport grow year by year.

“It’s good to be a part of that.”