Son Heung-min left the Spurs squad on their tour of his native South Korea on Tuesday to fly to Los Angeles.
Son Heung-min has agreed to a contract with Los Angeles FC, finalizing his transfer to Main League Soccer (MLS) after a decade at Tottenham Hotspur.
The 33-year-old South Korean famous person ahead is becoming a member of LAFC three days after he formally announced his decision to leave Tottenham.
Son attended LAFC’s Leagues Cup match against Tigres at BMO Stadium on Tuesday evening, watching from a luxurious suite. LAFC will formally introduce Son at a information convention Wednesday, however the membership confirmed the ahead on the stadium video board late within the first half as he waved to roaring followers thrilled by their group’s landmark acquisition.
LAFC, a deep-pocketed membership with vital group success in its first eight seasons of existence, reportedly paid a switch payment of greater than $20m, which may find yourself being probably the most ever for an MLS transfer.
Son was a beloved presence at Spurs, scoring 173 objectives in 454 aggressive appearances for the North London membership, whereas rising to world prominence together with his mixture of pace, playmaking talent and ending acumen.
The captain was given a memorable farewell final week in Seoul throughout Tottenham’s exhibition match in opposition to Newcastle, getting a guard of honour from each groups and tearfully exiting within the second half whereas almost 65,000 followers roared.
However South Korea’s hottest athlete – and virtually definitely the best Asian soccer participant in historical past – has chosen an auspicious stage for the following chapter of his ground-breaking profession.
Los Angeles has the world’s largest ethnic Korean inhabitants outdoors Korea, with town’s vibrant Koreatown district sitting simply a few kilometres (miles) from LAFC’s BMO Stadium.
LAFC is undoubtedly hoping to market Son as a soccer counterpart to the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, albeit on a smaller scale. Ohtani, the three-time MLB MVP from Japan who’s on a trajectory to grow to be the best Asian participant in baseball historical past, attracts followers from throughout the Pacific Rim to Dodger Stadium whereas attracting thousands and thousands in sponsorships and partnerships for the Dodgers.
Son’s transfer to California additionally places him able to affect and off the sector on the World Cup, which will probably be held throughout North America in 2026. Son, the captain of his nationwide group, has already mentioned he’ll play in his fourth World Cup.
After main Tottenham to its first European trophy in many years by successful the Europa League in Could, in a becoming cap to his English profession, Son will go straight into the MLS Cup race when he fits up for his new membership. LAFC at the moment sits sixth within the Western Convention at 10-6-6, however with a number of video games in hand on each group forward of it attributable to its participation within the Membership World Cup.
Son’s seven Premier League objectives final season have been his fewest since his Tottenham debut, however he nonetheless seems to have the tempo and talent essential to be a difference-maker at any stage. He additionally turned 33 solely a month in the past, placing him on the youthful finish of the worldwide stars just lately arriving in MLS.
Lionel Messi and Marco Reus have been 35 and Luis Suarez was 37 after they went stateside lately, whereas Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris have been each 37 after they joined LAFC final 12 months.
Son will probably be reunited in Los Angeles with longtime Tottenham teammate Lloris, who has been excellent since turning into LAFC’s goalkeeper final season.
Excessive-scoring French ahead Denis Bouanga is the one designated participant at the moment underneath contract for LAFC, and common supervisor John Thorrington has been criticised by some followers for not utilizing the total energy of his monetary assets this season. LAFC spent months on an in the end failed try and get France’s Antoine Griezmann to depart Atletico Madrid.
Bouanga and Son have each thrived on the left wing throughout their careers, however Son doubtless has extra positional versatility than Bouanga, making him a candidate to line up within the center and even on the precise wing.
Son appears to be an infinitely higher match for LAFC than Giroud, who moved to Lille final month after one disappointing 12 months in California. LAFC performs a counterattacking, speed-based type that didn’t go well with Giroud’s goal-scoring strengths, whereas Son needs to be proper at dwelling in such a system.
However LAFC may additionally alter its type within the winter, after coach Steve Cherundolo departs for Germany following 4 largely profitable seasons highlighted by an MLS Cup championship.