It’s been a busy first few days for LAFC’s newest star player, Son Heung-min.
Son, 33, bid his former club, Tottenham Hotspur, farewell after a friendly match against Newcastle United – which took place in his native South Korea – on Aug. 3 ahead of his multi-million dollar move to the City of Angels.
Days later, he was officially presented with the No. 7 shirt in Los Angeles. Much fanfare followed, with other L.A. sports teams publicly wishing the Korean superstar – arguably one of the best Asian soccer players ever – good luck on his new chapter.
Dodgers second baseman Hyesong Kim, who is also South Korean, personally wished him success and welcomed his compatriot to his new home.
It wasn’t just fellow Angeleno sports teams and fans who were celebrating the arrival of one of the world’s best soccer players, as L.A. Mayor Karen Bass acknowledged Son’s move as “a historic milestone for the club, city and the global game.”
After he touched down in SoCal, Bass presented Son with a Certificate of Recognition on behalf of the City of L.A. that commemorated his achievements to the sport on an international level – before he even played a minute for LAFC. The certificate also made him an honorary Angeleno.
“There was only one thing I wanted to do and today, being on the pitch, I think it was fantastic. With the result it’s a little bit disappointing, because I think we should’ve gotten three points here, but generally I think I’m very, very happy and excited,” Bass said at a press conference last week. “And Sonny, you’re coming at a perfect time because this year’s been a tough year for L.A. – but our momentum and our magic is back – and today, we celebrate that together we are one city.”
Bass also noted that Son moved to a city that is well-versed in his culture and community in addition to crazy about the beautiful game.
“It’s more than perfect – it’s personal. For our Korean American community…And, Sonny, you probably know there’s this debate in the country as to where most Koreans live outside of Seoul, and it’s this fight between New York and L.A., but today, we’re going to say that the Korean population in Los Angeles is the largest population outside of Seoul, right?”
Less than a week after the transaction was announced, Son made his debut for the club off the bench at Chicago Fire.
While he didn’t score on his debut, he did draw a penalty that helped the road side grab a 2-2 draw in front of a sold-out crowd thousands of miles from his new home stadium. That fact, Son told The Athletic, was a pleasant surprise.
“I really enjoyed it,” Son said. “You never had this coming from away games…I used to play in the Premier League, [and] when I played at away grounds, they were always booing me and always booing the players. But it was nice to see people were celebrating, people were enjoying the football.”
LAFC’s next match is this Saturday at New England Revolution. The match after that is also an away one – Aug. 23 at FC Dallas – but on Aug. 31, Son should make his home debut against newly-minted rivals San Diego FC.
The 33-year-old winger — described by Forbes as the second-most popular Korean on the planet — joined the Black and Gold of LAFC after a decade at Tottenham Hotspur, where he scored 127 goals in 333 appearances in the Premier League, England’s highest professional soccer division and widely regarded as the world’s most competitive league.
The transfer came right after Son led Spurs to their first trophy in 17 years, the Europa League. It also comes less than a year after the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off; the competition will be hosted jointly by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
With the move to L.A., Son reunited with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris; the two played together at Spurs for nine seasons. Besides those two, a third former Tottenham Hotspur player, Gareth Bale, also left the London-based club for BMO Stadium back in 2022.
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