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| Yonhap News |
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| Yonhap News |
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"LAFC was not my first choice."
Son Heung-min (33), who joined LAFC at a press conference at BMO Stadium on the 7th (Korea time), confessed as follows.
LAFC was mentioned as one of the teams showing interest in Son Heung-min at the end of last season. A young team that is now in its 10th year as a member of the Major League Soccer (MLS). Although the stock price has soared due to the transfer of Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), not many people believe that Son Heung-min, who has built his career in Europe, will actually choose to go to LA. Earlier in the UK, Son Heung-min politely rejected LAFC's interest. However, ahead of Tottenham's tour in Korea, it was reported that LAFC's general manager John Torrington flew to London, England, and persuaded Son Heung-min and Tottenham's leadership, and later, his trip to the U.S. became visible. In the end, Son Heung-min reached a new challenge by renewing the record for the highest transfer fee ever in MLS.
Son Heung-min said "LA was not my first choice. But I changed my mind with the first call. I showed my vision of where to go, and I ended up here." It seems that LAFC's courtship, including general manager Torrington, the environment and conditions of the U.S., which is professional sports 'the last king', and motivation for the 2026 North-China World Cup, which is expected to be the last World Cup career.
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| APYonhap News |
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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Son Heung-min was one of the best players in the English Premier League beyond Asia. He became the first Asian to become the top scorer in the EPL, and won the Player of the Month award four times. He won the 2024-2025 Europa League and was also the main character of the Puskas Award given by FIFA to the player who scored the best goal of the year. Tottenham alone recorded 173 goals and 101 assists in 454 games and 127 goals and 71 assists in EPL alone. He ranked 16th in score, 17th in assists and 13th in attack points in EPL history.
When Tottenham moved to break up with Son Heung-min, courtship poured in. Armed with 'Oil Money', Saudi Arabia was the most active. RT Hard has offered a four-year contract of 60 million euros in summer 2023 and 30 million euros in annual salary. However, Son refused to go to Saudi Arabia, citing Ki Sung-yueng (Pohang), who said, `South Korean captain does not go to China.'
But the Saudi teams have not given up. Not only RT Hard, but also Saudi league teams such as Al Hilal and Al Nasr beckoned Son Heung-min with astronomical amounts. The conditions were comparable to those of Europe's top-class players, or rather many.
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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Recently, the Saudi league has reached a level that can no longer be dismissed as 'Oil Money'. The Saudi league, which has grown rapidly since the 2020s, has now grown to the point where it threatens European soccer. Every year, European stars are brought in with astronomical amounts of money in each transfer market. Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, João Félix (Al-Nasr), Kareem Benzema, N'Golo Kante (Al-Itihad), Riyad Mahrez, Edouard Mendy, Alang Saint-Maximin, Roberto Firmino, Ivan Toney (Al-Ahli), Hoobeng Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, Yasin Bunu, João Cancelo, Theo Hernandez, Aleksandar Mitrovic (Al-Hilal), Jorginio Wijnaldum, Musa Dembele (Altipark), Yannick Carrasco and Giacomo Bonaventura (Al Shabab) are active in Saudi Arabia. In the round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025, which recently ended, Al Hilal shocked the world of soccer by making an extraordinary win over Manchester City. Until now, it has been criticized for its operation leaning on the pockets of royalty and the government, but it has recently tried to privatize the club and is also trying to strengthen its stability. Harburg Group, a U.S. investment company that owns Spain's second division Cardis, has also succeeded in attracting the first foreign capital by acquiring Al Colud. Considering the momentum of the Saudi league, which is expanding qualitatively and quantitatively as well as attracting European stars, it is not a strange thing to do even if Son Heung-min decides to transfer.
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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In the end, however, Son focused on a new challenge. Son Heung-min's trip to LAFC is stirring the U.S. Not only fans but also local baseball teams such as the Dodgers (baseball), the Clippers (basketball) and the Rams (American football) joined the welcoming ranks. All that remains is for Son Heung-min, who said, "'I came to LA to win.'"
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
