Los Angeles (LA) FC intend to make Son Heung-min the soccer version of Shohei Ohtahi.
LA FC announced on the 7th (Korea time) that it will recruit Korean superstar Son Heung-min. The club signed Son Heung-min from Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League through its official website. Son has become another world star to join LA FC, joining Carlos Vela, Giorgio Chiellini, Olivier Giroud and fellow Tottenham players Gareth Bale and Hugo Lloris, he said.
LA FC owner Bennett Rosenthal said, `It has been a dream for years to bring Son to LA FC and the city. Our owners respect both Son Heung-min and people. His joining is a symbol of LA FC's commitment to grow into a global club, and Son will be a great inspiration not only for LA and Southern California communities, but also for countless fans around the world."
The U.S. Associated Press reported that `LAFC clearly intends to market Son Heung-min as a soccer star comparable to Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers. Of course, the scale can be rather small. Ohtani, a three-time Major League MVP from Japan, is on his way to the greatest Asian player in baseball history, bringing fans across the Pacific to Dodger Stadium while giving the Dodgers millions of dollars in sponsorship and partnerships,' he said.
If you intend to turn Son Heung-min into a soccer version of Ohtani, it is also understandable why LA FC paid an exceptional transfer fee to bring Son Heung-min. It would have been possible because Son Heung-min was confident that he could sufficiently target the Asian soccer market.
The Associated Press reported that Son signed a designated player contract with LA FC until 2027, which also includes an option to extend his contract until June 2029. LA FC paid the highest transfer fee in the history of Major Lease Soccer (MLS), worth more than $20 million (about 26 billion won) for Son Heung-min's transfer. This is the largest recruitment in MLS since Lionel Messi. He is considered the greatest player in Asian soccer history, and he received attention from various clubs around the world with a year left on his contract with Tottenham.
At least in the United States, the size of the baseball industry is incomparable to that of the soccer industry, but Son Heung-min's star power is sufficient to become a soccer version of Ohtani. Unlike the likes of Lionel Messi, Marco Reus and Thomas Muller, who came to the U.S. at the time of retirement, Son is now 33. Over the next two to three years, you will be able to fully demonstrate your skills.
Son Heung-min is also here to make the league bigger, and will do anything to bring the club to a better positionHe expressed his willingness to expand LA FC and MLS through his transfer. It was in this context that General Manager John Sorrington, who made Son Heung-min's trip to LA FC, persuaded the player.
The Associated Press reported that `Sorrington explained LA FC's ambition to become the most successful club and global brand in North America, which moved Son Heung-min's heart. The fact that LA has a large Korean population and a diverse fan base also affected it.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
