Son Heung-min and Messi, the overwhelming number one salary in the team, should thank this man, right?Football Star's Choice That Changed MLS History

Aug 13, 2025

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Neither Son Heung-min nor Lionel Messi would have dreamed of a huge salary in the United States without this man.

Son Heung-min in 2025 after Messi in 2023. The U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) is heating up as much as football due to the joining of stars ahead of the 2026 North-China World Cup.

Messi agonized over the options of Saudi Arabia, Barcelona, and the United States in 2023. Attention was drawn to the choice of a man who will be the world's best soccer player and the best player in history. At the time, Saudi Arabia bet an unimaginable amount, and Barcelona also considered the return of Legend. But Messi's choice was MLS. He wore an Inter Miami uniform, and Messi headed to an area where he could live comfortably with his family and immerse himself in soccer.

Since joining Miami, Messi has still shown his skills by scoring more than one offensive point per game with 58 goals and 27 assists in 70 games. There are also many U.S. fans who are constantly visiting the soccer stadium to watch Messi's game. Along with Messi, several stars, including Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez, also joined MLS and attracted attention.

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Son Heung-min, who is wearing an LA FC uniform this summer, is the player who drew the attention of fans as Messi's next batter. Son Heung-min did not reach Messi's stronghold, but he is by far Asia's best soccer star. Son Heung-min, who chose to transfer after completing his 10-year companionship with Tottenham, did not put any weight on going to the Middle East despite Saudi courtship. Of course, going to the U.S. was not one option. However, after persistent and active persuasion from LA, he boarded a flight to the United States. LA FC has already fallen for Son Heung-min with his joining. The club's SNS is full of Son Heung-min.

Son Heung-min immediately proved his worth through his performance. He made his debut for LA FC in an away game between the Chicago Fire and the 2025 Major League Soccer (MLS) at the Sitgig Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois, on the 10th, and cheered fans by winning a penalty with a huge breakthrough in his debut. It was a performance that was more expected in the future.

MLS got hotter because of the two players' performances. But Son Heung-min and Messi were able to choose to go to MLS because of the soccer star's decision to change the history of MLS as a pioneer.

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Son Heung-min and Messi are the "exception targets" of each club this season. MLS has a designated player system. As an American sport, MLS has salary cap for each team. It is a system to manage the club's financial expenditures, but the problem is that it is difficult to recruit star players due to limited salary cap. Designated Player is the system that mitigates this. The designated player system, in which three players are assigned to each team, reduces the salary cap burden by reflecting only a set amount of the selected players' annual salary, not the actual amount paid.

Son Heung-min and Messi also receive huge salaries in MLS through this method. Son Heung-min is known to be worth more than 8.7 million dollars (about 12 billion won). Messi's basic salary alone amounts to 12 million dollars (about 16 billion won). Both players are overwhelmingly No. 1 in terms of amount, which is different from the salaries of other players in the team.

The player who made this possible is Beckham. Another name for the designated player system is 'Beckham Rule'. This regulation was specially introduced when the LA Galaxy tried to recruit Beckham, who left Real Madrid during the 2007 season. At that time, Beckham signed a contract worth a total of $250 million (about 340 billion won) and entered MLS. Since the introduction of the Beckham rule, global soccer stars such as Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have headed to MLS, and interest in the league has also increased significantly. In fact, he was no less than a pioneer who changed the system and changed the flow of transfers and leagues.

Thanks to the "Become Rule", stars representing the soccer world can easily choose to go to MLS with huge salaries. Son Heung-min, Messi, and before that, there was Beckham, the soccer star who shook MLS.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.