According to BBC, Son Heung-min = Messi! SON's trip to LA FC is a perfect transfer, and his influence is highly praised by Messi

Oct 09, 2025

According to BBC, Son Heung-min Messi! SON's trip to LA FC is a perfect transfer, and his influence is highly praised by Messi



According to BBC, Son Heung-min Messi! SON's trip to LA FC is a perfect transfer, and his influence is highly praised by Messi
'If there is a perfect transfer in football, Son Heung-min's transfer to LA FC deserves to be considered one of them.'

It was highly praised by the BBC, a British public broadcaster. On the 7th (Korea time), the BBC published an article titled 'Perfect transfer, Son Heung-min showing Messi-like impact in LA.' Son Heung-min, who played for Tottenham for 10 years, took on a new challenge after winning the Europa League. Son Heung-min, Tottenham's living legend and the top English Premier League striker, chose to transfer to LA FC in the U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS).

On August 7, LA FC will register Son as a 'Designated Player' until 2027, with an option to extend it to 2028. It also includes options up to June 2029' The club did not disclose Son's transfer fee and annual salary. However, in foreign media such as the BBC, the transfer fee is reported to be 20 million pounds (about 36.8 billion won), the highest in MLS history, and the annual salary is more than 10 million dollars, the third highest in MLS.




Son Heung-min has received a lot of attention since joining the team. Son Heung-min's joining ceremony included local politicians such as LA Mayor Karen Bath, LA Representative Dave Min, LA City Councilman Heather Hurt, and Korean Consul General Kim Young-hwan, as well as club officials such as LA FC co-chairman and general manager John Torrington and senior owner Bennett Rosenthal. In the United States, where soccer is not very popular, it was unusual for a big-time politician to be present at a player's joining ceremony.

According to BBC, Son Heung-min Messi! SON's trip to LA FC is a perfect transfer, and his influence is highly praised by Messi
Son Heung-min said, `I felt empty deep in my heart because I gave everything to Tottenham, who played for 10 years. I wanted a new challenge to fill it. I'm older than before, but I'm still in good shape. They also have the ability to help the team. You can give advice to young players that will help them grow"I can't guarantee that it's going to be good here because I've played well in Europe. It starts again from zero. I want to finish with a legend as much as I start from zero. Everyone tried and worked hard to get me, so I want to give back what (I) got. That's the way I've lived. I hope you call it a `legend' when you break up since it starts at zero."

Son Heung-min immediately left a strong impact. Son Heung-min, who was substituted in the second half of the away game of the Chicago Piers three days after his joining ceremony, won a penalty kick that equalized with explosive speed. In the subsequent New England Revolution, he started for the first time and played his best performance, not only helping the winning goal but also helping the wedge goal. He also scored his debut goal in a match against FC Dallas on the 24th. In the 6th minute of the first half, he performed his signature 'Click Ceremony' in the United States with a fantastic free kick. Son Heung-min has recorded eight goals and three assists in nine games since joining the team. Son Heung-min was selected as the MLS weekly best four times.




The Son Heung-min effect did not stop there. Dennis Buanga, a new partner, met Son Heung-min and became a completely different player. It has established itself as the best scorer in MLS. Buanga, who scored 13 goals in 21 matches, scored 10 goals in eight matches he played after Son's transfer. Buanga ranked second in MLS scoring with 23 goals. With Buanga's performance, LA FC emerged as the strongest candidate to win the MLS Cup.

According to BBC, Son Heung-min Messi! SON's trip to LA FC is a perfect transfer, and his influence is highly praised by Messi
On the 1st, the MLS Secretariat released the 36th to 37th rounds of power ranking on its official website, and LA FC ranked second, up four places from last week. It is the highest ranking among MLS Western Conference teams. 'GOAT' was higher than Inter Miami (4th place) where Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez played. No. 1 in the MLS power rankings was the Philadelphia Union, the top team in the Eastern Conference.

The MLS secretariat said, `Son Heung-min and Buanga scored 17 goals in a row. In the last game, Buanga scored one goal and Son Heung-min scored multiple goals. With this victory, LA FC effectively secured a home playoff spot. Now it's within reach of third-place Minnesota. He said, 'We can even aim for the second place' and added, 'Wherever LA FC is located, will there be a team that can stop Buanga and Son Heung-min in the playoffs?'




The Athletic said, `Son Heung-min is not just adding to his outstanding skills, but also maximizing the potential of Buanga' Son Heung-min and Buanga are players who can change the game without constantly getting involved in ball possession. LAFC, which gained momentum through Buanga's speed, straightforward play and Son Heung-min's genius movements, enters the postseason with tremendous form, he said.

The same is true outside the stadium. On August 26, LA FC published an article titled 「Son Heung-min effect」, saying that the effect after Son joined was unprecedented. According to LA FC, Son Heung-min's recruitment effect is more than five times that of Gareth Bale in 2022. The figures are even more surprising, and after Son Heung-min joined, the number of club-related content views increased by 594% to 33.98 billion. Media coverage of the club also increased by 289%. Son Heung-min's uniform sold more than 1.5 million, three times more than when Messi moved to Inter Miami. During that period, Son Heung-min's uniforms were reportedly the most sold in all sports around the world.

According to BBC, Son Heung-min Messi! SON's trip to LA FC is a perfect transfer, and his influence is highly praised by Messi
AFP Yonhap News
Every stadium Son Heung-min goes to is full of spectators. The first LA FC home game on the 1st of last month was like Son Heung-min's concert, and other teams even changed their home stadiums to attract more spectators.

The BBC said the first two months of Son's MLS were a rare case of players and clubs making the most ideal choice for each other. It was then questioned whether Son Heung-min's performance declined during the last period at Tottenham, but his early performance at LA FC proved that his performance was still at the top. Son Heung-min scored eight goals and three assists in nine games since joining LA FC, making his team a favorite to win the MLS Cup 'Of course, MLS is considered a relatively easier league than Europe, but it is a difficult environment to adapt to. Several European stars have failed to adapt to MLS. Son, however, has shown better-than-expected performance in both his skills and buzz.

LAFC broadcast commentator Dave Denholm said, `When Carlos Vela first came, he was an amazing player. It was perfect both on and off the field. Son Heung-min is the same. To be honest, I didn't think LA FC would be able to bring another player of this level. Perfect recruitment..."

While Bella represented a huge Mexican community in southwestern California, Son Heung-min represents the Korean community in the L.A. area. Los Angeles FC fan site operator Trevor Tracy said, "The Korean community is the second largest in L.A. after Mexican descent. Recruiting Son Heung-min is not just a transfer, but a big meaning for the whole community. "There is already a person who will capture the hearts of local fans in the team."

According to BBC, Son Heung-min Messi! SON's trip to LA FC is a perfect transfer, and his influence is highly praised by Messi
According to BBC, Son Heung-min Messi! SON's trip to LA FC is a perfect transfer, and his influence is highly praised by Messi
MLS commentator Max Bretos admired Son's quick adaptability. He said `Son Heung-min arrived on Tuesday and had a press conference on Wednesday. On Friday, the visa process was completed and he joined the Chicago expedition, making his debut as a substitute. The second game was against New England, an artificial turf field. Most stars rest in these games, but Son Heung-min played full time and even recorded help. There are few cases in MLS history where Son Heung-min is a starter in almost every game so far." If Ronaldo had come to MLS, everything would have revolved around him. However, LS FC still maintains the team's original color, and Son Heung-min naturally permeated it. It's a perfect combination."

Finally, the BBC said, `Son Heung-min's joining in MLS is creating a ripple effect comparable to Messi's joining in and out of the league.' Messi left the biggest impact on MLS since Beckham, but Son Heung-min is also drawing attention at a considerable level. The BBC said 'Of course, the response from the global fan base is great, but the enthusiasm and belonging of local fans in LA are creating a greater value than anything else. In the meantime, there have been numerous stars in MLS, but few players have formed such a strong link with the local community. At least looking at his performance so far, Son Heung-min is clearly on a different path from them.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.