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| 사진=LA FC SNS 캡처 |
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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Along with the praise for Son Heung-min, the ripple effect is continuing.
The Major League Soccer (MLS) secretariat released an interview with Dave Young-Kim, who painted Son Heung-min's mural on its official website on the 2nd (Korea time).
Recently, a mural featuring Son Heung-min was unveiled, drawing great attention. In the mural, Son Heung-min touched the collar in his LAFC home uniform. The main character of the painting was Dave Young Kim. Dave said he didn't know much about Son Heung-min's status, but he felt Son Heung-min's status firsthand in the process of painting the mural.
Dave said "Those around him are literally raising the family's reputation by doing this."It was to show how important he was to them, and that we were part of it."
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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Son Heung-min ended his 10-year career in the English Premier League (EPL) and Tottenham last summer and left for the U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS). Saudi Arabia tried to recruit Son Heung-min through an annual salary of 200 billion won, but Son's choice was the United States. He may have come down in his prime, but fans were also surprised when he headed to the United States, still one of the leading strikers on the EPL stage. Son Heung-min left the European stage for the country of 'SOCCER' after persistent courtship by LA FC.
The recruitment of Son Heung-min shook the U.S. from the beginning. Los Angeles FC President John Thorrington said `Son Heung-min's uniform is the best-selling sports uniform in the world.' Son Heung-min's marketing is also a box office hit. The performance also surprised everyone. Immediately after joining LA FC, he became an ace, forming a 'Heungbu Duo' with Dennis Buanga and playing as the best striker on the U.S. stage. Son Heung-min, who scored nine goals in 10 games, immediately entered the MLS Cup playoffs and is aiming for the top of the U.S. stage in his first season.
His value has already been proven by his salary. Global sports media The Athletic reported on player salary data released through the MLS Players Association, which reported that Son is earning the second highest salary among MLS players. At around 11.15 million dollars (about 16 billion won), this is almost unrivaled annual salary except for Lionel Messi. It seems that it was a recruitment that guaranteed the highest transfer fee and the highest annual salary in MLS history.
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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The LAFC leadership also officially recognized it. LA FC chief executive Stacey Jones said, `The recruitment was planned very carefully, and Son met all the conditions. We needed a player for Son Heung-min's position. Considering Son's style, attitude, the market he belongs to, and the market he can relate to, Son Heung-min's recruitment was a natural choice for us" he said.
"In some ways, recruiting Son Heung-min was a huge risk to us. Paid the highest transfer fee in MLS history, but based on our football and commercial model analysis, Son decided it was worth it. Son Heung-min is almost a success in commercial terms. He had far greater success than we expected in the first few months on and off the field", he explained.
Thanks to Son Heung-min's hot popularity, the impact of one of his murals is also drawing great attention. One Son Heung-min is shaking the U.S.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
