Son Heung-min completes move to Los Angeles from Tottenham in MLS record deal
After an agreement between Tottenham and LAFC was struck for a deal in excess of £20million, the 33-year-old arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday and a day later he has finalised his transfer, which is the highest fee paid by an MLS club for a player.
In a post to Spurs fans on Instagram, Son, who has signed an initial two-year deal with LAFC with options for a further two, wrote: 'How to find the right words for this? I don't know. I have been thinking for days. It's impossible. But here I go.
'It's time for me to say goodbye to Tottenham Hotspur. My home for the past decade. When I arrived in 2015, I didn't speak English, I didn't know London, but you welcomed me with open arms, believed in me, and stood by me through every high and low.
'I was just a boy from Korea with big dreams who was supposed to have no chance. And now, 10 years later, North London is in my heart forever.
Dear Spurs fans…
Sonny's letter to you 🤍 pic.twitter.com/AeghRPexgz
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 6, 2025
'I've made friends for life here, had the honour of becoming a godfather here, and had the privilege of captaining our special club here. I've poured my heart and soul into this club, which makes this the hardest decision ever.
'I thought if I was ever going to leave, it would have to be on my terms, on the best terms, when our mission had been accomplished together. With pride and honour.'
Son joined Spurs in 2015 from Bayer Leverkusen. After a tough debut campaign the South Korea captain went on to become one of the club's best ever players and made himself a Premier League great in the process.
A post shared by Son HeungMin(손흥민)🇰🇷 (@hm_son7)
Alongside old partner in crime Harry Kane, Son holds the record for the most goal involvements by a duo in the Premier League, with the pair assisting each other on a record 47 occasions in the competition.
The Chuncheon-born attacker also won the league's Golden Boot award in the 2021-22 season after scoring 23 times and he sits 17th in the list of all-time scorers in the division with 127 goals.
Under former boss Mauricio Pochettino, Son's consistent displays helped turn Tottenham into genuine title contenders but silverware continued to allude them after a second-placed finish in 2017 was followed by a Champions League runner-up spot two years later.
Whilst various members of Pochettino's team left not long after the Argentinian's winter departure in 2019, Son stayed to work under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte before he was tasked with leading a new era by Ange Postecoglou.
Postecoglou named Son as his captain in the wake of Kane's high-profile switch to Bayern Munich and Hugo Lloris' departure from the first team and after a roller coaster two seasons under the Australian, they achieved the holy grail together on May 21.
Son was consigned to a place on the bench in Bilbao for the Europa League final against Manchester United following an injury-affected campaign, but was introduced to make his final competitive appearance for Spurs to help them win 1-0 and end a 17-year wait for silverware.
It etched Son's name into the history books as he became only the fourth captain in Spurs' history to lift a European trophy after Danny Blanchflower, Alan Mullery and Steve Perryman.
The popular South Korean will renew acquaintances with Lloris and move to Los Angeles, which boasts one of the largest Korean populations in the world, ahead of next summer's World Cup in the United States.
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Reuters
14 minutes ago
- Reuters
'Sonny in LA' - Son joins LAFC in MLS record deal
LOS ANGELES, Aug 6 (Reuters) - South Korean forward Son Heung-min said he is "here to win" after he joined Los Angeles FC for a record Major League Soccer transfer fee, ending a decade-long stint at Tottenham Hotspur. Son was introduced at LAFC's BMO Stadium on Wednesday, where he was greeted by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and city officials amid chants and drumming from supporters' group 3252. "What can I say, dream come true. LA, what a city," Son told reporters at his unveiling. Financial details of the transfer were not disclosed by either club but the Athletic reported LAFC paid a fee in the region of $26.5 million for the 33-year-old. Son revealed LAFC was not his initial preference, but credited the club's co-president and general manager John Thorrington with persuading him to make the switch. "He just changed my mind, heart, he changed my brain. He showed me the destination where I should be and right now I'm here and I'm so, so excited," said Son, who attended LAFC's 2-1 win over Tigres UANL on Tuesday night. "I'm here to win, I will perform and I will definitely show you some exciting football, and we will definitely have success," he said. The move is expected to resonate with Los Angeles' sizeable Korean community, with LAFC's stadium located just south of Koreatown. Son follows in the footsteps of other international stars who have joined LAFC, including Carlos Vela, Giorgio Chiellini, Olivier Giroud, and former Tottenham teammates Gareth Bale and Hugo Lloris. Son, who joined Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, led the north London club to their first trophy in 17 years with a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Europa League final in May. The former Spurs captain made 454 appearances for the team and scored 173 goals, winning the Premier League Golden Boot in the 2021-22 season. Reflecting on his departure from Tottenham, Son described the move as 'very emotional.' "I felt like I needed a new chapter, I needed a new challenge and I chose LAFC," he said. "I think you could say I'm old but I still have good physicality, good legs, and still have a good quality. "Obviously I'm here to perform but I also want to give some advice to some young players for improvement. "I can't wait... Let's do it together and win the trophy." It was not immediately clear when Son will make his debut for the Black and Gold, who are currently sixth in the Western Conference and travel to face Chicago Fire on Saturday. LAFC's Thorrington called signing Son an "historic" day for the club. "Sonny is a world class talent, a global icon of football and we're thrilled that he has chosen to write the next chapter of his remarkable career with us here at LAFC," he said. Son, capped 134 times by South Korea, joins LAFC after an emotional farewell to Spurs during a friendly against Newcastle United at Seoul World Cup Stadium. "Sonny has given so much to this club, both on and off the pitch, and for that we are forever grateful," Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said in a club statement. "We wish him all the best for the future, and he will always be welcome back as a beloved and cherished member of our Spurs family."
Daily Mail
41 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Democratic Los Angeles city councilwoman asks jaw-dropping question to LAFC's new star Son Heung-min
Democratic Los Angeles city councilwoman Heather Hutt hilariously asked LAFC's newest A-list signing, Son Heung-min, if he will help the United States win next summer's World Cup. Son is South Korean. His responsibilities with the American club not doubling into national-team duty for the Stars and Stripes. The World Cup will be hosted primarily in the United States next summer, with SoFi Stadium in nearby Inglewood being the stage for two of the three group-stage games for the American squad against yet-to-be-determined opponents. Son will likely play at the tournament, as South Korea have qualified for the event, which expands to 48 teams in 2026. Hutt came off as excited for her hometown to garner a player of Son's quality but did not appear to understand how the World Cup works. 'How smart is LAFC? Let's give it up, because this is the right time to bring the right person. And no pressure, but when a World Cup comes, we're expecting a win here in Los Angeles for the USA, aren't we? And so we are here to support you to get that done,' Hutt said, staring at Son. Son was introduced by LAFC on Wednesday, with Hutt's comments coming as part of the event to welcome him after he exited Tottenham after 10 years. 'I want to welcome you to our city,' Hutt added. 'This is the way you do it, right? It is Los Angeles. It is a beautiful city. It's somewhere that we call the tapestry, and we love it here, and we're so glad to have you. Your bringing your smile and your talent, your culture, to LAFC.' Daily Mail has reached out to Hutt for clarification on her comments with no response. Hutt gave a little background as the councilwoman representing Los Angeles' 10th District, the home of Koreatown. Hutt stated that Los Angeles' Koreatown has more Koreans than any other city in the United States and has 'the best food' in the country. This is not the first time a world-renowned foreign soccer player has been asked about winning a World Cup upon their arrival on US soil. German sensation Bastian Schweinsteiger, fresh off helping Germany win the 2014 World Cup, was bizarrely asked if he would do the same with the Chicago Fire in 2017.
The Guardian
44 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Premier League 2025-26 preview No 7: Chelsea
Guardian writers' predicted position: 4th (NB: this is not necessarily Michael Butler's prediction but the average of our writers' tips) Last season's position: 4th Securing Champions League qualification on the last day of the Premier League season and an unlikely Club World Cup triumph have transformed the club, their finances and ambitions for 2025-26. Chelsea stayed relatively under the radar for much of the Club World Cup – in part because of their relatively kind route to the later stages – but their commanding 3-0 victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the final means they are again regarded as a potentially dominant European force and perhaps even as contenders for the Premier League title. That is if Chelsea are ready – mentally, physically and tactically – for the new season. By the time Chelsea played the Club World Cup final on 13 July, nearly every other Premier League side had started their pre-season. 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Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Estêvão was courted by PSG, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich and is widely regarded as the biggest talent to come out of Brazil since Vinícius Júnior. The 18-year-old's performances at the Club World Cup – including a brilliant strike for Palmeiras against Chelsea in the quarter-final – suggests that the summer arrival is already world class. Players swooned over the teenager at the final whistle in Philadelphia – 'I told Estêvão: 'We are excited for you to join' but he didn't understand a single word I said,' Palmer said after swapping shirts with the £52m signing. Capable off both wings or as a No 10, the slender Estêvão will want to impress the former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti, now of Brazil, before the World Cup next summer. 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