- Son Heung-min helped Tottenham win its first trophy in 17 years in the 2025 Europa League final.
- Son Heung-min isn’t the only big name from a European league to join an MLS team this summer.
LOS ANGELES — One of the Premier League’s biggest stars is coming to Major League Soccer, as Los Angeles FC has acquired Tottenham icon Son Heung-min in a transfer deal that might set an MLS record.
On Tuesday, Aug. 5, Son, 33, attended LAFC’s Leagues Cup game against Tigres, where fans cheered as he was shown on the stadium video board.
He is considered to be arguably the greatest Asian soccer player ever, having appeared for South Korea 134 times (scoring 51 goals). In a decade with Tottenham, Son scored 173 goals and added 101 assists, captaining the London-based club to its first trophy in 17 years as Spurs won the 2024-25 Europa League final in May.
The fee LAFC shelled out to seal his move to MLS is believed to be the largest in league history. While MLS clubs have rarely been willing to share exact transfer fees, GiveMeSport reported Tuesday that the transfer will surpass Emmanuel Latte Lath’s move to Atlanta United this past winter for $22 million, according to ESPN and The Athletic, which would make the move a new MLS record for a player joining the league.
‘He’s a star in the Premier League and he will be a star in the MLS and that will be what will make things easy to play with him,’ LAFC forward Denis Bouanga said following the Black and Gold’s shootout win over Pachuca in Leagues Cup on Friday, Aug. 1.
Son is far from the only big name from a European league to join an MLS team this summer. Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul joined Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in a convoluted loan deal structured to keep the Herons salary cap-compliant, while U.S. men’s national team goalkeeper Matt Turner has made an important move for his career, signing with the New England Revolution on loan shortly after French side Olympique Lyon had signed him from Nottingham Forest in a $9.2 million transfer.
Son is not likely to end that trend, either. Bayern Munich legend Thomas Müller, having confirmed his departure from Germany’s top side some time ago, is joining the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Here’s what to know about South Korea forward Son Heung-min’s move to LAFC:
Son Heung-min: Who is new LAFC signing?
Son Heung-min spent the last decade at the pinnacle of global soccer, starring as a high-scoring, versatile attacking player for Tottenham in the English Premier League. After joining the club in 2015 following a successful spell at Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, he quickly emerged as one of the top players in the English top flight.
Son was prolific as a scorer and creator throughout his 10-year run at Spurs, pairing with striker Harry Kane to form one of European soccer’s best attacking duos over that time. With those two leading the way, Tottenham – long regarded as a club that tended to trip over themselves on the brink of success – enjoyed the best run in their modern history.
Tottenham clinched a spot in the top four in four consecutive seasons, gaining access to the UEFA Champions League (widely considered the toughest competition in the sport). Before Son’s arrival, Spurs had only qualified for that tournament once in their history, after a fourth-place finish in the 2009-10 season. Son’s final act in serious competition at the club was to captain Tottenham to victory in this past season’s Europa League final, its first trophy in 17 years.
Beyond his success on the field, Son is a behemoth in the advertising world, particularly in his native South Korea. Adidas, Burberry, Calvin Klein, and Tumi have all named Son a brand ambassador and launched major ad campaigns around him, while he is one of just five soccer players to have a custom character ‘skin’ in one of the most popular video games in the world, Fortnite.
How to watch Son Heung-min, LAFC in MLS
Son Heung-min and LAFC have 12 more MLS regular-season games to play, as well as the ongoing Leagues Cup and potentially MLS Cup playoff matches later this fall.
Whether it’s Leagues Cup, MLS regular season, or playoff action, the only place to catch Son and LAFC is Apple TV.
Watch Son Heung-min and LAFC on Apple TV
