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Global football star son Heung Min has officially signed with LAFC with a record of a $25 million transfer from English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.
His arrival in Los Angeles has created excitement, especially among the city’s Korean-American community. LA is home to the largest Korean population outside the Korean Peninsula, and her son’s decision to join the LAFC is culturally important beyond the pitch.
“For the people here, it’s just that we can see people who look like us. It just means everything,” said Justin Hu, who became a LAFC fan after his son joined. “The fact that LA is part of our identity and he embraces it.
It raises the question whether joining international star Shohei Ohtani in LA, which attracted a wave of Japanese fans with the LA Dodgers, will help his son trigger a similar surge in Korean support at LAFC.
The Tigers Supporter Group will be posing with his son Heung-Min (center) at BMO Stadium. Reuben C Photo courtesy of the photo
Josh Lee, communications director for Tigers Supporters Group, part of the LAFC Supporters Union, which connects Koratown Community fans with the club, said Shohei and Son are similar in ways that transcend and inspire sports beyond their respective games.
“I think I have this transcendent, sort of resonant ability that my son has. It could be similar to shoe hei in many different ways. He’s the guy who creates a culture and at the same time makes it bigger,” Lee said.
The 33-year-old, who captained the South Korean national team and led him to compete in the 2026 World Cup, arrived in Los Angeles after a decade-long career at Tottenham, where he became a club legend.
“This is an exciting day for the city of Los Angeles, and we’ll be here to Los Angeles on behalf of millions of Angeleno and football fans around the world,” Mayor Karen Bass said at a press conference Wednesday.
At LAFC, he reunites with former Tottenham teammate Hugo Lloris, and joins the club as his victory reputation grows. LAFC captured its first MLS Cup in 2022 and won the US Open Cup victory in 2024.
“Hugo (Lilloris) helped and advised how great Los Angeles is and as a Korean, that we know that Koreatown here in Los Angeles has so many Koreans in this country,” his son told a news conference. “I am extremely proud to be part of the club and city here. I am proud of them for my performance and I will do my best to represent the Koreans here in Koreatown, Los Angeles.”
Former Tottenham player Gareth Bale played with his son in the UK, while fellow South Korean international teammate Kim Moon Huang also spent time at LAFC.
His son scored 173 goals in 454 appearances, reaching fifth in Tottenham history and also holds a record of most assists at the club. He also made history and became the first Asian player to win a Premier League golden boot.
He also helped Tottenham lift his first major trophy in over 17 years, capturing the team to the Europa League title earlier this year.
Before his time in England, he played in Germany with Bayer Leberkusen for Hamburger SV.
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