Son Heung-min goes away from the United States. Who is the next "Asian King" in the top five leagues?

On August 6, according to multiple media reports, Los Angeles FC has completed the transfer of South Korean star Son Heung-min, with a cost of up to US$26.5 million, setting a new record for the MAF.

Los Angeles FC's careful layout is the key to its success in attracting Son Heung-min. Los Angeles has the largest Korean community in the United States, and 320,000 Korean immigrants provide a natural soil for cultural integration. In addition, in order to ensure that Son Heung-min quickly adapts to the local environment, Los Angeles FC has also formed a professional team to provide him with full service.

"I need a new environment to motivate myself. 10 years has been a long time. When I first came to North London, I was still a child, 23 years old, very young. Now when I left this club, I am a mature man and a very proud man." Son Heung-min said about his choice.

Son Heung-min went to the United States not to retire. Compared with the Saudi League with higher bids, the intensity of the US professional league is lower than that of the Premier League, which will help him stay in shape and strive for the 2026 World Cup - by then he will be 34 years old. In addition, feeling the football environment in the United States in advance is also conducive to performance in the World Cup.

Son Heung-min started with the youth training camp of FC Football Club in Seoul. In 2008, Son Heung-min joined the youth training system of Hamburg Football Club in Germany for football training. In July 2010, Son Heung-min signed a professional contract with the German Hamburg Football Club, officially joined the first team, started his career, and thus began his journey to conquer European football. In June 2013, Son Heung-min joined Leverkusen Football Club with a transfer price of 10 million euros that set a club transfer record. Two years later, Son Heung-min transferred to the Premier League Tottenham Hotspur for 30 million euros, which also set a record for transfer fees for Asian players set by Hideho Nakata when joining Parma. In July 2021, Tottenham announced that it would renew its contract with Son Heung-min until 2025. In August 2023, Son Heung-min became the captain of Tottenham Hotspur. In May 2025, Son Heung-min won the Europa League championship with Tottenham and won the club championship for the first time in his career.

has 619 appearances, 223 goals and 115 assists. All three data set record highs for Asian players in the five major leagues. In Tottenham's history, Son Heung-min won the best player in the team three times, tied with Robbie Keane and Harry Kane, with the seventh appearance in the team history, the fifth goal, and the second goal in the European game. In terms of commercial value, by the end of 2020, Son Heung-min's net worth reached an astonishing 90 million euros, 1.5 times that of Kim Min-jae and Kubo Jianying, who are tied for second place in Asia. His social media influence is also amazing: INS fans are 14.48 million, only 3 million less than Tottenham's official account; the total number of fans on the four major platforms exceeds 20.7 million. 70% of Tottenham's commercial value in Asian market comes from the existence of this Asian football king. The business benefits the club gained during his trip to Asia are closely related to his choice to officially announce his decision to leave the team after the team arrived in South Korea.

As Son Heung-min goes to North America, Asian players in the five major leagues face a "football vacuum". Currently, the main Asian players who can gain a foothold in the giants include: Bayern's Kim Min-jae and Ito Yoke, Brighton's Sanzasas, Manchester City's Husanov, Paris Saint-Grand's Li Gang-in.

Kim Min-jae has won Serie A and Bundesliga titles, but the age of 28 and the position of defenders limit his ceiling. According to German media reports, the 28-year-old South Korean defender has attracted interest from the Premier League and Saudi teams, but a potential suitable offer has not yet appeared. For Bayern, if a suitable offer is delivered, they do not rule out the possibility of selling the defender. Bayern is ready to enter the new season with Kim Min-jae, and the team's defense signing situation ultimately depends on the defender's future choice.

28-year-old Japanese winger Misato has exceeded his peak value and has missed the best opportunity to join the giants. Sansatsu made 41 appearances for Brighton last season, contributing 11 goals and 4 assists. The current German turnover price of the player is 40 million euros. The Japanese international has shown his determination to stay in the team to the Seagulls. In the transfer window in January this year, he rejected Saudi team Riyadh's high-paid offer.

24-year-old Li Gangren achieved a four-time champion with Paris Saint-Germain last season, but has now become a substitute. Next season, Li Gangren hopes to seek more important roles and does not rule out leaving Paris to seek more playing time among European football's strong teams. But Li Gangren has won Enrique's respect, and the latter doesn't want to let him go. It is reported that Li Gangren hopes to study the options presented to him in the market, which are designed to seek more appearances in the starting lineup and important games.

Kubo Jianying, who is the same age, once soared to 60 million euros, surpassing Son Heung-min to become the most valuable player in Asia, but he still needs to continue to grow without the attention of European giants. This summer, Kubo Kai-young changed his agent to a German company, and since then rumors of his transfer have continued to appear. But in an interview, he emphasized that no offer from other clubs has been heard. "I'm here right now. I do see rumors (transfer-related) but I haven't heard anything now. I should have said it before. When changing clubs, you have to leave from the main door with dignity," he said.

The title of "Asian King of Football" has never been "passed from generation to generation". As the first top star in Asia in the 21st century, Nakada Hideho was selected as the "Top 100 Stars" for the 100th anniversary of FIFA in 2004. It took 20 years later that a world-class superstar like Son Heung-min was born in Asian football. During this period, Cha Bang Gen won the League Cup twice, and Park Ji-sung won the Premier League trophy with Manchester United, but their achievements and influence were obviously difficult to match such a title.

Son Heung-min's identity as captain and team history are all heights that Asian players have never reached in European giants.. It is worth noting that Asian players face far more tests than European players if they want to succeed in the top five leagues.

When excellent goalkeepers are scarce, the core of a team often comes from important roles in the offensive end or defense line, but these positions are precisely the areas where global football elites compete most fiercely. Whether it is Lee Gangren, Misato Kaoru, or Kubo Kenyo, the current roles they play in the team are more of the offensive breakthrough players, but in the team's entire offensive system, they are still unable to play the role of absolute core. The reason why Son Heung-min was able to get such a high position in Tottenham is on the one hand because of its super high offensive efficiency, and on the other hand, it is directly related to the changes in the team's overall thinking after Kane left. If the younger generations want to reach the level of Son Heung-min, the first condition is to obtain stable and long-term playing time in a giant team, and have excellent performances to continuously improve their comprehensive value in business and off-stadiums.

In Los Angeles FC, Son Heung-min will face former Barcelona superstar Messi head-on. The MAF signed the Asian Football King after Messi and Busquets, further strengthening the label of "superstar nursing home". But for Los Angeles FC, the number of Korean fans brought by signing Son Heung-min soared by 300%, and its commercial value far exceeds that of competitive significance.

The No. 7 jersey in Tottenham locker room has been cleared. Over the past decade, the owner of this jersey has pushed the ceiling of Asian players to a height of 90 million euros from the Premier League Golden Boot to the Europa League championship.

The 320,000 Korean-American community far away in Los Angeles is ready to welcome their heroes, and in the stands of the five major leagues, Asian fans are still looking for the next place to stay.