Son Heung Min to LAFC: Our Thoughts

The infamous Fabrizio Romano “Here We Go” post has surfaced. Outside of us seeing SHM holding up his new jersey, this is the most official sign we’ve gotten yet that he’ll follow in Hong Myung Bo and Kim Moon Hwan’s footsteps into Los Angeles:

And if journalist Han Jun is to be believed (he is usually trustworthy):

There has been some rumors flying around that there were other more competitive teams who wanted to sign Son. Bayer Leverkusen and Napoli were the latest to be mentioned, and Barcelona and Atletico also have been floating around in the mix as well. Perhaps even more speculatively, a reunion with Harry Kane at Bayern was also thrown around by fans, likely with 0 grounding in reality outside of Bayern needing a left winger and how cool it would be to see Kane-Son reunited.

With the 2026 World Cup up ahead the fans have been asking: is retirement league the right move at this point? Should he have chosen to stay in Europe for the sake of the NT?

Leaving Tottenham at this time makes a lot of sense. Thomas Frank implied that Son wouldn’t be captain next year. His form was declining and fans were starting to really hate on him (until the Europa League win). His place in the starting XI was uncertain. The timing therefore feels right.

From a KNT fan’s perspective I can’t help feel slightly disappointed that he turned down legitimate European teams to come to LA. Even if he manages a full good season in the MLS, he will most likely be a super sub at best in 2026. You never know with Hong Myung Bo, but the correct decision is to start Bae Jun Ho on the left wing barring an in form Hwang Hee Chan or by some miracle, a breakout debut season from Park Seung Soo or Yang Min Hyeok. If SHM could eke out one good in-form season in the Bundesliga for example he would probably be first choice on the left wing or perhaps even up front in 2026.

That being said, the reality is that the man’s aging and he knows his body best. He probably didn’t have it in him to play at the top level anymore, both physically and mentally. If Thomas Frank told him he’s no longer a started and that he’s no longer captain, he wouldn’t be happy at Spurs, and if that’s the reality of things would he even be a regular starter in Germany or Turkey or some other European league? Man needs to play and perhaps where his body is at now, MLS is the right choice after all. In the end, what matters is that our man is happy. LA has all the Korean food he could dream of and he’ll be playing in a huge market with a huge Korean community, a year before the World Cup in North America. The timing isn’t ideal, but it’s what it is. We’ve been through this with Park Ji Sung and Ki Sung Yong, both of whom stepped down from the top level even earlier than Son.

I’m seeing a lot of hate from Korean fans who feel disappointed that he chose MLS over a good European team. Like it’s to the point where some of us don’t even want to support SHM anymore. And to me that just feels wrong. Trust that the man himself knows best, guys.

There are rumors going around on Naver that he chose LAFC cuz of the 2026 WC being held in North America. To me this is doesn’t make any sense. You don’t crack the KNT starting XI and prepare yourself for the WC by playing in the MLS. SHM is irreplaceable, but his club performances never translated to the national team (not his fault of course; it’s coaching) and if all the friendlies we played in 2025 are any indication, Bae Jun Ho is more than ready to take Son’s place; Hwang Hee Chan if he’s on form for once can too. And given how climate-diverse the US is, having your home base in LA doesn’t really mean much. What if the KNT ends up being based in the humid South, or the colder regions of Canada?

On a personal note it would be a lot of fun to see Son Heung Min play every week (I live in LA). Fat chance in this enormous city but perhaps I’ll even see him around. I don’t have the time to watch him every week, hence why I’m on the fence about buying a season ticket, but maybe some of our readers will?

The following clip was played at the stadium during SHM’s farewell match against Newcastle. Brought a tear to my eye…