Some decisions in life are harder to make than others. For Son Heung-min, leaving Tottenham Hotspur proved to be “the hardest decision of my career”. But after 10 years playing for the north London club, the 33-year-old striker, who has played 454 games for Spurs, felt it was time to move on.
“I need a new environment to push myself. I need a little bit of change – 10 years is a long time. I came to north London as a kid, 23 years old, such a young age. I leave this club as a grown man, a very proud man,” he explained at a press conference.
And it’s nearly 9,000 km from the English capital, under the Californian sun, that the South Korean will now be able to start writing a new chapter in his illustrious career. A fresh step forward in the colours of Los Angeles FC, with whom Son has signed a contract for two seasons (including an option for an additional two years) in exchange for a cheque worth around $26.5 million. Enough to make the Chuncheon native the most expensive signing in MLS history.
This may come as a surprise, given that recruiting world-class players is not really a new phenomenon for the North American elite. From David Beckham to Lionel Messi, David Villa or Kaka, many have come and gone. But rarely have clubs invested as much money as they have in recent years to achieve this. A look at the ranking of the 10 most expensive transfers in MLS history is enough to confirm that. In fact, six of them took place in the past year, while eight occurred since 2020. Atlanta United, which set four of the previous five records, is logically the club with the highest spending in the first half of the decade.
And while the sums mentioned, when compared to those involved in player transfers in Europe, may still seem trivial, they clearly illustrate the league’s desire to emerge as one of the major forces in global football.
With one year to go until the 2026 World Cup, everyone is well aware of the fundamental changes that could be made to the league in the coming months. Starting with Don Garber, the MLS commissioner, who has already expressed his desire to bring about some changes to the rules that are currently in place. This wish, similar to a vision for the future, has been given the name ‘MLS 3.0’, a clear reference to the symbolic 30th anniversary that the US league is about to celebrate.
