Son Heung-min

Son Heung-min's move to Los Angeles FC in August 2025 closed the Tottenham chapter in the way few departures do: at a fee that set an MLS record for a player arriving from a foreign league. He made his LAFC debut in a 2-2 draw with Chicago Fire.

The Tottenham years were the making of him. He was named the club's Player of the Year in both 2018–19 and 2019–20, and his partnership with Harry Kane became the most prolific strike pairing in Premier League history, the pair combining for 47 goals between them. Son took the Premier League Golden Boot in 2021–22 with 23 goals, sharing it with Mohamed Salah and becoming the first Asian player to win the award. A solo run and finish against Burnley earned him the FIFA Puskás Award in 2020. By 2025 he stood as the all-time top Asian goalscorer in both the Premier League and the Champions League, having become the first Asian player to reach 100 Premier League goals two years earlier. His Tottenham career closed with the club's first major trophy in 17 years, the 2025 Europa League, beaten past Manchester United in the final.

For South Korea, Son has long since become his country's defining modern footballer. He is the most-capped player in the national team's history and shares the record as South Korea's top scorer at the FIFA World Cup. Gold at the 2018 Asian Games sits alongside continental medals from two Asian Cups, and he has been named South Korea's Player of the Year seven times. In 2022, the South Korean government recognised him with the Order of Sport Merit, its highest sporting honour.