Son Heung-min left Tottenham Hotspur and moved to Los Angeles FC this summer, which has become one of the most successful signings in Major League Soccer. LAFC's chief commercial officer Stacey Johns talked about the impact of this transfer in an exclusive interview with GIVEMESPORT.

"Son Heung-min is very special to us. This signing was carefully planned. He meets all our recruitment requirements. We need a player like him. Coupled with his style, temperament and the market response he can trigger, this is a choice we do not need to think too much about."

"What touches us most is Son Heung-min's love for football and his charisma. Our sports department not only pays attention to the players' skills, but also attaches great importance to their character. It must be said that we have heard a lot of good things about Son Heung-min before, but when he appears in front of you, you will He turned out to be even more incredible than he was rumored to be."

"However, to some extent, signing Son Heung-min was a big gamble for us. We paid the highest transfer fee in MLS history, but our football operations and business model told us that he was worth the money from a business perspective. , Son Heung-min is almost a sure-fire business, and his performance on and off the field has exceeded our expectations.”

According to reports, Son Heung-min’s debut ceremony attracted nearly 250,000 views on YouTube, and Los Angeles FC’s views on social media also exceeded 34 billion times. In addition, the addition of Son Heung-min also increased away attendance by 16%. In September, Los Angeles FC's 4-2 away game against the San Jose Earthquakes attracted a record-breaking 50,978 spectators. Within 72 hours after Son Heung-min joined Los Angeles FC, his jersey sales ranked first among all sports on the Fanatics platform and now ranks second in the MLS merchandise sales rankings, second only to Messi.

Stacey Johns said: "I think Americans just like to see sports stars. Just look at Son Heung-min, Bella, Messi or Beckham. It can be said that Los Angeles has high expectations for stars in all sports, and LeBron James is also a good one." "

"Messi's arrival has greatly improved the level of the entire league. He is indeed a unicorn in this regard, but we will not sign a player just for the star effect. Son Xingmin not only has this quality, but also perfectly fits our football style. We quickly realized that this was a special signing. I think Sun Xingmin is our "unicorn", a player who can not only help us win games but also create commercial value."

"Our strategy is not simply to gather stars, we hope to bring football to the world. In Los Angeles, invest and develop young talent, give back to the community, and of course think about winning. In a city that prides itself on winning, it's hard to succeed if you don't practice that."

"When Carlos Vela joined us, we were a team. A new club. Although we were only established in 2014, we did not start playing in the MLS until 2018. At that time, we showed Bella only a plan on paper, but he still chose us and he was able to perform well here because he believed in it from the bottom of his heart. Our project and the city of Los Angeles, we think the same is true for Son Heung-min."

"We have ambitions and hope to sign exciting players. Our strategy is not to pile up money and stars. What drives all this is our solid foundation and true football vision. , I hope this can become a sustainable club that attracts players and fans at the same time."

Stacey Johns also talked about the experience of participating in the Club World Cup in the interview: "It is definitely an extraordinary experience to play against teams like Chelsea, Tunisia Hope and Flamengo. It’s a great experience, and these games will only help us expand the club’s brand influence.”

According to Forbes, Los Angeles FC’s current valuation reaches US$1.25 billion, ranking first in North American football clubs and 15th in the world, surpassing Inter Miami’s US$1.2 billion. But Stacey Johns said that the valuations of clubs in Europe and the United States are incomparable: "The club's brand protection is very important. According to Forbes, we are currently worth more than $1 billion. Now that we have Son Heung-min, we think our value will be even higher. We believe that with him, the club can develop faster than planned."