Son Heung Min (a Korean football player) has been at his peak of popularity, making his debut at the age of 16 in 2010! We take the reasons why he's been able to be at the top of endorsements, fame, and fortune for such a long time!
So coming from the UK, I grew up watching football, and during my teenage years "David Beckham" was a household name. Son Heung Min is known as “Korea’s David Beckham."
Signing with Tottenham Hotspurs Son Heung Min became the first Asian footballer ever to win the Premier League's Golden Boot and the second to receive the Puskas Award in 2020. Most recently, he became the only Asian to be nominated for the 2022 Ballon d’Or, the highest honor in football. This has of course led to his fame and popularity in Korea. When ever I meet a Korean 9 times of out of 10 they will either mention Son Heung Min or Tottenham when I tell them that I am from England.
Let's take a look at some of his success!
Originally from Chuncheon, northeast of the capital Seoul, Son made his name first in Germany after moving to Europe as a teenager with Hamburg. His success earned him a move to Bayer Leverkusen in 2013 where he caught the eye, persuading Tottenham to pay a reported $28 million for the forward. Imagine earning that much money at such a young age. That fee has been more than repaid since, with Son scoring 18 goals in 53 appearances last season alone. His performance and achievements have established Son as one of the most exciting players in the Premier League, while earning him huge popularity both in Korea and much nearer his new home, which is why his legacy and of course helping to bring K-culture and Korea in general on the world map has led to his success both home and away.
With success comes money right? When I heard that the value of the Son economy — that is the value of sales of Son-related products — was estimated at around 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion) in 2020, according to a study by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Son’s net worth is reported to be around $31.6 million, including his roughly $9 million salary from Spurs, not only this but he was ranked at No. 3 on Forbes Korea’s 2022 Power Celebrity Index, after BTS and Blackpink. Basically, anything with Son’s face on it sells like hotcakes.
Let's take a look at Son's most recent commercial with luggage giant TUMI!
Son's popularity of course extends well beyond football, that doesn't mean there are plenty of fans still interested in watching him play. Despite the majority of Tottenham games taking place in the middle of the night in Korea, every single fixture still gets a big audience of supporters staying up to watch.
Let us know in the comments your thoughts on Son's success.
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