Son Heung-min receives warm welcome in Los Angeles ahead of reported LAFC signing

PATRICK T. FALLON via Getty Images

Son Heung-min entered Los Angeles on Tuesday, and he reportedly plans to stay there for quite some time.

The former Tottenham Hotspur captain received a warm welcome at both Los Angeles International Airport and at Tuesday's LAFC game, following reports that he intends to join MLS club on a league-record $26.5 million transfer fee. The crowd at BMO Stadium got rather loud when he was shown on the big screen.

Per AFP, roughly 40 fans showed up at LAX hoping to see Son, who spent 10 years at Tottenham and is viewed by many as the greatest Asian soccer player ever. His status as a national hero in South Korea makes him a strong fit for a team in Los Angeles, which contains the largest Korean population of the world outside of the Korean peninsula. 

The city's large Koreatown neighborhood is only a couple miles from BMO Stadium.

Son gives the LAFC the biggest splash signing since Inter Miami landed Lionel Messi two years ago, though the Vancouver Whitecaps landed a similar coup last week with the signing of Bayern Munich legend Thomas Muller. 

Son figures to bring a new wave of attention to his club, as well as a dynamic scoring threat for a side that ranks sixth in the MLS Western Conference with a 10-6-6 record. LAFC attempted this dance one year earlier with the Olivier Giroud, which wound up being a significant disappointment. Son projects as a better fit for LAFC's style, though that could change due to the looming exit of head coach Steve Cherundolo.