Heung-min Son’s LAFC jersey is the highest-selling of any athlete in the world right now, according to the club’s Co-President and General Manager – John Thorrington.
Last week, the South Korean superstar left Tottenham to join the MLS outfit in a deal worth £19.5million – a league record.
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Despite it being just days since his transatlantic switch, Son is already rivalling MLS’s poster boy – Lionel Messi.
“This is now the second week where we’re not just talking about the highest-selling football jersey in the MLS,” Thorrington told talkSPORT.
“It is the highest-selling jersey of any sport in the world right now.”
Hosting the show, Andy Goldstein asked: “Sorry, can you just reiterate what you’re saying? Who’s jersey, not Son’s? You’re talking about Son’s?”
“I’m talking about Son,” Thorrington confirmed.
“What, more than Messi’s?” Goldstein asked, to which Thorrington responded: “Right now, yes.”
Still in disbelief, Goldstein asked again: “Wow. Sorry, Heung-min Son‘s shirt is the highest-selling in world football at the moment?”
Thorrington clarified that Son is not just outperforming every footballer, but any athlete around the world, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
He said: “If you take from when he signed at LAFC to now, he has sold more jerseys than any other athlete in the world.”
“That’s amazing, that’s incredible,” Goldstein replied.
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Thorrington added: “That’s the scale of this.”
Son sparks ticket hike
As well as jersey sales, Son is also competing with Messi – who plays for Inter Miami – when it comes to ticket prices.
The Korea Times reported that LAFC’s ticket prices have soared in the last week.
For their clash against San Diego FC on September 1, prices reportedly rocketed from $300 (£221) to $1,500 (£1105).
Nevertheless, Thorrington insisted that on-field success will define Son’s move – not his celebrity.
“The wisdom of this move will not be measured by commercial success, it will be measured by trophies and on-field success,” he said.
“That’s what we’re really excited about. There’s two sides to it.”