‘Son Heung-min is set for commercial superstar status,’ says Forbes

American business magazine Forbes announced a pleasing prediction for “Super Sony” Son Heung-min. “Next year, Son could be involved in crossover (into entertainment) like Cristiano Ronaldo (…), growing his audience not just outside South Korea and Spurs but outside soccer too,” said the magazine on Wednesday.

Forbes predicted that Son’s commercial value will explode if he wins FIFA’s Puskas Award, which is given for what is seen as the best goal of the year from November to the following year’s October. Son is among the favorites to win the award for dribbling 73 meters to score a goal against Burnley in December last year. The fan voting is open until Wednesday and the results will be announced on December 17.

“That goal (against Burnley) caps off Son Heung-min’s growth over the past couple of seasons from squad player to superstar,” said Forbes, adding that he could end 2020 with one of the biggest awards in soccer. According to Transfermarkt, a website specialized in football transfer news, Son’s current market value of 75 million euros as of Wednesday will go up significantly in the future.


Jae-Yeong Yoo elegant@donga.com