"I'm very lucky that I can share the same pitch with him" - Son Heung-min on playing against Lionel Messi in MLS after sealing LAFC move

New LAFC signing Son Heung-min heaped praise on Lionel Messi, saying he was lucky to get to share the pitch with the former Barcelona star. Son joined LAFC from Tottenham Hotspur for an MLS-record fee of $26 million on a two-year deal this summer, with an option to extend it by two more years.

Nevertheless, the South Korean attacker also admitted that Lionel Messi was one of the reasons that he chose to move to the MLS. While lauding the Argentine superstar for his performances for club and country, Son said that the current generation was fortunate to see him play.

He told ESPN after joining LAFC:

"It's huge. I mean, we are very lucky to watch Lionel Messi playing football in the same generation. Watching him play, scoring so many goals, and joining the MLS, I think it will affect so many players, and it also affects me that what he has done for his club and for his country. It just also changed my mind."

The former Tottenham Hotspur captain added:

"I'm very lucky that I can share the same pitch with him."

Son Heung-min joined Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2015. He played for the north London club for a decade, making 454 appearances, scoring 173 goals and providing 101 assists.

He lifted the UEFA Europa League last season and was crowned the Premier League Player of the Year for the 2018/19 season.

Napoli star snubbed Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and named Karim Benzema as his role model

Napoli forward Romelu Lukaku snubbed Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as his idols and named Karim Benzema and Lebron James as his role models. The former Manchester United and Everton attacker claimed that he idolizes Benzema because he won the Ballon d'Or at the age of 32.

He told Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport (via GOAL):

"Of course, we have the tools to always do better. I have a gym at my house. Messi, Ronaldo, (Robert) Lawendowski, and Ibra (Zlatan Ibrahimovic) are great, but my role model is Benzema, who won the Ballon d'Or after turning 32. You have to look forward with the right mentality. Lebron James says so, too."

Aged 37, Karim Benzema currently plays in the Saudi Pro League for Al-Ittihad. He won the Ballon d'Or in 2022, becoming only the second player aside from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to win the coveted accolade.

Meanwhile, Romelu Lukaku plays for Serie A champions Napoli, which he joined last summer from Chelsea on a three-year deal.

About the author

Shashank is a journalist at Sportskeeda covering European football since the past 2 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has also played the sport as a box-to-box midfielder and a full-back at national level, along with Tennis, Taekwondo and Boxing.

Shashank has been a Liverpool supporter since 2014 and had first stumbled upon the club after receiving a gift which had the words 'Liverpool FC' written on it. He has idolised Steven Gerrard over the years but his favorite football memory is the Reds' incredible comeback 4-0 win over Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semis. He, unsurprisingly, also loves Jurgen Klopp's managerial style.

He strives to report 100% accurate content by going through several social media platforms, and prides himself on his above-average vocabulary and researching skills. In his career so far, Shashank has had the privilege of interviewing Indian national football team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

Shashank also follows the Indian Super League and the Eredivisie along with European Football. In his off time, he likes to do theatre, watch Tennis, and travel.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava