The teammate most excited to welcome Son Heung-Min to LAFC? That title might belong to goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
The pair spent nearly nine years together at English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, only splitting ahead of the 2024 MLS season when Lloris joined the Black & Gold.
Now, they're reunited in Los Angeles after LAFC acquired Son from Tottenham earlier this week for a league-record transfer fee that's reportedly upwards of $26.5 million.
"It's amazing to be together again," Lloris told reporters Friday. "It's a new chapter with a different jersey, but with the same ambitions, same motivation.
"We all know Sonny, how humble he is, how nice he is. But at the end of the day, we cannot forget that he's a big competitor. He was the captain of Spurs for the last two years. He's the captain of his national team. He has a World Cup in one year. There's a lot of things ahead of him and he's here with plenty of motivation. We are looking forward to starting this new chapter with Sonny."
When Lloris left Spurs, Son inherited the captain's armband from the Frenchman. They're both icons of the North London-based club and shared the pitch for nearly 300 matches.
That budding relationship resumes in MLS, with Son under contract through at least 2027. Lloris has a club option for 2026.
"He spent 10 years at Spurs; he did everything that he could," said Lloris. "He won the Europa League last season. He achieved so much in the Premier League in terms of stats, in terms of image. He's well-respected all around the world.
"And I understand when you arrive at one stage in your career, you need a new target, a new objective. Seeing him coming to MLS, it's great for the league, great for the city, great for the club, also great for him because he's the kind of example where there's plenty of things to learn from him. The way he trains, the way he prepares himself, the way he competes – I expect him to have a really big impact in the club."
During their Tottenham days, Lloris and Son both cracked the club's top-10 list in all-time appearances. They memorably reached the 2019 UEFA Champions League final and regularly faced off against fellow global superstars.
Fast forward, and they're again linking up as LAFC push for an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs spot and more silverware.
"It's like we never left each other," said Lloris. "It's been one year and a half that we haven't seen each other, but he's a sunshine. He's so positive.
"… Honestly, I'm really excited to start this new chapter with him. We spent almost eight years together. It's a lot, sharing so many days, so many games, so many training sessions. It's really interesting to see this relation again in a different environment. But I guarantee you that there's still this motivation, this ambition in his eyes. It's a very great addition to the team."
