Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min's Europa League title-winning jersey sold for 41,221 British pounds ($52,600) at auction, according to SpursWeb on Wednesday.
"He has set a record only Lionel Messi can beat," SpursWeb said, referring to the fact that jerseys worn by Messi have sold for 49,400 British pounds and 44,500 British pounds.
MatchWornShirt, a website that specializes in selling jerseys worn by players in actual matches, put Son’s Europa League final shirt up for auction earlier this month, with a Korean fan winning the bid at 41,221 British pounds — the third highest amount in history.
Son clinched his first title in his career by winning the Europa League on May 21, ending Spurs' 17-year trophy drought in the process.
He featured for 23 minutes in the Europa League final against Manchester United and lifted the trophy first during the team's celebration as captain.
Son, 32, has played for Tottenham since 2015, having racked up 173 goals and 101 assists across 454 appearances.
He not only sits in fourth on the all-time top goal scorers list for Spurs as of Thursday, but also broke the all-time assist record for the London club in the Premier League in December last year.
The Spurs captain has one year left on his contract with Spurs and said during an interview in the mixed zone after a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Kuwait on Tuesday that he himself wonders about his future.
"I think it is better to see what will happen rather than think about the future," he said. "The fact that I've always worked hard everywhere remains unchanged. I will always work hard for what I have to do in my given role."
Son has recently been linked with a move to Saudi Pro League. A move would mark his first time playing in Asia.
He has spent his entire career in Europe, making his pro debut at Hamburger and later playing for Bayer 04 Leverkusen, before transferring to Spurs.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE HAY-JUNE, PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]