How does Son Heung-min make and spend his football millions? The captain of South Korea’s World Cup team splurges on luxuries … and started his own fashion brand like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Dec 24 , 2022

Footballer Son Heung-min is an ambassador for various fashion brands including Calvin Klein. Photo: Calvin Klein

Among South Korea’s most high-profile celebrities alongside the likes of Blackpink, Son is brand ambassador for Calvin Klein and launched a collection with eyewear brand Gentle Monster

Son loves Ferrari, Maserati, Patek Philippe and Rolex, and has luxury property in England and Seoul, where BTS’ J-Hope is a neighbour, but also he donates generously

It’s not just K-pop and K-drama stars raking in big bucks for their talent and landing lucrative sponsorship deals. Football has its own K-stars too – one of them being Son Heung-min, captain of the South Korean national team and star striker for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.

He’s regarded as one of the best forwards in the world and most likely the highest-profile Asian football athlete in Europe: like other top players, his contracts and sponsorship deals certainly reflect his value. Son also won the Premier League Golden Boot for the 2021–22 season, the first Asian player to do so.

So what is Son worth, and how does he spend his millions?

Son Heung-min’s net worth

Son Heung-min is one of Asia’s top footballers. Photo: @hm_son7/Instagram

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Son’s net worth is US$50 million. He earns around £140,000 (US$193,500) a week from his July 2018 contract with Spurs, and is currently in negotiations for a new deal that would pay him about £200,000 a week, as per The Guardian. When he joined Tottenham in 2015 for £22 million, it made him the most expensive Asian footballer at the time.

Big brand deals

Son Heung-min, the most expensive Asian footballer. Photo: Calvin Klein

This year, he also landed multiple non-football deals, such as becoming brand ambassador for Calvin Klein and launching the Bold collection with eyewear brand Gentle Monster, just like Blackpink’s Jennie. Along with other significant K-pop acts like BTS, Son was listed as one of the Top 10 Most Powerful Korean Celebrities of 2022 by Forbes Korea.

Son Heung-min has also landed lucrative brand contracts. Photo: @hm_son7/Instagram

He also made the list of most expensive Korean advertising stars in 2021, per TMI News, with an estimated advertising earnings of 15.6 billion won (US$12 million) per year, accumulating from sponsorships with a long list of brands, including Gillette, Adidas and Cartier. His economic effect on South Korea was estimated by the Korean government to be worth around two trillion won (US$1.8 billion) in 2020.