Son Heung-min forced to refuse fan's phone request due to lucrative South Korea deal

Posted Tuesday, September 12, 2023 by Express.co.uk

Son Heung-min is one of South Korea's biggest celebrities.

A viral video has shown Tottenham ace Son Heung-min refusing a fan's request for a selfie due to a clause in his lucrative sponsorship deal with a tech rival. The 31-year-old is one of the biggest football stars ever to have been produced by South Korea, making him a household name in the country.

Son is almost universally revered by his compatriots and is often sought out for pictures and autographs when he represents his country at international level. He is unable to oblige every request made by fans, though, due in part to his sponsorship deal with Korean tech giant Samsung.

A video posted on TikTok shows a fan offering their iPhone to Son so that he could take a selfie of them together. However, as part of his agreement with Samsung, he is not allowed to take his own selfies or touch phones belonging to fans if the product belongs to a rival company.

Son politely explained that he was unable to hold the phone himself but was happy for the fan to take the picture instead. Another clip shows the Spurs forward holding a Samsung phone while taking a selfie alongside a different fan.

Son Heung-min was not allowed to hold the fan's iPhone due to his Samsung contract (Image: @STEVIE_KING/TIKTOK)

He became a brand ambassador for Samsung earlier this year and regularly posts on social media to promote the company's products. Son has also linked up with brands such as Calvin Klein, Burberry, Gatorade and insurance company AIA, who are Tottenham's shirt sponsors, in the past.

The winger's profile, particularly back in his homeland, makes him an obvious candidate for brands on the lookout for a famous face to front their campaigns. He has also contributed to Spurs becoming increasingly popular in South Korea, with thousands of shirts bearing Son's name being sold in the country each season.

Son is certainly big business off the pitch and has also been starring on it as of late. He has already scored three goals in the Premier League this season after bagging a hat-trick against Burnley in Tottenham's last outing before the international break.

He then played 90 minutes against Wales on Thursday night but was unable to prevent his country from settling for a goalless draw at the Cardiff City Stadium. Son is likely to be in action again when South Korea face Saudi Arabia at the home of Newcastle United on Tuesday.