SPEND five minutes in Seoul with Son Heung-min and you quickly realise he is the David Beckham of South Korea.‘Sonny mania’ is quite something to witness in his home country, with frenzied fans mobbing him everywhere he goes, just like Goldenballs in, well, pretty much anywhere.GettySon Heung-min has set the MLS alight[/caption]He is creating football fever in the US in the way David Beckham always hoped forGettySon will be cheered on by millions of South Korean fans at the World Cup in North America next year[/caption]Now he is retracing Becks’ steps by moving to Los Angeles to light up the MLS.And next summer, the winger is set to be the World Cup poster boy when football fever hits America in the way Beckham envisaged when he first went to LA Galaxy 18 years ago.Many supporters Stateside are only just becoming acquainted with Son’s brilliance thanks to his electric form since joining LAFC from Tottenham in August.The affable forward, whose K-Pop star good looks belie his 33 years of age, has already banged in eight goals in his first nine MLS appearances.It has quickly endeared him to one of the most raucous fanbases in American football – soccer, that is, not gridiron – given how barmy the LAFC army can be.One excited section of that fanbase would have known exactly what to expect.The Tigers supporters group is majority Korean and a big part of the club’s culture.LA itself has the largest Korean community in the US, making this the perfect place for Son to settle away from the Premier League.BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERSOver in England, and specifically in North London, Son’s status as one of the elite wingers in Prem history has long been established.Joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 for a bargain £22million, Son went on to score a blistering 173 goals in 454 appearances. He is without doubt the greatest Asian player to grace the English top flight.And given the eye-watering commercial revenues he delivered Spurs, plus the fact the club basically got their money back a decade after buying him, he is arguably the most value-for-money signing in Prem history.Ironically, Son toiled in his first season and had to be convinced by then-boss Mauricio Pochettino not to leave the club at the end of it.After that, though, he flew.The smiley forward formed a devastating partnership with England captain Harry Kane, where their combined Prem goals tally of 47 was a whopping 11 more than next best Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard at Chelsea.Every Spurs home game would see an army of South Korean fans descend on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, often having made the pilgrimage from the far side of the world, to see a glimpse of their hero.Spurs said in 2022 that shirt sales with ‘Son 7’ on the back would reach up to 700 on a home matchday.It’s getting better and better every year. After the World Cup, it’s going to blow up again.Nashville and ex-England U21 star Sam Surridge on MLSWhile they also claimed back then that 12million of Korea’s 51m population were Spurs fans, underlining the power of their beloved No7.Son insisted he could not be called a Spurs legend until he had won a trophy – even if his adoring supporters felt otherwise.He became one in everyone’s eyes – even, he eventually admitted, his own – when he lifted the Europa League in May, ending Spurs’ 17-year silverware curse.That allowed him to bow out on a high after ten memorable years of Spurs’ service – and now he has already put in some unforgettable displays in the city of Angels.The move has proved to be an inspired one that is perfect for Son at this stage of his career.Keeping pace with the hurly-burly of the Premier League was becoming increasingly harder for him last season and it is understood that around Christmas time he first started thinking of calling time in England.The MLS may be a lesser level but with the great Lionel Messi playing over in Miami, it is growing all the time.As former England Under-21 Sam Surridge, in the mix with Messi for the golden boot after blasting 23 goals for Nashville, told SunSport: “Since I’ve been here the standard has been getting better and better every year.“After the World Cup, it’s going to blow up again.”Son could well play a huge role in making that happen if he can lead Korea far in the tournament.The smart money is on South Korea playing most of their games on the West coast – though the draw is not done until December to confirm this – given how much nearer that will be to the timezone their supporters will be in when watching from home.You would expect plenty to make the trip over to North America for the tournament itself too, displaying the kind of banners and support for Son that they have been showing at LAFC and previously Spurs.The interest in him in America has bordered Messi territory, with LAFC reporting about 34billion views across all social media channels when Son joined, an increase of 594 per cent.His shirt has been selling like hot cakes – and his performances on the pitch have been living up to the iconic name on the back of those jerseys too.Son looks revitalised by his move to the Golden State, playing virtually every minute for his new team, in stark contrast to his injury-interrupted final campaign at Tottenham.Now his ardent supporters will hope he can deliver a golden summer for his nation on football’s biggest stage.AFPSon has been warmly received at LAFC[/caption]EPASon will be the face of the 2026 World Cup for South Korea[/caption]