Tottenham Hotspur bid farewell to Son Heung-min earlier this year, ending a 10-year association with the North London club, as the Korean international went Stateside.
For the first time in his Spurs career, Son found himself mired in the bottom half of the Premier League, helping the club avoid relegation after finishing 17th in the table, having begun games on the bench with increasing regularity.
After taking part in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong versus Arsenal, Son announced his decision to depart Tottenham after a decade. He said his goodbyes to Spurs fans following a 1-1 friendly draw against Newcastle in South Korea before heading across the Pacific and joining MLS side LAFC for an MLS-record fee of $26.5 million (£19.7m).
It hasn't taken long for him to make that price tag look like a bargain, assisting a goal in his first start before opening the scoring in Dallas with a world-class free kick. It's a goal that will go down in the history books, with Son awarded the AT&T MLS Goal of the Year.
Son then enjoyed a world-class September that saw him score eight goals and register two assists in six appearances for club and country. After being nullified in his first three outings during October, he returned from the international break by opening the scoring in LAFC's regular season finale against Colorado Rapids.
LAFC are firing on all cylinders at the moment with six wins from eight. Only Inter Miami (81), Chicago Fire (68), and Vancouver Whitecaps (66) have scored more regular season goals than the Black and Gold (65).
Son has proven influential in LA's red-hot form alongside attacking partner Denis Bouanga, with the two combining for 18 straight LAFC goals at one point. Alongside D.C. United's Christian Benteke, Inter Miami's Luis Suarez, and Charlotte FC's Wilfried Zaha, he's the latest former Premier League star to gain a new lease on life in MLS.
Whilst Son's Spurs adventure is firmly in the rearview mirror, he has acknowledged that he still has unfinished business in North London.
"I think I deserve to say goodbye [to Spurs fans] in front of all of them, and also, they deserve to see me in a physical sense to say goodbye," stated Son in a recent interview with Shoot for Love.
"At the time the transfer was going on, the last game was in Korea, obviously I will go back to London to see all the Spurs fans. It’s going to be a very emotional day as well, but I think I definitely can’t wait to go back to London and see all the Spurs fans."
Son isn't just one of the greatest Asian players of all time, but one of the greatest Tottenham players of all time with 173 goals and 101 assists in 454 appearances. And unlike his longtime attacking partner Harry Kane, Son managed to leave Spurs with a trophy under his belt.
It's only a matter of time before Son receives his well-deserved standing ovation from Tottenham fans on his former patch, but for now, he's only focused on his current mission in California. LAFC will face Austin FC in a best-of-three series, counting on Son to continue delivering the goods and lead them to the Western Conference semi-finals.
After waiting 33 years for the first trophy of his senior career, could Son's second trophy be just around the corner? Stay tuned for what promises to be an enthralling post-season.
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