Son Heung-min's jersey stirs bidding frenzy at auction

Son Heung-min's Tottenham Hotspur jersey price is soaring after he secured his first European trophy in his 15th season on the continent.

Left, Son Heung-min kisses the trophy after winning the 2024-2025 UEFA Europa League (UEL) final on May 22. Right, his jersey appears on the MatchWornShirt auction site. [AFP/YONHAP, SCREEN CAPTURE]

Son Heung-min's Tottenham Hotspur jersey price is soaring after he secured his first European trophy in his 15th season on the continent.

Global match-worn kit auction site MatchWornShirt began an auction on Friday for Tottenham players’ jerseys from the 2024-2025 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Europa League (UEL) final, held the previous day at San Mames Stadium in Bilbao, Spain, where they defeated Manchester United.

Son, who started on the bench and entered the match in the 22nd minute of the second half, is leading the auction with the highest bid among Tottenham players. The bidding for his jersey started at 89 euros (130,000 won) and skyrocketed to 2,658 euros within an hour, surpassing 10,000 euros in 10 hours. As of now, there have been 31 bids, with the price reaching 12,890 euros.

Son’s jersey is categorized as “issued,” meaning it was prepared for the match but not actually worn during play. Clubs typically prepare spare jerseys in case one gets torn before or during a match. This issued jersey was collected directly by Tottenham and features Son’s autograph.

The jersey of defender Micky van de Ven, who made a crucial clearance of a Rasmus Hojlund’s header near the goal line, is currently the second-highest in bidding after Son’s. It started at 150 euros and has reached 10,002 euros. Van de Ven’s jersey is a “match-worn” version, indicating it was actually worn during the game.

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min celebrates after winning the Europa League over Manchester United at the Estadio de San Mames, Bilbao, Spain, on May 21. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

The “match-worn” jersey of Brennan Johnson, who scored the winning goal, is currently at 9,001 euros, while the “match-worn” jersey of Cristian Romero, who wore the captain’s armband before Son came on, follows at 4,600 euros.

The auction, which began shortly after Tottenham won the UEL title, will run for about three weeks, with proceeds going to the Tottenham Foundation. The victory marked Tottenham’s first official title in 17 years, since the 2007-2008 League Cup.

Son, who previously finished as runner-up in the 2016-2017 Premier League (EPL), the 2020-2021 League Cup and the 2018-2019 UEFA Champions League (UCL), finally claimed his first trophy in his 15th European season.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]