Son Heung-min is gearing up to play in his first-ever MLS season opener, and he is up against Lionel Messi. The LAFC star has insisted that he is not thinking about facing the Argentine ahead of the match.
Son Heung-Min Not Thinking About Lionel Messi Ahead of MLS Season Opener
LAFC hosts Inter Miami at the LA Memorial Coliseum in the MLS 2026 season opener. The two sides feature some of the league’s best players, but the spotlight is on Messi and Son.
The South Korean joined LAFC in the summer of 2025 from Tottenham, and played a key role as they finished third in the Western Conference. They finished just three points behind San Diego FC and Vancouver Whitecaps, thanks to his nine goals and three assists in just 10 MLS regular-season games. He followed it up with three goals and an assist in the playoffs and will be keen on hitting the ground running this season.
Speaking to the media ahead of the season opener, Son insisted that he was not focused on facing Messi, though he hailed the Inter Miami captain as the best player in the world. He believes they need to work as a team and not take anyone from the Eastern Conference lightly. He said:
“I wouldn’t want to talk about Messi because, probably, everyone is talking about him and he is the best player in terms of football. I don’t see a game as an individual thing… he’s obviously on a different level than any other player and I can say I’m looking forward to that game, as LAFC we’re all looking forward to it and hopefully we can celebrate as a team, that’s how I separate the game.”
Son has faced Messi twice in his career, both with Tottenham against Barcelona, and is winless after losing once and drawing as many times in the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League season.
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Messi was an early doubt for the MLS season opener after picking up a hamstring injury this month. He came off injured in the preseason game against Barcelona SC on Feb. 7, and that put a dent in Inter Miami’s preseason plans.
They were to play Independiente del Valle in Puerto Rico on Feb. 13, but ended up canceling the game. The Argentine sent a message to the fans apologising for the late changes, but the MLS club has rescheduled it to Feb. 26.
However, the good news is that Messi is back to full fitness and is available for the MLS season opener at LAFC. Javier Mascherano has revealed that the Barcelona legend is on par with his teammates and was training as usual this week.
