WATCH: Son Heung-min’s MLS Goal of the Year Winner, Lionel Messi Misses Out

LAFC superstar Son Heung-min won the Major League Soccer Goal of the Year award on Monday for his free kick against FC Dallas.

The MLS Goal of the Year has been awarded since 1996, celebrating the best strike from each season. Son is the first LAFC player to win the honor, and he captured it with his first goal in the league.

Son scored a long-range free kick, bending his effort up and over the FC Dallas wall in the sixth minute. It was just his third appearance in MLS after signing in August, and although the game ended in a 1–1 draw, the goal was still a momentous occasion and recognized by fans as the best of the season.

Check out the moment below.

Free kick perfection. 💫

Son Heung-Min's strike is the @ATT Goal of the Year! pic.twitter.com/lsF6tsN2fT
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 27, 2025

Son Already Making Superstar Impact on LAFC

Son Heung-min - LAFC - Denis Bouanga — Denis Bouanga (left) and Son Heung-min (right) are one of the most devastating duos in MLS. | Shaun Clark/Getty Images

The Black and Gold smashed the MLS transfer record to bring Son to Los Angeles over the summer, and the South Korean has repaid the faith shown in more ways than one. Providing nine goals and three assists in 10 games is one thing, but he has also formed an electric partnership with Denis Bouanga.

The two have combined for 20 goals since Son’s arrival. Going even further, they linked up on 18 straight goals for LAFC at one point.

Next up is the MLS Cup playoffs. Son has been taken in as yet another sports icon on the west coast, but potentially lifting the league’s biggest trophy would cement his status as one of the biggest stars in the U.S.

Son Beats Out Messi

Ankara Messi, Ankara Messi, Ankara Messi Ankara Messi, Ankara Messi . 🐐 pic.twitter.com/DsvmC73hns
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 6, 2025

Lionel Messi, Son’s closest competitor in arguably more ways than one, was another favorite to win the honor.

The Argentine scored following an energetic run from around the halfway line. Messi evaded nearly half of CF Montréal in a 4–1 thrashing of the Canadian side, but fans sided with Son in the end.