According to Nielsen Fan Insights (via Reuters), Tottenham Hotspur are now the most supported club in South Korea, with more than 20 per cent of the nation now considering themselves Spurs fans.
The report reveals how Son Heung-min’s success at the club over the past five seasons has pushed the club above rival teams in terms of support and made the North Londoners the most followed team in the country.
Spurs are said to have steadily moved past Arsenal, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona since Son’s arrival and then proceeded to overtake Manchester United in 2018.
United retained a huge fan following in South Korea due to the success of Park Ji-Sung, who spent eight years at Old Trafford, making more than 200 appearances for the Red Devils.
While 6.1 per cent of the country aged between 16 to 69 are reported to be Manchester United fans, a whopping 21.4 per cent of that age group now support Tottenham.
Speaking about how Son has changed the landscape back in his home country, Marco Nazzari, the international managing director at Nielsen Sports said: “The popularity of Tottenham Hotspur in South Korea perfectly illustrates the positive impact a standout player can have on a sports franchise in a market halfway around the world.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Some purists may not be fans of this and would be tempted to label these fans “plastics” but I think this is tremendous for the club. Anyone who understands how fandom works will know that many of these people will continue to follow the Lilywhites long after Son has left. Perhaps Lee Young-Pyo also deserves a shout out for initially putting the Spurs brand on the map in South Korea. Having one-fifth of a country like South Korea, with a vibrant economy, backing Spurs is certainly going to benefit us a lot commercially.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
