Son Heung-min refuses to take iPhone selfie with fan due to Samsung sponsorship

Industry

Published: 13 Sep. 2023, 11:59 Updated: 13 Sep. 2023, 12:04

Son Heung-min refuses to take iPhone selfie with fan due to Samsung sponsorship

A TikTok video shows Son Heung-min reacting differently based on fans' smartphone brand when asked to take a selfie. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Son Heung-min refused to hold a fan's iPhone for a selfie with a fan because of his sponsorship deal with Apple's tech rival.

A TikTok video uploaded Monday showed Tottenham Hotspur and Korea national team captain Son telling a fan with an apologetic gesture that he cannot hold an iPhone when the fan asked him for a selfie.

Captions on the video said Son can't hold iPhones due to his contract with Samsung and added that fans need to bring a Samsung phone to ask him to take a selfie.

Son Heung-min tapped as new face of Samsung's Galaxy brand

Son was willing to hold a Samsung Galaxy for a fan selfie in the latter half of the video.

Son's reaction was presumably because of his sponsorship contract with Samsung Electronics.

Although some viewers questioned whether his refusal was necessary, most said they respect his loyalty to the partnership.

Some compared Son's actions with those of Ronaldinho back in 2012 when the Brazilian legend, in a sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola, was seen sitting beside two cans of Pepsi, which his club Atletico Mineiro was in a deal with.

Coca-Cola dropped a 500,000 euro ($540,000) per year deal set to expire in 2014 shortly after it was revealed that Ronaldinho took a sip from one of the cans while talking to reporters.

Son Heung-min holds up an iPhone in a past YouTube video. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Son Heung-min uses a Samsung Galaxy smartphone in an ″Everyday SmartThings with Son″ campaign video by Samsung Electronics on Aug. 28. [SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS]

Son had been a public Apple user, seen using an iPhone or wearing EarPods on multiple occasions until he became a brand ambassador for Samsung Galaxy earlier in the summer.

"Samsung Electronics is delighted to work together with Son Heung-min, who has given so much joy to Koreans via soccer," the tech company said in a release on July 14, the same day when Son was caught wearing a Galaxy Watch 6 at Incheon International Airport.

Talks on their sponsorship reportedly began when Samsung reached out to the football star shortly after the Qatar World Cup last year.

Son has been promoting Galaxy since then by uploading photos of him wearing Galaxy wearables and supporting the brand ahead of the Galaxy Unpacked event on July 26.

"When the Galaxy Z Flip was first released, I remember being impressed by its design — which led me to buy a Galaxy smartphone right away and switch both my tablet and watch to Galaxy devices," Son said in an interview with Samsung Electronics released on Monday as part of its SmartThings campaign.

Videos of Son using and talking about Samsung's appliances were also revealed the following day.

BY SOHN DONG-JOO [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]