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When Ruth Adamu finds her son, Hikame, he is in school. She walks down its corridors to find him, takes his hand, and tells him to come with her. She promises to buy him a new pair of shoes, and together, they head towards the gate. 

But just as they are about to leave, he pulls away and says, “Mummy, I’m coming,” before turning back inside. As he wanders off, she begins to worry he might get lost or go missing, and panic sets in. 

This is how her dreams about the boy go. 

Other times, when he appears in her dream, he tells her he is going to school, and she urges him to stay home. She reminds him that school is almost closing, and that he can go when it opens again.

The last time she dreamt of him, he asked her to be patient as he was going to meet “them.” In other dreams, he confides that he is afraid of the people he is with. 

Whenever she wakes up from such visions, she slips into despair so deep it ruins her day and leaves her unable to do anything at all. She agonises over what state he might be in and wonders whether he has been radicalised by Boko Haram, the terrorist group in whose hands her son fell in 2014 as they fought to establish a radical Islamic state. 

“I know they won’t be easy on him. If he’s alive, they’ll definitely train him,“ she says, and that thought makes her heart ache.

Ruth was a 48-year-old mother of five in 2013 when her husband was killed by Boko Haram. She was surprised by how much her youngest child, 11-year-old Hikame, brought her comfort in her grief. Whenever she appeared to be sad or lost in thought, he would run to her and shout, “Mummy! Mummy! What is it? Come with me, let me show you something,” and then he’d engage her in a way that lifted her out of that heavy, sorrowful mood.

“He was very caring and very obedient,” she reminisces. “He never wanted, or allowed himself to see me worried or alone.”

When she headed out to sell eggs, he would drop whatever he was doing, even a game of football, and run to her, saying, “Mummy, let me come with you.” She would tell him it was fine and that he should go play, but he always insisted. 

He would accompany her, help with the sales, return home, and then assist with chores. Only after making sure everything was done would he ask, “Mummy, there’s nothing else, right?” Then, and only then, would he finally go off to play.

Hikame loved pigeons. He saved some money and asked his mother to help him cover the rest so he could buy one. A cage was built for it, and he delighted in feeding and caring for his new bird. Soon, Ruth grew an interest in the joys of pigeon-rearing as well. 

Ruth was separated from Hikame when he was 12 years and 10 days old. She remembers precisely that it was October 30, 2014. On that day, the town of Mubi, in Nigeria’s northeastern Adamawa State, came under attack by Boko Haram, which had declared war on the Nigerian state. 

That morning, she had started the generator to pump water into her fish pond. The sound kept her from hearing the chaos until her children came running to warn her. When she turned it off, the gunfire became loud, and she looked up to see an aeroplane firing downwards. 

She took all her children in the car and fled. They spent the night in the bush before proceeding at dusk, only stopping to ask for directions. A group of people by the roadside told her it was safe enough to drive on the main road, as the terrorists were already in Mubi, so she was unlikely to encounter them. Just then, a car passed by, and she was confident to follow suit.

“What I didn’t know was that it was a Boko Haram vehicle. When we reached a checkpoint manned by the terrorists, it was allowed to pass, but I was asked to stop,” she narrated.

Ruth, her children, and the three other people she had kindly given a ride obeyed the commands they were given. She handed over her keys to the gun-wielding terrorists who surrounded them, one from the front and another from behind. 

“The man in front turned to the other and asked, ‘What do we do with these ones who have obeyed us?’ The other stayed silent at first, then turned to me. ‘Madam, are all these your children?’ he asked. ‘No,’ I replied. He paused before saying, ‘All of you may go, except these two young men [Hikame and one of the passengers she had given a lift].’”

Ruth immediately fell to her knees and cupped her palms in an attempt to plead, but even before the words left her mouth, the terrorist violently cocked his gun and told her to get out of his sight. Her daughter dragged her away. 

They found a spot nearby, sat and waited for him to change his mind, or for his associates to convince him to let them go, or maybe for some miracle to happen where she could walk away with all her children. After waiting for what felt like too long, her daughter convinced her that it was time to move forward. Reluctantly, she left Hikame behind. 

When they reached the next safe town, she got a phone and called her eldest son and told him to try contacting Hikame. After several attempts, he spoke to his brother and told him to run whenever he got a chance. He warned him not to stay with the terrorists or listen to anything they preached to him. Then he emphasised, again, that he must run away. 

Whether Hikame got a chance to do so is still a mystery to his family 11 years later. They have never heard from him since that call. His number stopped going through, although tracking showed that he was around Bama, in Borno, northeastern Nigeria. Ruth went to the police station and declared her son missing. She did the same with the Nigerian Army, too, and finally, with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“The ICRC were the one who truly cared,” Ruth says. “I gave them Hikame’s details, and we’ve stayed in touch for about eight or nine years. At first, they often called to ask if I had heard anything about him. But those calls upset me badly. I would tremble, feel anxious. Talking about him was too painful, so I asked them to stop calling,” she explains. 

One time when they called, she broke down, shouting, crying, her head aching. Then one staff member consoled her softly. He told her that he, too, had been a victim. He offered words that soothed her and gave her strength and a renewed sense of hope. He also told her about a programme for the family of the missing she could join, promising that if she tried it and didn’t like it, she could leave whenever she wished.

“That programme helped me so much. It taught me resilience, how to manage my emotions, and gave me counselling. I used to isolate myself, but now I socialise more. We sit together as a family in the programme, they support us, even with transport fares, and they empower us. I’ve also built friendships there, and we visit and strengthen each other,” she says.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has registered at least 25,000 missing people in Nigeria since 2015, with over 14,000 of them being children.  

The protracted insurgency in the country’s North East has fueled a massive missing person problem across the region. Some vanish while fleeing violence, others are captured by terrorist groups, and many civilians are arbitrarily detained by the army, unable to distinguish terrorists from innocent people. 

An investigation by HumAngle revealed the devastating scale of the issue, documenting mass killings and mass graves. For families, the emotional toll is immense as they wait for news, grieve without bodies, and face practical challenges like inheritance disputes, as missing loved ones are not legally declared dead. Women wait years for their husbands, and children grow up with unanswered questions about their parents or siblings.

The ICRC started an Accompaniment Programme in 2019, which offers families of the missing emotional, economic, legal, and psychosocial support, helping them find hope and resilience.

It is the same programme that Ruth participated in. It has provided her with a support system, she says, as those who go through it have formed an organisation. They visit one another, pray together, and contribute small amounts of money to support each other during emergencies or special occasions, like weddings. It gives Ruth strength and comfort.

She says she no longer wallows in her grief for long periods of time. She doesn’t cry as frequently or avoid social interactions anymore. Talking about Hikame has also gotten easier, and the panic attacks don’t happen when she is asked about him. 

However, Ruth still believes that her body has suffered the consequences of grief and left scars that aren’t easily seen.

“Like my eyes,” she says. “I no longer see well with them, and I know it’s how much I cry that has affected it. It became so bad that I couldn’t step outside of my room into the light at some point. It hurt to look at the light. My legs also hurt, and I’m not as active as I used to be.”

When Ruth stands up, it is slightly laboured. She disappears into her room and reappears with two photos of Hikame in her hands. In one, he’s wearing a blue and yellow graduation gown and hat. There are other students in the background wearing school uniforms. 

Hikame will turn 23 on October 20 this year. If he were safe with his family, he would have worn a similar gown about three more times by now: once for his secondary school graduation, again for his university matriculation, and later for his convocation. 

Perhaps this picture is one that conjures up her frequent dreams of him in a school setting. 

In grief psychology, there’s a concept called continuing bonds. It refers to the way people hold on to memories, thoughts, or moments with loved ones who have passed or gone missing, sometimes even dreaming about them. “This is seen as part of healing, helping them cope with loss. In Ruth’s case, dreaming of her son in a school setting likely shows how important those school memories were to both of them,” Chioma Onyemaobi, a licensed clinical psychologist, explains.

Now 60, Ruth lives with her teenage granddaughter, who she says has helped in engaging her so that she doesn’t fall into despair again. The girl reminds her of Hikame and how he did the same for her when she was grieving her husband. 

If grief, as they say, is love that has nowhere to go, then while nothing can replace Ruth’s love for Hikame, she channels it into her granddaughter, all the while holding onto hope for a reunion with her son.

She no longer runs her fishery or egg businesses, partly because the war took everything from her and forced her to rebuild from scratch, and partly because the weight of grief has drained her strength. 

Now she buys wholesale rice, shares it among retailers, and earns a commission from their sales.

There’s one more thing Ruth does. One more place she channels love into: the rearing of pigeons. 

“To this day, I make sure I never stop caring for pigeons,” Ruth says, and a teardrop escapes her eyes. She blinks. “I rear some even now, and every time I feed them, I think of Hikame.” 

Actor Floyd Levine, whose career spanned numerous decades and a variety of projects ranging from films “The Hangover” and “Norbit” to TV shows “Melrose Place” and “Murder, She Wrote,” has died. He was 93.

Levine died Sunday, surrounded by family and “probably wishing someone would bring him a martini,” his daughter-in-law Tracy Robbins announced Tuesday on Instagram. Robbins, who is married to Levine’s son, former Paramount executive Brian Robbins, said Levine was “the best father-in-law, grandpa, and all around jokester.”

Levine began his screen career in the early 1970s and appeared in almost 100 productions. His notable credits also include films “Dog Day Afternoon,” “Bloodbrothers,” “Super Fly” and TV series “Kojak,” “Starsky & Hutch,” “Baywatch” and “Days of Our Lives.” He often played minor characters, including police officers, detectives, tailors, doctors and a crime boss.

A former taxi cab driver from New York City, Levine also collaborated with his son on Eddie Murphy starrers “Norbit,” “Meet Dave” and “A Thousand Words.” Robbins was inspired by his father to pursue an entertainment career and was also an actor, director and longtime producer before he became an industry executive. The father-son duo also both appeared in “Archie Bunker’s Place” and “Head of the Class.” They also worked together on “Good Burger,” “Kenan & Kel” and “Coach Carter.”

“Brian is basically his twin, and we will see Floyd’s grin every time we look at him,” Tracy Robbins added in her Instagram post.

“You all have made my life sugar, and I love you all so much,” he tells loved ones in a video shared by Robbins. “If I could do it, I’d hug you and kiss you all. God bless you all and keep punching.”

Levine was laid to rest on Wednesday. In addition to Brian and Tracy Robbins, survivors also include daughter Sheryl, son Marc and several grandchildren, according to the Hollywood Reporter. His wife, Rochelle, died in May 2022 at age 85.

“I would like to think there’s a casting call in heaven, and you showed up early, script in hand,” Tracy Robbins added in her post. “I will miss him dearly, but i know he’s making the angels laugh already and back together with his beautiful wife Rochelle.”

THE first child victim of the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting has been named as eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel.

Fletcher was one of two children killed during mass at Annunciation Catholic School on Wednesday as his father paid a heartbreaking tribute.

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In a heartbreaking statement dad Jessie said: “Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking, and any sports that he was allowed to play.

“While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing.”

The devastated father added that Fletcher was “on the path to becoming to a wonderful young man”.

Sick lone gunman Robin Westman, 23, fired over 100 bullets at defenseless kids and teachers in the horror attack.

He later turned the gun on himself before police could arrive.

Jessie didn’t say Robin’s name as spoke today but instead referred to him as a “coward”.

He blamed him for taking away Fletcher’s loved one’s ability to “hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow”.

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Mingus Reedus, son of “The Walking Dead” star Norman Reedus and Danish model Helena Christensen, made a concerning statement to a reporter in the wake of his arrest Saturday on suspicion of assault.

On Sunday, a New York Post reporter confronted the 25-year-old outside of his Manhattan apartment. “You want to watch me kill myself?” the model said when he spotted the journalist. He refused to answer questions after that, the Post reported.

The grim remark came just one day after Mingus Reedus was taken into custody by police who responded to a Saturday morning report of an assault in progress, according to USA Today. The Post reported that a 33-year-old female victim was subsequently taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue with “minor injuries.”

Reedus pleaded not guilty Saturday to charges of of third-degree assault, assault recklessly causing injury, criminal obstruction of breathing, second-degree harassment and aggravated harassment, NBC News said. He was released without posting bail.

It wasn’t Reedus’ first arrest on suspicion of assault. He faced accusations in 2021 of punching a woman at the San Gennaro festival in New York City. At the time, he told the New York Daily News that “it was instinct” after the woman was “swarming” his friend group.

“We didn’t think anything of it, but these five girls followed us for two blocks, throwing food at us and yelling,” he said. “We told them to leave us alone, but they kept following, threatening to hurt my girlfriend and her friend.”

He said one woman was “pulling my hair from the back, another throwing water in my face.” Soon after, police got involved, but Reedus claimed they “refused to listen to the context” and arrested him.

In March 2022, he struck a deal and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge — disorderly conduct. He was sentenced to a conditional discharge that required him to attend five private counseling sessions.

SANTA BARBARA — It’s likely a first: A politician wins a statewide election, but is rejected by the people who presumably know him best–the voters of his own community.

Amazed, I came to Santa Barbara to ask why Rep. Michael Huffington couldn’t carry his own county while capturing the Republican U.S. Senate nomination by a landslide margin of 26 percentage points.

The super-rich rookie congressman– dubbed “Perot by the Sea”–lost by two points in Santa Barbara County to a hard-line conservative from Orange County, former Rep. William Dannemeyer.

I quickly learned that the result had much less to do with Dannemeyer than with former Rep. Robert J. Lagomarsino, the veteran Republican officeholder and local native whom Huffington had beaten in 1992 soon after moving here with his many millions from Texas.

The Republican party locally is still deeply split over Huffington’s fratricidal ousting of Lagomarsino. And the schism only widened when the newly elected representative announced just eight months after taking office that he would leave the seat to run for the Senate.

“That didn’t set well,” noted Mabel Shults, a Santa Barbara party activist and hotel designer. “He’s been working politically for himself instead of this area.”

Asserted Barney Klinger, a manufacturer and major GOP fund-raiser: “He’s not only done nothing as a congressman, he lied. He said he’d stay in the office for three (two-year) terms.”

Klinger now is organizing a $500,000 fund-raiser for Huffington’s Democratic opponent, Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

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To get Huffington’s side, I went to his local congressional office–in one of those typical light stucco buildings with a red-tile roof–and began asking questions. You’d have thought I had a contagious disease.

“You’ll have to call the campaign office,” I was told.

I’d already called and was told by the candidate’s state campaign manager, Bob Schuman, that “it’s not a big deal” because Santa Barbarans also had rejected Huffington in the 1992 primary; he’d made up for it by carrying adjacent San Luis Obispo County. “There’s still some residual Lagomarsino loyalty. That’s all.”

But Huffington has been representing Santa Barbara in Congress since the last election and should have been able to build up his support. I wanted to know what he’d done for the county. “We don’t have that,” said his district representative, Angeles Perez.

How about the name of a supporter I could talk to? Another aide pointed to a woman in a chair and said she was a local GOP official. I asked the woman if I could talk to her. She ducked out the door and sped off in her car.

Perez wrote down the phone number of another woman but wouldn’t let me call her from the office. That would be mixing politics with congressional business, she said. “There’s probably a pay phone somewhere on State Street.”

I found one and called Marian Koonce, who owns rental properties and once backed Lagomarsino but switched to Huffington in 1992. “I see Michael as a shining star, a comer,” she said.

Asked what Huffington had done for the county, Koonce told me of a case where he had helped obtain a green card for the daughter of one of her tenants, an immigrant farmer.

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Koonce herself brought up probably the most controversial case involving Huffington–his refusal to help Raytheon Corp., one of Santa Barbara’s biggest employers, obtain State Department permission to sell $100 million worth of shipboard missile defense systems to Taiwan. “He has an aversion to helping companies with armaments,” she said.

Astonished, Raytheon turned to Feinstein, who quickly went to bat for the company.

Huffington later explained to a Times reporter, “I’m not going to be a paid or unpaid lobbyist for any company. That’s not my job. I represent everyone equally.”

That clearly is a new concept in representing your constituents in Washington.

Huffington likes to say he is not “beholden” to any special interest because he refuses PAC contributions. With an oil fortune estimated at $70 million, he can afford to finance his own campaigns and does–spending $5.2 million to win the House seat and expecting to write checks for at least $15 million in this Senate race.

I drove down the coast, past Montecito where Huffington has his $4.3-million mansion, all the way to Solimar near Ventura. There, I found Lagomarsino at his beach house.

He’s now 67, tanned and relaxed–but still bitter. Recently, he handed over to the Feinstein campaign two boxes of Huffington research material.

Huffington’s race could be a classic: Can a rich newcomer with almost no political base or record buy himself a U.S. Senate seat?

Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi have started a family, welcoming their first child a year after they tied the knot.

“Stranger Things” star Brown and Bongiovi (son of singer Jon Bon Jovi) announced in a joint Instagram post shared Thursday that they had adopted “our sweet baby girl” over the summer. The young pair — Brown is 21 and Bongiovi is 23 — did not share additional information about their little one. Their post also featured a drawing of a willow tree.

“We are beyond excited to embark on this beautiful next chapter of parenthood in both peace and privacy,” the couple said, adding, “And then there were 3.”

Brown, who famously broke out in 2016 for her portrayal of the telekinetic Eleven in Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” has hit a number of personal milestones in the time between the series’ fourth season in 2022 and its fifth and final chapter, which will touch down later this year.

The British “Enola Holmes” and “Electric State” actor reportedly struck up a romance with fellow actor Bongiovi over social media in 2021, and they got engaged in April 2023. A year later, Bon Jovi confirmed rumors about his son and Brown’s wedding, telling BBC’s “The One Show” it was an intimate affair and that his son “is as happy as can be.”

The couple also had a second ceremony in Tuscany in September, according to Vanity Fair. Brown later confirmed her marriage to Bongiovi, sharing in October several photos from that luxurious event.

In the years since her Netflix debut, Brown has also turned her focus to her studies, other business ventures — including her makeup and clothing lines — and running her own farm in Georgia, which also serves as an animal rescue. Bongiovi, on the other hand, made his acting debut in 2024 with the film “Rockbottom” and is set to appear in the upcoming film “Poetic License,” according to IMDb.

Brown enters motherhood as she prepares to close a chapter that defined most of her teen years. Netflix will release the final episodes of “Stranger Things” in three batches: the first on Nov. 26, the second on Christmas and the finale episode on New Year’s Eve.

“I am nowhere near ready to leave you guys,” Brown told her “Stranger Things” crew and cast in a video shared in December. “I love each and every one one of you and I’ll forever carry the memories and bonds we’ve created together as a family.”

It seems Brown will now also have the comfort of her baby girl when that grand finale comes around.

VICK Hope has spoken out for the first time since welcoming her son last month.

The DJ, who is married to Calvin Harris, shared a series of new pictures of her baby boy and told fans she was “utterly besotted.”

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Alongside the stunning images her home birth in Ibiza, where the couple have a house, she said:  “Our beloved baby boy Micah Nwosu Wiles completed his journey to us on Sunday 20th July in a beautiful, powerful home birth here in Ibiza, surrounded by love and nature and chickens.

“Emerging from our little newborn bubble to say happy first month Micah, you are magical and we are so utterly besotted with you.”

At the start of August, Calvin revealed Radio 1 star Vic had given birth with his own post.

He wrote: “20th of July our boy arrived. Micah is here!

“My wife is a superhero and I am in complete awe of her primal wisdom!

“Just so grateful. We love you so much Micah.”

HELEN Flanagan was flooded with praise as she shared her struggle to get her four-year-old off to bed.

The former Coronation Street actress was given a boost by her Instagram followers who gushed she was doing an “amazing job” and making little Charlie “feel safe” despite the night-time mayhem.

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Helen, 35, who shares three kids with her footballer fiancé ex Scott Sinclair, uploaded a video showing their hectic night time routine.

The pair’s daughter Matilda was born on June 29, 2015, with second little girl Delilah arriving on June 22, 2018.

Their third child, son Charlie, was born on March 25, 2021, and was the centre of attention in the clip which saw Helen attempting to call him over as she said: “Charlie I love you, can you come over to mummy please.”

He could be heard playing in the background before he sprinted across the screen.

Helen, dressed in her pyjamas and nightwear, tried to emphasise her point and said: “Charlie can you listen please because I love you and want to give you a cuddle.”

She then suggested he. go to bed in the cot which prompted him to come over for a hug.

She asked him: “Do you love your mummy?” to which he replied: “Yes.”

The ITV soap star then placed his little hand on her heart and said: “I am calm, I love my mummy,” words which he then repeated.

Helen then told him they were going to stop “bouncing around” and go to sleep with “cuddles and kisses.”

She conceded they could watch a film but needed to “relax” – in order to then “go crazy” in the morning.

Helen, who successfully kept the youngster chilled, then let out a sigh before turning the camera off.

MUM BATTLES

In her lengthy caption, the proud mum explained the toddler’s behaviour in more detail.

She wrote: “Took this video a few weeks ago of me trying to get Charlie to bed and I think it’s cute.

“Think it was about 11.30pm and he’s still bouncing around the room.

“Love my little boy to death he’s so beautiful, he just has SO much energy. I wouldn’t want him any other way though as I know he’ll be an amazing boy.

“I have to take him to soft play or the park every day to burn off some energy less he’d be swinging from the ceiling. Boys are so different to girls, is it the testosterone?

“I feel like he looks like his dad but personality wise is a boy version of me.”

Helen, who played Rosie Webster in Corrie, added: “I don’t like to label children as I think we can over label now and children can play up to it but I suppose I’m neurodivergent and I’m his mummy.

“I also get very triggered by too many sounds all at the same time and struggle to keep calm, I also get really touched out.

“I still co sleep with my kids. Matilda’s too big now but we all just sleep in the same room, it’s what works for us and I’m that exhausted by the end of the day that I just want to sleep.

“Matilda cuddles up to her brother and Delilah sleeps next to me. I’ve tried to get them into their own rooms but they just get really upset and anxious so I don’t bother as they will naturally grow out of it.

“It can be really hard when they are little but also I know that I’m going to want these times back one day too.”

Referring to her plush cream room featured in the video she added: “All I do is tidy up and my house is always a mess and it’s always chaos.

“Charlie’s pulled down these curtains before and smashed my window with a football.

“He’s a different boy for his dad than he is with me. I do feel like with a boy having a constant male presence really helps. When he’s naughty I get too tired and he’s too heavy for me to carry and too fast to catch.

“I also really struggle with car journeys with Charlie, he thinks it’s a game to unbuckle his car seat, so I try and drive when he’s sleeping.

“I think reception and starting school for Charlie will be really good for him, I haven’t done phonics or practised writing his name, it will be a task in itself to get him sitting on his bottom.”

FAN PRAISE

Helen was inundated with messages of support from her famous mates as well as fans.

RHOC alum Tanya Bardsley said: “He reminds me of my Ralphi a beautiful energy.”

MTV’s Charlotte Dawson added: “This is so cute and chaotic at the same time … wouldn’t have it any other way.”

One fan then wrote: “Think this is amazing. You kept calm and in turn that helped him it’s called Co regulation for the uneducated out there who are saying show him who is in charge.”

Another wrote: “Adorable @hjgflanagan you’re doing amazing job.”

A third put: “Well done mumma. This is beautiful. You’re making sure he feels safe and loved.”

One simply added: “Thank you for posting this. So real.”

It came just days after she was cruelly mum-shamed for her glam outfit with a plunging neckline.

The social media positivity also comes after she was cruelly trolled on the Tube.

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A COUPLE have been mistaken for mother and son online due to their height difference – despite being just two years apart in age.

At 21, Millie is two years younger than her fiancée, Chelsea – but is often called her “mum” or “big sister” when she shares pictures and videos of them online.

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While Millie is 5ft6, Chelsea is five inches shorter at 5ft1, and has more youthful features, leading to an outpouring of shocked comments online.

Videos of the pair have garnered over one million views, and left them fuming over the trolling they’ve received as a result.

“It affects us when people are accusing me of being attracted to children,” Millie, from East Midlands, UK, told What’s The Jam.

“It’s disgraceful as Chelsea is older than me.

“Other comments call her my son, or nephew, or brother.

“We understand the comments about the age difference – we personally think it’s just about Chelsea’s height.

“But viewers read more into it and say her features are young.

“People say to check my hard drive, insinuating I’m attracted to children!”

The couple, who are both support workers and have been together for nine years, say the comments have affected how they interact with one another when they are out and about.

Millie said: “We’ve been made to feel we can’t act like a couple in public.

“If people saw me holding hands with my ‘son’, we would get funny looks.

“We’ve accepted it now and just accept the fact that we may not always [be able to] act like we are in a relationship.”

A recent video shared by the pair went viral on TikTok, garnering 1.7 million views, showing the couple posing next to each other on a balcony, showing off their height difference, which is exacerbated by Millie wearing wedged shoes.

Celebrity couples with height differences

• Zendaya (5’10”) and Tom Holland (5’8″)
• Cameron Diaz (5’9″) and Benji Madden (5’6″)
• Eniko Parrish (5’7″) and Kevin Hart (5’4″)
• Gwendoline Christie (6’3″) and Giles Deacon (6′)
• Tina Fey (5’5″) and Jeff Richmond (5’2″)
• Nicole Kidman (5’11”) and Keith Urban (5’10”)
• Helen Lasichanh (5’11”) and Pharrell Williams (5’9″)
• Erin Darke (5’7″) and Daniel Radcliffe (5’5″)

One person commented: “How old is your son?”

“I don’t understand this. What’s her son got to do with her height?” another baffled user wrote, to which the couple responded: “Because we’re together. Not son and mother. Two grown women in their 20s DATING.”

Another viewer said, “Please tell me that’s your brother.”

“This is mother and son, right?” another user asked.

Someone else commented: “I legit thought this was your little brother.”

“Is he 12?” another person wondered.

But the couple aren’t letting the hate get to them, and are currently planning on getting IUI fertility treatment in order to start their own family – keeping their 16,000 followers updated along the way.

MEXICO CITY — Julio César Chávez Jr., whose high-profile boxing career was marred by substance abuse and other struggles and never approached the heights of his legendary father, was in Mexican custody Tuesday after being deported from the United States.

His expulsion had been expected since July, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested him outside his Studio City home and accused him of making “fraudulent statements” on his application to become a U.S. permanent resident.

In Mexico, Chávez, 39, faces charges of organized crime affiliation and arms trafficking, Mexican authorities say.

He is the son of Julio César Chávez — widely regarded as Mexico’s greatest boxer — and spent his career in the shadow of his fabled father.

Boxers Julio César Chávez, right, and his son Julio César Chávez Jr., during a news conference in Los Angeles in May.

(Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

His father both supported his troubled son and chastised his namesake, whose struggles included substance abuse, legal troubles and challenges in making weight for his bouts.

Despite his highly publicized problems, Chávez won the World Boxing Council middleweight title in 2011 before losing the belt the following year.

Chávez was turned over to Mexican law enforcement authorities at the Arizona border and was being held Tuesday in a federal lockup in Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora state, authorities here said.

During her regular morning news conference, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that the boxer was in Mexican custody.

Days before his July arrest in Studio City, Chávez faced off in Anaheim for his last bout — against Jake Paul, the influencer-turned-pugilist. Chávez lost the fight.

When he was arrested in July, U.S. authorities labeled Chávez an “affiliate” of the Sinaloa cartel, which is one of Mexico’s largest — and most lethal — drug-trafficking syndicates.

Jake Paul, right, and Julio César Chávez Jr., left, exchange punches during their cruiserweight bout in Anaheim on June 28.

(Anadolu / Anadolu via Getty Images)

Chávez has faced criticism over alleged associations with cartel figures, including Ovidio Guzmán, a son of infamous drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, now serving a life sentence in a U.S prison for his leadership role in the Sinaloa cartel. Ovidio Guzmán recently pleaded guilty to drug-trafficking and other charges in federal court in Chicago and is reported to be cooperating with U.S. prosecutors.

Controversies have long overshadowed the career of Chávez.

Chávez served 13 days in jail for a 2012 drunk-driving conviction in Los Angeles County and was arrested by Los Angeles police in January 2024 on gun charges. According to his attorney, Michael Goldstein, a court adjudicating the gun case granted Chávez a “mental health diversion,” which, in some cases, can lead to dismissal of criminal charges.

“I’m confident that the issues in Mexico will be cleared up, and he’ll be able to continue with his mental health diversion” in California, Goldstein said.

A lingering question in the case is why Chávez was apparently allowed to travel freely between the United States and Mexico on several occasions despite a Mexican arrest warrant issued against him in March 2023.

On Jan. 4, 2025, according to the Department of Homeland Security, Chávez reentered the United States from Tijuana into San Diego via the San Ysidro port of entry. He was permitted in despite the pending Mexican arrest warrant and a U.S. determination just a few weeks earlier that Chávez represented “an egregious public safety threat,” the DHS stated in a July 3 news release revealing the boxer’s detention.

Homeland Security said that the Biden administration — which was still in charge at the time of Chávez’s January entry — had determined that the boxer “was not an immigration enforcement priority.”

While in training for the Paul match, Chávez spoke out publicly against President Trump’s ramped-up deportation agenda, which has sparked protests and denunciations across California. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he accused the administration of “attacking” Latinos.

Chávez told The Times: “I wouldn’t want to be deported.”

McDonnell reported from Mexico City and El Reda from Los Angeles. Special correspondent Cecilia Sánchez Vidal in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Antonio Campos carries the blood of his legendary father, former Galaxy and Mexican national team goalkeeper Jorge Campos. Perhaps more important, he carries his family’s resilience after they worked to recover from the loss of their home in the Palisades fire.

During Antonio Campos’ first season with the Cal State Fullerton soccer team, he seeks to write his own story and help his team win.

“Just being in college is a success. I feel blessed,” said Antonio, who is studying business while fighting for minutes as a Division I goalkeeper.

He was born in Los Angeles and grew up in the Pacific Palisades area, the second son of Jorge Campos and Canadian Marcy Raston. His sisters chose to focus on volleyball: Andrea, the eldest, recently signed with a professional club in France after a successful college career. Antonio, on the other hand, was torn between basketball and soccer. At Loyola High, he played point guard, although his height, at 6 feet, limited his minutes.

Antonio Campos stands besides his parents, Marcy Raston and Jorge Campos, while wearing Cal State Fullerton gear.

(Courtesy of Campos family)

“Michael Jordan inspired me to play several sports,” said Antonio, who also played baseball and volleyball.

Training sessions with his father during the COVID-19 pandemic led Antonio to eventually focus on soccer and the goalkeeper position.

“With my dad, everything is intense. Lots of training on the beach, reflexes, technique, cutting crosses. Things he did better than anyone else,” said Antonio, who does not shy away from his surname but does not want it to define him.

“I don’t feel pressure. I prefer to teach the values my father instilled in me,” Antonio said.

Galaxy goalkeeper Jorge Campos celebrates during a 1996 game against the San Jose Clash at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

(Getty Images)

He is part of the first generation in his family to attend college in the U.S. and he knows that his path extends beyond soccer.

In Mexico, Antonio also didn’t feel he had much of a future, as his own father, Jorge, criticized goalkeeper trainers in that country last year.

“It’s incredible that after 30 years, 40 years, we don’t have a modern goalkeeper, of that style, like Manuel Neuer, Ter Stegen,” Jorge said in a recent interview with ESPN.

Antonio was drawn to Cal State Fullerton as more than just a place to improve his soccer skills. The team’s philosophy, focused on service, ambition and personal development, resonated with him and his family.

“We emphasize being good people. If you go far, you’ll be better socially and culturally,” explained George Kuntz, the Titans’ veteran coach.

Antonio had had doubts about playing college soccer.

“I didn’t want to play at the university level because first-year goalkeepers hardly ever play,” he said.

However, he was assured that everyone would have real opportunities if they earned them through training.

Between the posts, he will have to fight for minutes against quality teammates Eoin Kennedy, Asger Hemmer and Emanuel Padilla. Fullerton opens the regular season on Thursday at Oral Roberts in Tulsa, Okla.

“I want to play, yes, but I also want my teammates to improve. It’s not just about me,” Antonio said.

In 2024, the Titans stood out for their offensive prowess, but they also ranked among the worst teams in the country in goals conceded. That’s why Fullerton reinforced its defense with four goalkeepers on the roster. Antonio is emerging as one of the promising players, with an athletic profile and an ambitious personality that has impressed the coaching staff.

“He’s brave, has good technique and is improving tactically,” Kuntz said.

Earlier this year, Antonio’s focus was pulled away from soccer by a family emergency.

In January, the Campos family home was one of more than 6,800 destroyed by the Palisades fire.

“We lost everything. I couldn’t get anything out,” said Antonio, who still gets emotional while talking about his family’s loss.

That day, he thought about going home, but he decided to go to soccer training after receiving a message from a friend. The change of plans kept him safe.

Antonio was accustomed to evacuations and didn’t worry about the nearby fires. But after learning that his home had burned down, the loss was both material and emotional.

“My mom was devastated. It was her first home in this country,” said Antonio, who highlighted his father’s strength.

“What surprised me was seeing my dad laughing and joking the next day. I never saw him cry. He set an example for us.”

Among the lost items, Antonio regrets he could not save a necklace that his uncle gave him before he died.

“He supported me when I quit basketball. He told me I was going to be a professional. It hurt me to lose that,” Antonio said.

However, the fire also brought the family closer together.

“The most important thing for me was that my family was safe,” Antonio said.

Now, the Campos family lives a few miles from Antonio’s new university while Antonio works to create his own story on the pitch — one that he hopes, like his father’s, can inspire others.

This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español.

Marius Borg Hoiby faces up to 10 years in prison after being charged with 32 criminal offences, including rape.

The son of Norway’s crown princess has been charged with raping four women, domestic violence, assault and other crimes following a yearlong police investigation, according to prosecutors.

Marius Borg Hoiby, 28, son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and stepson of the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, is expected to stand trial early next year and could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of the most serious charges, Oslo state attorney Sturla Henriksbo said on Monday.

Hoiby denies the most serious accusations against him but plans to plead guilty to some lesser charges in court when the trial starts, his lawyer Petar Sekulic told the Reuters news agency.

“He does not agree with the claims regarding rape and domestic violence,” Sekulic said of his client.

Hoiby was charged on Monday with 32 criminal offences, including one count of rape with sexual intercourse and three counts of rape without intercourse, some of which he filmed on his telephone, the prosecution said.

Henriksbo estimates the trial could begin in mid-January and take about six weeks.

Hoiby does not have a royal title and is outside the line of royal succession.

“It is up to the courts to hear this case and to reach a decision,” the royal palace said in a statement.

The prosecutor said Hoiby, as a member of the royal family, would not be treated “more lightly or more severely” than anyone else in similar circumstances.

Domestic abuse

Police in November last year held Hoiby in detention for one week as part of the investigation.

In August of last year, Hoiby was named as a suspect of physical assault against a woman with whom he had been in a relationship – the only victim identified by the prosecution, Nora Haukland.

“The violence consisted, among other things, of him repeatedly hitting her in the face, including with a clenched fist, choking her, kicking her and grabbing her hard,” the prosecutor said.

Hoiby, in a statement to the media at the time, admitted to causing bodily harm to the woman while he was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol and of damaging her apartment. He had stated then that he regretted his actions.

According to media reports, he spent time with gang members, Hells Angels bikers and members of Oslo’s Albanian mafia. In 2023, police contacted him to discuss his hangouts with “notorious criminals”.

It emerged last year that Hoiby had already been arrested in 2017 for using cocaine at a music festival.

Aug. 18 (UPI) — The wife of slain NYPD officer Didarul Islam, who was among four people killed in a mass shooting last month, has given birth to the couple’s third son.

New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced baby Arham’s arrival Monday. Tisch said New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined Islam’s widow, Jamila Akhter, at Mount Sinai Hospital on Sunday night after she went into labor.

“Out of tragedy, a new life has entered this world,” Tisch said. “Arham joins his two big brothers, Ahyan and Azhaan.

“Together, they will carry forward their father’s legacy of service and courage — a legacy the NYPD will guard and uphold with the same devotion Didar gave to this city. Jamila, Ahyan, Azhaan, and now, Arham will forever be part of the NYPD family.”

NYPD officer Didarul Islam was killed July 28, while working security inside the New York City skyscraper, which houses the corporate offices of the National Football League and Blackstone. Islam was the first to be struck inside the lobby, where the suspect shot several other people before heading to the elevator. On the 33rd floor, the suspect shot another person and then himself.

Islam, 36, was a three-and-a-half-year veteran of the department and an immigrant from Bangladesh. During his funeral at a Bronx mosque three days later, New York’s police commissioner promoted Islam to detective, as thousands of officers and mourners lined the streets.

Since the deadly shooting, two online fundraisers on behalf of Islam’s family have raised nearly $500,000 to help care for Islam’s wife and three sons. A GoFundMe has raised nearly $80,000, while another fundraiser by several law enforcement and NYPD organizations has received more than $416,000.

“I know how special Arham’s birth is for this family that is still dealing with heartbreak after losing their hero,” Adams said in a post on X. “Rest in peace, Det. Islam. Your legacy lives on in your beautiful family.”

The Foothill League doesn’t have to take a back seat to any league when it comes to tradition and success, from producing state champions to being the league where Hall of Fame coaches Harry Welch and Mike Herrington once saw huge success.

All seven schools that are part of the William S. Hart Union High School District took part Saturday in the first Foothill League media day at Saugus High. There’s much to admire about the league, including that all seven schools have athletic trainers and six of the seven head coaches are also full-time teachers.

Hart, Canyon and Valencia have produced their share of NFL players. And this season, Valencia has the talent to make a run in Southern Section Division 2 or 3 with the return of running back Brian Bonner, a Washington commit, and quarterback Brady Bretthauer.

Coach Larry Muir is entering his 20th season as head coach and still teaching four classes of U.S. history each day. “He’s a lot nicer in the classroom,” Bretthauer joked. “He picks on the football player.”

Bretthauer also revealed how he motivates his linemen to block. “If I get sacked, no In-N-Out,” he said.

Even though Muir is challenged daily to balance his time and commitment from teaching to coaching football, Muir said he wouldn’t want it any other way. “I love being in the classroom,” he said. “I literally don’t feel I go to work. “

The rivalries in the league guarantee the sports-crazed Santa Clarita Valley weekly entertainment. About the only issue is a lack of stadiums. Canyon and Valencia have stadiums and College of the Canyons also hosts games.

“It’s playoffs every week,” Golden Valley coach Dan Kelley said. “There are no slouches.”

Golden Valley will have a four-year starter in lineman Evan Nye, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound senior.

Castaic is turning to junior Aidan Mojica, a former tight end, as its new quarterback. There’s a promising sophomore linebacker in Lucas Duryea, who will be eligible at the end of September after transferring from Chaminade.

West Ranch has a first-year head coach in TJ Yonkers. Its top returning defensive player is Max Piccolino, who had 15 1/2 sacks last season.

Carson Soria, a former receiver, is moving to quarterback for Canyon. He’s also the punter, so beware of trick plays.

Hart quarterback Jacob Paisano will be trying to get the ball to junior Matix Frithsmith in a variety ways, whether Frithsmith is playing running back or slot receiver. Two of Hart’s players are the sons of principal Jason D’Autremont.

Saugus has the son of Valencia principal Kullen Welch playing for them, which should make for an interesting game when those two schools play. Beckham Welch is an offensive lineman for the Centurions.

Saugus coach Jason Bornn, who organized the media day, wondered how many championships would be won if the talent in the area was concentrated at one or two schools rather than seven.

“If we only had one or two high schools, Mater Dei and St. John Bosco wouldn’t have a chance,” he said.

At USC, Stafon Johnson was a running back. As the football coach at his alma mater, Dorsey, he has continued to preach running the football — until now. He finally has a promising quarterback, sophomore Elijah McDaniel, so look for the Dons to run and pass.

“I haven’t had a quarterback in many moons,” Johnson said.

He also has his son, Deuce, playing receiver, so Dorsey will strive to be more balanced.

The Dons have a huge opening game on Aug. 28, playing Carson in a game that could have implications for the City Section Open Division playoffs weeks away.

“I really like how we’re doing,” Johnson said. “We’re still a young team. The core is 10th and 11th graders, but they played last season.”

All-City defensive back Mahki McCluster returns to lead the defense.

Perhaps Deuce has been lobbying Dad to throw more.

Whatever the reason, look for Dorsey to have the option of passing a lot more this season.

New York City native Kevin Mares was killed Sunday in the La Perla neigborhood of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The 25-year-old was visiting the island to see a Bad Bunny concert.

Mares was fatally shot in the early morning hours, outside of a nightclub called Shelter for Mistreated Men. The shooting took place when several people near Mares began arguing and one pulled out a gun and shot at least three people, the Associated Press reported.

Homicide detective Sgt. Arnaldo Ruiz told the AP that Mares was an innocent bystander in the situation and that a pair of siblings from La Perla remain hospitalized after being shot. No arrests have yet been made.

Mares was joined by his girlfriend and two friends in Puerto Rico. It was his partner who ended up delivering the news of his death to Mares’ parents.

“I said, ‘What happened?’ She said, ‘I’m sorry. We lost him,’ ” Hector Mares, Kevin’s father, told CBS News New York.

“Whoever did this, took from us a piece of us, you know?” Kevin’s mother, Sandra Mares, added.

A longtime Bad Bunny fan, Mares and his friends were consistently in attendance of the “La Mudanza” singer’s concerts and had been prepping for their San Juan trip for months.

“Every time Bad Bunny comes here, they go to most all of his concerts,” Sandra Mares said.

Mares — whose parents are originally from Mexico — was born and raised in the East Elmhurst neighborhood of Queens and was studying to be a veterinarian at LaGuardia Community College.

“He got a lot of dreams. He was working as a vet technician. And at the same time he was studying,” his father told ABC 7 New York.

“He was about to propose to [his girlfriend] this fall. Yeah. He wanted to do something special. He shared that with us,” his mother added. “He was a lovely son. He cared about all of us, his family, friends. He has a lot of friends who’s really going to miss him, too.”

Now, the Mares family is asking for anyone with information about the shooter and more specifics about the incident to please step forward.

“What we’re asking the people is, if anybody knows what happened, who did this, [to say something],” his mother told CBS. “We don’t know [anything]. We want justice.”

The family is currently making efforts toward having Mares’ body returned home, but it remains in Puerto Rico as the investigation into his death is still ongoing.

Kevin’s father started a GoFundMe to raise enough money — the campaign’s target is currently $50,000 — to plan Kevin’s funeral arrangements.

“Kevin Mares was a deeply loved son, devoted friend, and a source of inspiration to everyone who knew him. His wholehearted kindness, adventurous spirit, and unwavering commitment to family made him a pillar of strength for his loved ones,” the GofundMe page states. “Family was at the center of everything he did, and his sudden passing has left an unfillable void in our lives. … Your support will help us honor Kevin’s memory and give him the farewell he deserves.”

Pamela Warner, the mother of late “Cosby Show” star Malcolm-Jamal Warner, looked beyond loss and offered some comfort to his fans as she broke her silence about his sudden death in July.

The elder Warner created an Instagram page dedicated to her son’s legacy and on Friday released a contemplative and lengthy statement saying the actor-musician “was at peace and more importantly, he did not suffer.” Warner, who was best known for his portrayal of clean-cut Theodore Huxtable, drowned while swimming in the Caribbean off Costa Rica. He was 54.

Pamela Warner reflected on her son’s accomplishments in TV, music and his personal life, honoring her son as a “kind, loving man with a huge heart for humanity” and an “exceptional” family man. In addition to his mother, the actor is survived by his wife and daughter.

“Malcolm left an indelible mark on the world and on countless hearts,” she wrote. “All who met him, however briefly, were better for the encounter.”

While she mourned the loss of her “teacher, coach, confidant, business partner, and best friend,” Pamela Warner also reflected on giving birth to him more than 50 years ago. She said she felt “blessed that he chose me to be his mother, to come into the world through the waters of my womb.” She went on to offer a full-circle perspective on her son’s death.

“Malcolm was birthed through water and he transitioned through water,” she wrote. “He departed as he arrived, through water. This was his time. His mission on earth had been completed.”

The Emmy-nominated actor was on vacation with his family at the time of his death. He was swimming when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean. The Red Cross in Costa Rica said its first responders also tended to another man caught in the same current that claimed Warner’s life. The patient, whose identity was not disclosed, survived. First responders found Warner without vital signs, and he was taken to the morgue.

Pamela Warner’s statement joins the collection of tributes honoring her son’s life. Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s co-stars including Bill Cosby, Geoffrey Owens and Raven-Symoné and, more recently, Keshia Knight Pulliam have mourned his death.

“A week ago I lost my big brother but I gained an angel,” Pulliam said of her TV brother on social media.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner was a multi-faceted entertainer who in addition to acting also pursued a Grammy-winning music career. After his time on “The Cosby Show” he also directed episodes for several other TV shows. Warner’s mother’s statement acknowledged his reach, encouraging his fans and loved ones to “Hold close to whatever part of Malcolm’s life that touched yours.”

Her statement concluded: “In keeping it near, you keep his spirit alive — nourishing you with the peace, love, joy and light that embodied Malcolm-Jamal Warner.”

A BRITISH grandad accused of trying to drown his daughter-in-law pleaded with cops that he is not in a relationship with her, The Sun can reveal.

Family sources claim Mark Gibbon, 62, has secretly been dating Jasmine Wyld – the mother of his grandchildren – for years.

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He was arrested last week and charged with attempted murder after allegedly forcing her head underwater at a Florida resort pool during a row over his will.

But despite reports of a love affair, both Gibbon and Wyld, 33, denied to cops they were a couple.

Polk County Sheriff’s Office told The Sun the pair had been quizzed on the status of their relationship.

A detective asked Gibbon and mum-of-two Wyld “about their relationship to determine if the incident would be classified as domestic violence”.

They both denied being in a romantic relationship, however.

It comes after a family source told the Daily Mail how the pair had grown close after Gibbon split from his partner and Wyld split from his son Alex.

The insider claimed: “Mark and Jasmine have been seeing each other for a few years, but they’ve never admitted it.

“[The couple] do an awful lot together and they go away on holiday with the children a couple of times every year.”

Gibbon is divorced from his wife and lives alone at a £800,000 semi-detached home in Beaconsfield he purchased in 2023.

Wyld – a hairdresser – separated from Gibbon’s son Alex, 34, back in 2021.

They share two young children together.

Just two years after they separated, Alex, 34, was jailed for trying to run over his dad in a £80,000 Porsche Cayenne in Beaconsfield, Bucks.

As well as assaulting his father, Alex also pleaded guilty to harassing ex-wife Wyld.

Alex was sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court to 25 months in jail, a 36-month disqualification from driving, a five-year restraining order, plus a surcharge.

The dad was released from jail around six months ago and went to move in with his mum, who had divorced Gibbon some years earlier.

Alex and his father also became embroiled in a public row in 2023 after Alex left his dad’s business for an unknown reason.

The family source confirmed that Alex and Gibbon no longer speak.

They added: “He feels an awful betrayal at how his dad has struck up a relationship with the mother of his two children.”

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Gibbon – a lighting technician, who runs his own firm called MRG Lighting – is now being held in Polk County Jail and is due in court next week over the attempted murder charge levelled against him.

He and Wyld were on holiday at the Solterra Resort in Devenport, near Disney World, Florida with Wyld’s two children – Gibbon’s grandkids.

The reported couple started arguing over the “stipulations of his wilL” while by the pool, according to US police.

Gibbon then pushed Wyld’s head “under the water and held her down multiple times”, the arrest affidavit claims.

The mum told cops she “could not breathe and believed that she was going to drown”.

Police say Wyld was forced to “fight Mark in order to get away from him and from under the water but he kept pushing her back under”.

Her nine-year-old daughter then leapt to her mother’s defence but was pushed away by Gibbon, it is claimed.

Wyld is reported to have called out to two women in the distance and screamed at them to call 911.

Gibbon now faces one count of attempted murder and two counts of battery.

When questioned, Gibbon allegedly admitted to pushing Jasmine underwater, but insisted he hadn’t been trying to drown her.

The grandad is due in court on Monday.

Already the home of Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles is now also the home of South Korea’s Shohei Ohtani.

Like Ohtani, Son Heung-min has been the most popular athlete in his home country by a wide margin for close to a decade. Like Ohtani, Son has a pleasant disposition that has endeared him to people from a wide range of backgrounds.

Son was introduced as the latest addition to LAFC at a news conference on Wednesday at BMO Stadium, and he was everything he was made out to be.

He came across as sincere.

He was warm.

He was funny.

“I’m here to win,” Son said. “I will perform and definitely show you some exciting …

“Are we calling it football or soccer?”

None of this means Son will turn LAFC into the Dodgers overnight, of course. By this point, Major League Soccer and its teams understand that profile players aren’t transformative figures as much as they are building blocks. Son will be the newest, and perhaps most solid, block that will be stacked on the foundation established by the club’s first designated player, the now-retired Carlos Vela.

Outside of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, there might not be a player in the world who could be of a greater value than Son to LAFC, which continues to fight for relevance on multiple fronts. There was a reason the transfer fee paid by LAFC to Tottenham Hotspur of England was the highest in MLS history, a reported $26 million.

“Son’s arrival marks a new chapter, not just for LAFC but for the league and for football in the United States,” general manager John Thorrington said. “He brings not only incredible quality on the field but a magnetic presence off it, someone who inspires millions around the world and now will do so here in Los Angeles.”

The most talented Mexican player of his generation, Vela forged an immediate connection with the community, carving out a place for LAFC in the congested Los Angeles sports market. Son will do the same, as this city is home to a large Korean community.

Supporters of Mexico’s national soccer team also share a fondness of Son because of a late goal he scored against Germany in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup, which enabled El Tri to advance to the round of 16.

More than ethnic background, Vela’s success with LAFC was driven by performance. Son is expected to deliver on that front as well. Son might be 33, but he remains a world-class attacker. He should be one of MLS’ best players from the moment he steps on the field, if not the best after Messi of Inter Miami.

“We can say I’m old, but I still have good physicality, good legs and still I have good quality,” Son said.

South Korean national team Son Heung-min poses for a photo with his new LAFC jersey.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

LAFC has become a model franchise in MLS not just because of how it markets itself. The club makes smart soccer decisions and Son is the latest.

What will distinguish Son from Vela is the opportunity he will present LAFC to build its global brand.

“From the early days of building this club, we’ve dreamt of building a club that would win trophies and make a major positive impact in our community and Los Angeles, but also make a mark on the world stage of global football,” lead managing owner Bennett Rosenthal said.

As much success as it has enjoyed domestically, as much attention as it received for participating in the recent Club World Cup, LAFC doesn’t have as much international name recognition as Inter Miami, which employs Messi; or the Galaxy, for which David Beckham played; or even the New York Cosmos, which made its name by signing Pele in the 1970s.

Son played 10 seasons with Tottenham, and by one estimate, the club had 12 million supporters in South Korea — or about one in four people in the country. Koreans traveled to London to watch Son play for Tottenham, just as many Japanese people travel to watch Ohtani at Dodger Stadium. Korean companies sponsored the Spurs.

The eyes of South Korea have shifted to LAFC. The team scheduled Son’s introductory news conference for 2 p.m. local time — or 6 a.m. in South Korea. An estimated 40 Korean journalists were issued credentials to cover the event.

Son acknowledged that as he prepared for life after Tottenham, LAFC was “not my first choice.” A conversation with Thorrington after the season changed his mind.

“He showed me the destination where I should be,” Son said.

Son attended LAFC’s Leagues Cup victory over Tigres of Mexico on Tuesday night and received a loud ovation when he was shown on the video scoreboard.

“It was just insane,” he said. “I just wanted to run into the pitch.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass presents new LAFC star Son Heung-min with a certificate of recognition during an introductory news conference on Wednesday.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

Son will be reunited with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, his former teammate at Tottenham.

“He’s back to [being] my captain,” Son said. “So I have to say something good about him because otherwise in the locker room, he’s just going to kill me.”

Son laughed.

His personality will play in Los Angeles, just as it did in London. He will make LAFC a known commodity in South Korea, perhaps beyond. He will further enhance a structure that was built by Vela, ensuring the team’s next star will have an even greater platform on which to perform. He won’t be as prominent locally as Ohtani or Luka Doncic, but he doesn’t have to be.

Son Heung-min left the Spurs squad on their tour of his native South Korea on Tuesday to fly to Los Angeles.

Son Heung-min has agreed to a contract with Los Angeles FC, finalizing his move to Major League Soccer (MLS) after a decade at Tottenham Hotspur.

The 33-year-old South Korean superstar forward is joining LAFC three days after he formally announced his decision to leave Tottenham.

Son attended LAFC’s Leagues Cup match against Tigres at BMO Stadium on Tuesday night, watching from a luxury suite. LAFC will formally introduce Son at a news conference Wednesday, but the club showed the forward on the stadium video board late in the first half as he waved to roaring fans thrilled by their team’s landmark acquisition.

LAFC, a deep-pocketed club with significant team success in its first eight seasons of existence, reportedly paid a transfer fee of more than $20m, which could end up being the most ever for an MLS move.

Son was a beloved presence at Spurs, scoring 173 goals in 454 competitive appearances for the North London club, while rising to global prominence with his combination of speed, playmaking skill and finishing acumen.

The captain was given a memorable farewell last week in Seoul during Tottenham’s exhibition match against Newcastle, getting a guard of honour from both teams and tearfully exiting in the second half while nearly 65,000 fans roared.

But South Korea’s most popular athlete – and almost certainly the greatest Asian soccer player in history – has chosen an auspicious stage for the next chapter of his ground-breaking career.

Los Angeles has the world’s largest ethnic Korean population outside Korea, with the city’s vibrant Koreatown district sitting just a couple of kilometres (miles) from LAFC’s BMO Stadium.

LAFC is undoubtedly hoping to market Son as a soccer counterpart to the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, albeit on a smaller scale. Ohtani, the three-time MLB MVP from Japan who is on a trajectory to become the greatest Asian player in baseball history, draws fans from across the Pacific Rim to Dodger Stadium while attracting millions in sponsorships and partnerships for the Dodgers.

Son’s move to California also puts him in a position to have an effect on and off the field at the World Cup, which will be held across North America in 2026. Son, the captain of his national team, has already said he will play in his fourth World Cup.

After leading Tottenham to its first European trophy in decades by winning the Europa League in May, in a fitting cap to his English career, Son will go straight into the MLS Cup race when he suits up for his new club. LAFC currently sits sixth in the Western Conference at 10-6-6, but with multiple games in hand on every team ahead of it due to its participation in the Club World Cup.

Son’s seven Premier League goals last season were his fewest since his Tottenham debut, but he still appears to have the pace and skill necessary to be a difference-maker at any level. He also turned 33 only a month ago, putting him on the younger end of the global stars recently arriving in MLS.

Lionel Messi and Marco Reus were 35 and Luis Suarez was 37 when they went stateside in recent years, while Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris were both 37 when they joined LAFC last year.

Son will be reunited in Los Angeles with longtime Tottenham teammate Lloris, who has been outstanding since becoming LAFC’s goalkeeper last season.

High-scoring French forward Denis Bouanga is the only designated player currently under contract for LAFC, and general manager John Thorrington has been criticised by some fans for not using the full power of his financial resources this season. LAFC spent months on an ultimately failed attempt to get France’s Antoine Griezmann to leave Atletico Madrid.

Bouanga and Son have both thrived on the left wing during their careers, but Son likely has more positional versatility than Bouanga, making him a candidate to line up in the middle or even on the right wing.

Son seems to be an infinitely better fit for LAFC than Giroud, who moved to Lille last month after one disappointing year in California. LAFC plays a counterattacking, speed-based style that didn’t suit Giroud’s goal-scoring strengths, while Son should be right at home in such a system.

But LAFC could also alter its style in the winter, after coach Steve Cherundolo departs for Germany following four largely successful seasons highlighted by an MLS Cup championship.