Right time for Premier League legend Son to leave
Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min poses ahead of a friendly match against Newcastle United at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
It was either going to be this summer or next, but it turned out to be this. Son Heung-min’s decade at Tottenham Hotspur and the English Premier League is coming to an end. It has been a glorious 10 years and, in truth, it couldn’t have ended better.
First, there was the fact the captain lifted the club’s first trophy in 17 years in May — arguably their biggest triumph since 1991 — as Spurs won the Europa League in the Spanish city of Bilbao, beating Manchester United.
It was a dreadful game but a magical evening for all fans of the North London club. It ended a poor season for both Tottenham, who finished, incredibly, 17th — just one place above the relegation zone — and for the player. Son struggled for form and fitness, scoring just seven goals in the league. Some thought he would stay for one more season to help the club in the UEFA Champions League. It was not to be.
It is surely for the best. With new coach Thomas Frank coming in, it was uncertain how much time Son, now 33 and not as fast as he once was, would have had on the field. It is better to leave on a high, with the trophy win still fresh, and enjoy Sunday’s emotional farewell, when 65,000 fans at Seoul World Cup Stadium as well as players from Tottenham and Newcastle United paid tribute to the South Korean.
Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min acknowledges the crowd after a friendly match against Newcastle United at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
As soccer games go, it was emotional with smiles and tears. “Spurs will always be in my heart and the boys will always be in my history books,” Son said. “They’ve gone so fast, the 10 years. I can only think about the beautiful moments, amazing moments.”
There were so many of those. He scored 173 goals in 454 games for Spurs after arriving in London from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015. It took a little time to settle, but once he did, Son became a legend. As well as winning the Puskas Award — given to the best goal in the world each year — in 2020, he was named team captain, a major achievement for an Asian player. His performances have changed the perception of Korean and Asian soccer players. Here was an exciting attacker scoring against some of the best defenders and goalkeepers in the most popular league in the world, and largely regarded as the best in the world.
It seems as if Son will go to Los Angeles, which makes sense as the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held there next summer. Still, it will be strange to watch the Premier League without Son, who has been one of the best-known faces in the competition for years, for fans in both England and South Korea.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Korean captain Son Heung-min, who is set to leave the Premier League club this summer, hugs Korean teammate Yang Min-hyeok after being substituted during a friendly match against Newcastle United at Seoul World Cup Stadium, Sunday. Yonhap
Park Seung-soo is at Newcastle United and Yang Min-hyeok is at Tottenham, but both youngsters are some time away from regular minutes. Hwang Hee-chan may not last the season at Wolverhampton Wanderers, so it could be Lee Kang-in, currently at Paris Saint-Germain, who becomes the next major Korean player to go to the Premier League.
Whatever happens, it will not be the same without Son Heung-min, but it was still the right time for a legend of the Premier League to leave it.