‘Cheers, Son’s crying’ was the meme that continuously adopted Heung-Min Son’s Tottenham profession. As an alternative, it was these across the South Korean who had been in tears final week.
Because the full-time whistle went in Seoul on Sunday, the feelings spilled out as Tottenham’s captain appeared for the ultimate time in Spurs colors.
Ben Davies, who named Son because the godfather of his baby Ralph, was crying on the departure of his buddy. Different team-mates confirmed their feelings – however even the Spurs media workers cried on the sector, forward of the 33-year-old beginning his new journey at LAFC.
Besides Son was not simply Tottenham’s captain and chief. “Sonny is Tottenham and Tottenham is Sonny,” stated James Maddison earlier than his team-mate’s finale. In a decade on the membership, Son wove himself into the hearts of the Spurs: gamers, workers, supporters – and even rivals.
Firstly, there was Son the participant – and he departs the Premier League as one of many all-time greats to grace it from overseas. “The most effective gamers who has ever performed within the Premier League as a winger, in my view,” stated Thomas Frank as Son introduced his departure.
The numbers make it laborious to argue with that. If Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne are the 2 standout Premier League gamers of the final decade, then Son might make the argument that he’s in third or fourth place in that listing.
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Son even ended his Premier League profession with extra objective contributions than De Bruyne, who spent precisely the identical variety of years in England’s top-flight because the South Korean.
And the targets Son scored through the years had been memorable too. He scored the primary of Spurs’ new period within the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium towards Crystal Palace. His Golden Boot-winning marketing campaign was signed off with a double at Norwich, which noticed the house followers give him a standing ovation off the sector.
There have been additionally 9 north London derby strikes towards Arsenal.
In Europe, he scored twice within the opening 10 minutes at Manchester Metropolis in a Champions League quarter-final second-leg tie in April 2019. Harry Kane was lacking with harm that night time, however Son stepped up and Spurs memorably progressed on away targets.
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Following the information that he shall be leaving Tottenham, Son reveals what had been his favorite Premier League targets for Spurs
Son’s partnership with Kane was one other key issue of the fashionable Spurs period. The duo hit record-breaking heights in north London.
The Premier League has seen many memorable partnerships down the years. Shearer and Sutton, Henry and Bergkamp, Silva and Aguero, Drogba and Lampard. However none had been a greater double act than Son and Kane.
The pair mixed for 47 Premier League targets, smashing Drogba and Lampard’s file by 11 strikes. Their 14 set-ups for each other within the 2020/21 marketing campaign can also be an unmatched Premier League feat.
Have been it not for the 32 targets arrange by Son, Kane would additionally not be Spurs’ all-time file goalscorer. It proves how instrumental the South Korean was to the Spurs period, but additionally to their star striker.
How Kane and Son are remembered at Spurs individually creates some debate. Sure, Kane was the generational goalscorer who fired the group to relative success. However Son will all the time be remembered because the one who stayed. The one who would later information the group to the trophy he craved, on this yr’s Europa League.
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No two gamers have mixed for extra Premier League targets than Harry Kane and Son – this is a have a look at each time Son set the England captain up
In reality, Son was the one member of the 2019 Champions League last group who was on the membership final season. He’s the one one out of that group, Mauricio Pochettino included, who delivered a trophy for the membership.
Amid rumours over Kane’s future for years, Son by no means approached the Spurs board asking for a approach out himself. He in all probability had each proper, given he scored 40 Premier League targets within the two seasons both facet of the summer season the place Kane was pursued by Manchester Metropolis. However his dedication to Spurs all the time resonated properly with the membership’s fanbase.
‘He is good, so good’
It brings us on to the subsequent a part of Son’s legacy that leaves with him. The human being.
Son all the time had a humility about him proper from when he entered Spurs. The winger initially suffered from homesickness upon arriving in England. “He struggled to settle,” stated Pochettino again in 2016.
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Listed here are our picks of Son’s finest Premier League targets as he reached the landmark of 100 targets within the competitors
The shut friendships he solid with the likes of Davies, Dele Alli and defender Kevin Wimmer helped him pull by means of, and the function of Pochettino was vital too.
Son’s first full season in England didn’t fare properly, a lot in order that the South Korean requested to depart in the summertime of 2016.
Pochettino responded by placing Son within the group for the 2016/17 marketing campaign, with Son instantly paying again the belief. He fired Spurs to their finest begin to a season in 50, earlier than serving to them end as runners-up that time period.
“I am impressed with him as a person in addition to a footballer,” added Pochettino. “He is a really good particular person and the way he works is spectacular.” Others within the media would discover that out too.
Any interview with Son would see the South Korean all the time shake the palms of each particular person within the room. He all the time appeared to know the sacrifices individuals made to fulfill him. Even at his arrival in Los Angeles this week, Son spent greater than an hour signing autographs.
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Tons of of followers gathered to say farewell to Son as he departed South Korea for Los Angeles forward of his anticipated transfer to LAFC
There was additionally the story of when Son first got here to England and noticed a neighbour was throwing a household party. He turned as much as introduce himself – and he would then forge shut relationships with those that lived round him, irrespective of their background.
It might be no completely different when Son changed Kane as Spurs captain. He would show to be a sounding board for any new participant, his generosity extending to serving to others settle in. In spite of everything, Son had struggled himself.
“He is good, so good,” stated Pape Sarr to Sky Sports activities throughout his first season on the membership. “Even when I say one thing unsuitable (in English), he tries to know it to place me comfortable.
“Because the first day I met him, we acquired on. We’ve got a very good friendship, he helps me rather a lot and provides recommendation on the pitch and off it. I respect that rather a lot and he is one among my favourites within the group.”
However Son can be no extra well-liked than in his native South Korea. The ahead’s spell on the membership allowed Spurs to faucet into the East Asian nation on a business stage. There, Son is considered a rock star.
That was even seen in England, with South Korean flags not solely at each single Tottenham recreation – however a major variety of supporters from the nation would even queue outdoors the membership’s coaching floor each day, only for a glimpse of their hero.
Spurs could have retrieved the overwhelming majority of the £22m the membership paid for him again in 2015, however Son paid off that payment a very long time in the past. He has left a singular presence on the Spurs squad throughout his decade on the membership.
None extra so than being the participant to raise the trophy to finish the 17-year drought. The right ending.
How do Spurs change Son?
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Watch Son announce he’ll go away Tottenham Hotspur after 10 years on the membership. Warning: Flash Pictures
Whereas Son’s presence as a pacesetter will take some changing, how the group fill his objective contributions shall be an instantaneous concern for head coach Thomas Frank.
Even in Son’s last season, which noticed him dip in ranges for the primary time in a Spurs shirt, he nonetheless registered 17 targets and assists final time period. No Spurs participant managed extra.
There’s a wider context too. Second in that listing was James Maddison, who might miss the beginning of the marketing campaign after being stretchered off in Son’s last recreation in Seoul towards Newcastle. Dejan Kulusevski, who acquired 15 objective contributions final time period, can also be working his approach again to health after knee surgical procedure in Might.
Spurs have recruited Mohammed Kudus from West Ham this summer season, however the assault will want bolstering even additional.
Frank’s curiosity in a No 10 is clear by means of the failed pursuit in Morgan Gibbs-White, who was the topic of a £60m strategy from the north London membership.
The accidents to Maddison and Kulusevski have heightened the necessity for a participant in that place, however will a winger be required to interchange Son?
Frank was coy about that out in South Korea, hinting that an inner substitute is extra probably by means of Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert or Mathys Tel, who the Dane admitted whereas on pre-season tour is extra of a winger than a striker.
With Cristian Romero set to step in as captain, how Spurs change Son may very well be one of many most important speaking factors after they start a brand new period below Frank.
Sky Sports activities to point out 215 reside PL video games from this season
From this season, Sky Sports activities’ Premier League protection will improve from 128 matches to not less than 215 video games completely reside.
And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League video games this season are on Sky Sports activities.
