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| ReutersYonhap News |
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'Son National' Son Heung-min (Tottenham) built another golden tower.
Son Heung-min started in the 31st round of the English Premier League in the 2024-2025 season against Southampton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on the 6th (Korea time). The match was Son Heung-min's 450th game in Tottenham's uniform. Tottenham's official SNS captioned the photo 'Son Heung-min became the seventh player to play the most games ever for Tottenham.'Sonny hit another milestone' The BBC also said Son Heung-min played his 450th game at Tottenham.
Son Heung-min, who recently beat Hugo Lloris (447 games), has advanced to 450 games. Starting with Steve Perryman (854 games), who is the No. 1 player in history, Gary Marbot (611 games), Pat Jennings (590 games), Cyril Knowles (506 games), and Glenn Hoddle (490 games) are in the same ranks as Tottenham's legends. Son Heung-min is expected to catch up with Ted DeChivan (452 games) who is ranked sixth soon. Son Heung-min is already enough to be recognized as a Living Legend by ranking No. 1 in Tottenham's all-time assistance, but he left a clear impact with his achievements.
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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However, despite such a milestone, Son Heung-min was under fire for his disappointing performance. Son Heung-min played a relatively short time in preparation for the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals against Frankfurt on the 11th. Son Heung-min, who left the ground for 57 minutes, recorded one shot, one key pass, one dribble, four ball matches, and an 82% pass success rate. In the first goal scene, he did his part by connecting a starting pass to Jed Spence, but the local media poured out harsh criticism. The BBC said 'It was surprisingly quiet' and Tottenham Hotspur News said 'Son Heung-min must be excluded if coach Enze Postecoglou wants to avoid being replaced'
Son Heung-min's silence is prolonged, and the league's double-digit scoring streak from the 2015-2016 season is on the verge of being cut off. Son has seven goals and nine assists in the league this season. With just three goals and one assist, he will not only score double-digit points but also succeed in joining the 10-10 for the fourth time in his career. Only four players have achieved 10-10, including Mohamed Salah (6 times), Wayne Rooney (5 times), Eric Cantona and Frank Lampard (4 times) in the EPL.
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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The problem is the recent trend. Son Heung-min has been silent for nearly two months since scoring his seventh goal on a penalty kick against Bournemouth on the 10th of last month. In particular, there has been only one field goal in the last 14 games. The last field goal goes back to the match against Arsenal in January. Most of Son's offensive points in this season were scored in the first half of the season. There were fewer crosses and shots, as well as attempts to break through. He lamented that he was less willing to attack.
Son Heung-min scored multiple goals in the Europa League against Hoffenheim in January, reaching double-digit goals for the season. According to the BBC, Son became the only active player in the EPL to score more than 10 goals in all competitions in nine seasons. What's left is the league. There are seven games left. As Son Heung-min is good at driving, if he catches fire just once, he can step on the unprecedented mark of double-digit scores for 10 consecutive seasons. I just hope coach Enze Postecoglou will use him a little more aggressively.
Meanwhile, Tottenham won 3-1 on the day. Tottenham attempted a cross to the center in the 13th minute of the first half by Spence, who received Son Heung-min's pass. Brennan Johnson finished by jumping in. In the 42nd minute, Dominic Solanke was in contention and connected to James Maddison. Johnson turned Madison's header pass superbly.
Matheus Fernandez allowed a chase goal in the 45th minute of the second half, but Matistel succeeded in Johnson's penalty just before the end. Tottenham, which won in five games, jumped to 13th place.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
