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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| APYonhap News |
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Tributes continue to be made to Son Heung-min (33), who ended his 10-year companionship with Tottenham Hotspur.
The BBC, a British public broadcaster known for its strictness, also joined the ranks. On the 3rd (Korea Standard Time), the BBC cited the remarks of Tottenham legend and former teammates in a special article titled 「10 years Son Heung-min spent at Tottenham」 to shed light on his footsteps.
BBC said Son Heung-min, who moved from Leverkusen (Germany) to Tottenham and scored 173 goals in 454 games in 10 years, will move on to a new stage. When he joined Tottenham in 2015 at the age of 23, his transfer fee was 22.5 million pounds (41.5 billion won), the highest among the Asian players.' Son said goodbye three months after beating Manchester United in the Europa League final to give him the major championship trophy his team had been looking forward to for 17 years. Mickey Hazard, who lifted the FA Cup and UEFA Cup for Tottenham in 1984, said `Son Heung-min will always be revered at Tottenham.' Hazard said "In fact, when Son first joined the team, I didn't know who he was. But now, 10 years later, Son Heung-min is leaving behind a legend at Spurs." "Son Heung-min asked for a handshake after winning the Europa League, saying, 'I'm a legend now, too.'" Despite having done a lot at Tottenham over the past decade, he didn't believe he was a legend until he lifted the trophy. It says a lot about his character."
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| APYonhap News |
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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Son Heung-min, who grew up as Tottenham captain, continued his dedication. Even in the journey between Tottenham and the national team, he devoted himself to the team without showing any signs of exhaustion and played the role of captain. After the recent pre-season game against Arsenal in Hong Kong, he also elevated the atmosphere by putting the captain's armband on his teammates who expected to break up. The BBC said Son will be remembered as an amazing player both on and off the field by his teammates, adding that when he went on a pre-season tour with Tottenham players in 2022, Son treated the entire team with a Korean BBQ at his own expense and gave a gift to commemorate his visit to Korea.
England Premier League, the best stage in the world. It was a series of challenges for Son. The BBC also revealed an episode in which `Son Heung-min rejected the offer of Mauricio Pochettino, who was at the helm of Southampton at the time, in 2013`. "Tottenham fans have been fond of Son Heung-min, a good image while doing his best on the field," he said. "When a young boy who stormed the ground after winning the League Cup against West Ham in 2021 was surrounded by security guards, he ran to him and handed him his shirt off."
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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The BBC seems quite surprised by the popularity of Son Heung-min, an icon of Korean soccer. In Korea, there is a TV program that collects Son Heung-min's goals and assists, and while the Tottenham game is being broadcast live, his icon appears on the scoreboard to announce that he is participating. The BBC reported that Son Heung-min's face is shining brightly on a huge billboard ranging from clothes to ice cream. His face is also on the side of the Seoul tour bus. In his hometown of Chuncheon, a huge mural is also painted to honor him. According to a survey commissioned by Tottenham's sponsor AIA, one in four Koreans introduced them as Tottenham fans. England defender Kyle Walker, who played for Tottenham from 2009 to 2017, said on his podcast "After visiting Korea, fans blocked the bus and had to escape to another vehicle. Fans sat in front of the hotel all night. Everyone wanted to see Sony for a second. Everyone was surprised. David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard also made this appearance, but it's nothing compared to Sony."
The BBC reported 'More than 700 Son Heung-min's uniforms are sold at every Tottenham home game. This is the highest sales of any player. The number of fans who came all the way from Korea to England to see Son Heung-min has also increased." Soccer finance expert Kieran Maguire said, `Korean fans don't just buy Son Heung-min's uniform, they fill two shopping bags full of Son Heung-min's goods. If Son Heung-min leaves Tottenham, there will be some financial impact."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
