“Whether you’re a Korean fan or a Tottenham fan, there are few people in the world as popular as Son Heung-min (32, Tottenham).”
Son Heung-min is being recognized as a living Tottenham legend, both in terms of popularity and skill.
Heung-min started Tottenham Hotspur’s 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) Round 30 home match against Luton Town at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, on Jan. 31 and scored a come-from-behind goal in the 41st minute to seal a 2-1 victory.
With the score tied 1-1, Son played the ball into the box himself before passing to Timo Werner, who was running in from the left. Werner broke down the flank and played a ground ball to Brennan Johnson in the center, who laid the ball off for the onrushing Son Heung-min to shoot.
Son’s shot deflected off the leg of Japanese defender Daiki Hashioka and into the back of the net. Son was substituted for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg immediately after the goal to a standing ovation from the home fans.
Son’s goal was his 15th of the league. He moved to within three goals of top scorer Elling Holland (24, Manchester City), who leads the league with 18 goals.
At the same time, Son scored his 160th goal for the club. The goal moved Son into fifth place on the club’s all-time goalscoring list, behind Harry Kane (280, Bayern Munich), Jimmy Greaves (268), Bobby Smith (208) and Martin Chivers (174).
SpursWeb, a British website for Tottenham-related news and fan voices, attached a video posted on social media earlier in the day, saying fans at Tottenham’s training ground would love Son’s classy behavior.
The 53-second video was captured and released a few days ago by Michael Bridge of Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. It shows hundreds of fans at Tottenham’s training ground, Hotspur Way, lining up to get Son’s autograph and take pictures with him.
“There are few players in the world as popular as Son Heung-min, whether it’s South Korean fans who follow their national hero as a soccer player or 스포츠토토 Tottenham fans who have loved him since he joined the club in 2015,” the publication said.
“Having scored 160 goals in 399 games for Tottenham, there is no denying that Son is now a Spurs legend, and having been appointed as the club’s new captain last summer, he is doing an excellent job leading the new Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou.”
“Every week, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is packed with thousands of South Korean fans who flock to watch Son Heung-min play,” the outlet said, adding, “Son was greeted by fans outside the Hotspur Way training ground ahead of the match against Luton Town. Hundreds of supporters lined up to catch a glimpse of their hero.”
In particular, the outlet quoted one fan as saying, “Son Heung-min really is a hero. Isn’t he?” and then added, “Imagine. So many fans are waiting for him, desperate to meet him, and he still takes time after training to pay attention to all of them. That’s our captain,” he said proudly.