As Son Heung-min collapsed to his knees at Bilbao`s San Mames Stadium, the final whistle of the UEFA Europa League final in May brought a familiar display of raw emotion – a blend of victorious screams and heartfelt sobs. This was a player`s predictable reaction to securing his first major title and captaining a team that had finally broken a 17-year trophy drought. It was equally unsurprising to witness his teammates` emotional embraces and the Tottenham Hotspur faithful brandishing signs adorned with his name and image. Son`s tear-streaked, flushed face, much like that of his teammate James Maddison, and his undeniable status as a fan favorite, were not novelties in the world of sports.
There`s a certain predictability to these pinnacles of sporting achievement, just as there was an unwavering reliability to Son`s decade-long tenure as a Premier League player. His consistent performance as, at the very least, one of the league`s most prominent attackers, almost conceals the fact that he was also one of football`s true superstars during his time in England. Son, who declared his intention to depart Spurs on Saturday and is widely expected to join MLS` LAFC, leaves Europe`s elite not merely as a club legend; he was genuinely among the greatest players of his generation, crafting one of the sport`s most compelling tales of triumph along the way.
Son`s journey is a compelling narrative of skill, distinctive style, and unexpected rise, captivating audiences to the point where he earned universal respect, if not outright adoration. The effortless ease with which he garnered applause uniquely allowed his star quality to be somewhat overlooked. Undeniably, there were players in the last decade who surpassed Son in certain metrics and commanded more European spotlight. This inadvertently diminished his own remarkable attributes, yet the indicators of his greatness are clear. How else could one describe a player who scored 173 goals in 454 appearances for Spurs, a captain who consistently brought pride to his nation, and forged an improbable home in North London, other than as a truly great figure?
Son`s Remarkable Attacking Contribution
Son arrived at Tottenham in the summer of 2015 as the club`s most expensive acquisition that transfer window, with Spurs investing approximately $30 million in the then 23-year-old from Bayer Leverkusen. This was a modest sum, ranking only 11th among Premier League clubs` spending that summer, outpriced by figures like Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City-bound) and Morgan Schneiderlin (a later Manchester United disappointment). While not the season`s most hyped newcomer, Son offered glimpses of extraordinary talent – he became the most expensive Asian player at the time and had already earned the admiration of Ruud van Nistelrooy, who, when Son was his 18-year-old Hamburg teammate, lauded him as a “massive talent.” His initial season yielded a somewhat slow start with 8 goals and 6 assists in 40 matches. However, this proved to be his only single-digit goal season in North London, as he rapidly found his stride in the subsequent campaign.
Almost instantly, Son transformed into an attacker capable of seamlessly fitting into any team. His exceptional versatility showcased a player with no fixed attacking preference, equally adept with both feet – a pragmatic and unfussy approach typical of this generation`s quintessential pace and power forwards. This distinctive style was frequently on display and inherently entertaining – his inaugural Premier League goal against Crystal Palace in September 2015 heralded the first of many trademark sprints culminating in long-range shots, and his 2020 FIFA Puskas Award-winning thunderbolt against Burnley remains its most iconic rendition.
Far from being a mere “tap-in merchant,” Son consistently delivered spectacular goals. As industrious as a pace-and-power player can be, Son infused his game with countless moments of flair. His debut season included a backheel flick goal against Watford, he netted a stunning scissor kick against Swansea in the following campaign, and his 100th Premier League goal was a beautifully curled shot against Brighton and Hove Albion.
His most often cited flaw was inconsistency, a minor criticism perhaps overshadowed by other attackers` greater prolificacy. Yet, the statistics undeniably place Son not just among the elite, but as one of them. At his peak, Son achieved a perfect blend of quality and quantity, tallying 173 goals and 94 assists for Spurs over a decade of excellence. He ranks fifth among the team`s all-time top scorers, 16th in Premier League goals, and 17th in the division`s assist charts. Perhaps most impressively, since his Premier League debut in September 2015, Son ranks third in total goal contributions with 198, trailing only Harry Kane (231) and Mohamed Salah (270). He also holds the distinction of being the Premier League`s only Asian Golden Boot winner, sharing the accolade with Salah in the 2021-22 season.
Son`s primary disadvantage, conversely, was being eclipsed by Harry Kane, an academy product who ascended to become England captain and arguably the greatest goalscorer of his era. While many perceived Spurs as “Kane`s team,” it was, in fact, more of a dynamic partnership. The two played together seamlessly, forging an unparalleled chemistry that epitomized two remarkable sporting journeys – a homegrown talent overcoming setbacks to rise through the ranks, skillfully combining with a teammate whose origins lay half a world away, yet who charted his own improbable path to the summit. Their partnership rightfully earned them a place in Premier League history, combining for a record 47 goals, making them the most prolific goalscoring duo in England`s top flight.
His final season at Spurs, for those closely observing, was marred by injuries and the inevitable slowing effects of age. Even so, Son`s output remained stellar. Though perhaps not at his absolute peak, 11 goals and 11 assists in 46 matches is far from a modest return. However, the most indelible memory of that campaign will undoubtedly be lifting the Europa League trophy, becoming the first Spurs captain in 17 years to do so. It was a fitting departure for a player who consistently delivered in moments both grand and subtle, even if it wasn`t immediately apparent that this was his final act.
“Let`s just say I`m a legend,” Son declared in a post-match interview after the Europa League final. “Why not? Just today, only today… Seventeen years, nobody had achieved this with such incredible players, but today is the day. Perhaps today, I`ll say I`m a legend of this club.”
“One of the Best Humans I`ve Ever Met”
It`s surprisingly easy to dismiss Son`s immense impact as primarily driven by commercial interests. The Eurocentric perspective of sports often associates regions like Asia more with financial opportunities and marketing initiatives, such as preseason tours or the twilight careers of players, rather than genuine sporting merit. However, Son`s journey from South Korea to England is far more than just a source of inspiration or a refreshing change of pace in a sport where unexpected superstars are rare. While quantifying Son`s effect on Spurs` attack and finances is straightforward, his story beautifully illustrates the intangible, inexplicable romance that defines sports at their finest.
“I arrived in North London as a kid – 23 years old, very young, a boy who couldn`t speak English,” Son reflected in Seoul on Saturday, nearly 50 miles from his birthplace of Chuncheon, a city with a population under 300,000. “I leave this club as a man. Thank you to all the Spurs fans who have shown me so much love. It truly felt like home.”
Son progressed from barely understanding English – his third language, having learned German by watching “SpongeBob SquarePants” episodes – to establishing a sense of home in North London, departing the city with a lifelong friend in Wales international Ben Davies. Son attended Davies` wedding and is the godfather to his son, Ralph, which made breaking the news to Davies and his other teammates particularly difficult for the Korean player.
“[Davies] fully respects my decision,” Son stated. “Everyone does. What can I say? It`s incredibly hard to tell my teammates because I probably spend more time with them than my family – we travel together, spend time together every single day at the training ground, five or six hours daily. I believe we know each other so well. Everyone was disappointed, but in a way, also very happy for me. That was my perception, but I`m not sure what they truly felt. They seemed happy but disappointed when I informed them.”
Throughout his decade with Tottenham, he earned countless admirers, including James Maddison, who was visibly emotional while celebrating the Europa League victory with Son.
“We had a moment on the pitch at the end, and I just told him how much I loved him, adored him, and what he represents as a person, urging him to take it all in,” Maddison recounted in May. “He`s genuinely one of the finest human beings I`ve ever encountered. I love him immensely. I`m so thrilled he had that moment in Bilbao, lifting the trophy for this club, the club he cherishes. He`s been here for 10 years, and to witness and share that moment with him – all of this is our job, what we do – but as a human being, you won`t meet a kinder soul. The way he treats everyone. The way he interacts with my family every time he sees them. How he is with my children. He`s simply a brilliant man, and I`m overwhelmingly happy for him.”
The Tottenham faithful were equally overjoyed for Son, who arguably stands as the central figure for the team over the past ten years. Harry Kane`s name will undoubtedly be remembered first when this era is revisited by history. Toby Alderweireld will be acknowledged as the standout player when the team reached the 2019 UEFA Champions League final. Mauricio Pochettino will be credited as the architect who guided Tottenham`s strongest team in recent memory. Yet, it is Son who truly defines the culmination of this era.
He is the last notable member of Pochettino`s original squad to remain at Spurs, yet his legacy is entirely distinct from the Argentine`s celebrated five-year tenure in North London. Son may not be a flawless player, but his is a perfect narrative – one where every challenge and triumph was not only worthwhile but unfolded with layers of remarkable brilliance. Stardom is inherently improbable, even more so for a player from a modest South Korean city who arrived in the Premier League in his mid-twenties with little initial fanfare. His legacy transcends mere on-field excellence; he embodies the tenacity and passion that fans crave from their beloved teams` players more than anyone else before him. Son also outlasted them, even if some credit for this longevity might be due to the occasional misjudgments of Europe`s top clubs, and he gathered many of Spurs` most historic moments along the way. In the end, no one was more fitting to score the inaugural goal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium or to lift the trophy that ended their 17-year drought. During this period, Spurs were never quite Kane`s team, nor Pochettino`s, nor anyone else`s, for that matter. Through a unique combination of events and experiences, Tottenham Hotspur was truly Son`s team, the 33-year-old leaving behind a distinct legacy he concisely summarized amidst the confetti-strewn pitch in Bilbao.
“I was able to create my perfect puzzle.”
