Tottenham, which was hiding behind SON, this time weighing profits and losses'Legend' with Son Heung-min for just one year's extension'Selling like Kane vs long-term contract'
Will Son Heung-min (32) remain Tottenham's 'Legend'.
British media Football Insider said on June 30 (Korean time) 'Tottenham is expected to activate Son's option to extend his contract. Son Heung-min's contract expires next summer. Through this extension, he will be able to stay at Tottenham until the 2025-2026 season. Now Tottenham can make a long-term plan for Son Heung-min. Tottenham could sell Son Heung-min for a high transfer fee like Harry Kane (Bayern Munich). Or we could talk about a long-term contract,' he reported.
Son Heung-min joined the English Premier League (EPL) stage in Tottenham's uniform in the summer of 2015. He played 303 games in the league alone, scoring 120 goals-62 assists. In the 2019-2020 season, he scored 23 goals and became the first Asian player to become the top scorer.
Son Heung-min also showed his presence on and off the ground in the 2023-2024 season. He led the team as captain under new coach Enze Postecoglou. In addition, he scored 17 goals and 10 assists in 35 EPL games in the 2023-2024 season. He joined his third career '10 (goal)-10 (help) club'. He previously achieved 10-10 clubs in the 2019-2020 season (11 goals-10 assists) and the 2020-2021 season (17 goals-10 assists). Son Heung-min is listed as the sixth player in EPL history to join the 10-10 club more than three times. There were only five players, including Wayne Rooney (five times), Eric Cantona, Frank Lampard (four times), Mohamed Salah and Didier Drogba (three times).
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Son Heung-min was named as the '30 Best Strikers in 2024' by sports media ESPN. Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid) and Harry Kane were ranked in the top 10. ESPN said, `Son Heung-min can use both feet well. The finishing ability is also impressive. Son Heung-min was the same even with a new coach. He is the most consistent successful player in the EPL. Son Heung-min, one of the top goalscorers, has been playing consistently at the age of 31. He has averaged 15.6 goals and 8.4 assists in the EPL over the past five seasons. He was the captain under Postecoglou, who adopted an active and ball-possessing style. Tottenham praised Kane for moving from eighth to fifth last season despite his departure.
He only thought of Tottenham. Citing sources, ESPN reported in June last year that Son Heung-min was offered a contract worth 30 million euros (42.1 billion won) every season for four years. He added that the club is RT Hard from the Saudi Arabian League, and that the club has prepared a large bonus to recruit Son Heung-min.
Son Heung-min made his own remarks. After the A-match in June last year, he said "Didn't Sung-yong (Ki) talk about it?" Money doesn't matter to me. Soccer, soccer pride, and playing in your favorite league is the most important thing. I have a lot of homework to do in the English Premier League, so I will do well at Tottenham." It was a reminder of the past remarks by Ki Sung-yueng (FC Seoul), a former captain of the Korean national soccer team, that `the captain of the Korean national team does not go to the Chinese league.'
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Son Heung-min always put his team first. In an earlier interview with another British journalist, Football London, he said "It's been almost a decade with this amazing team. It's been an incredible journey, to be honest. Many players I played with, coaches I worked with, etc. helped me a lot in the process. It brought good memories and respect. It's not up to me to decide whether I'm a legend on this team or not. I want to get something out of here. I wouldn't call myself a legend. That's why I'm dedicated. I have a bright future with the team. We must continue to develop so that we can achieve more together. When the time comes for me to leave this amazing club, I hope I can call it a legend."
Regarding Postecoglou's system, he also said, `He brought joy to the game. This is why I always delivered the right message and lesson. I'm very happy to work with him. We think we've made great progress in Postecoglou's first season. But there is a lot to improve."
Son Heung-min also thought of the team first during the recent controversy over racial discrimination. Son Heung-min's teammate Rodrigo Bentancur caused controversy with a silly slip of the tongue. Last month, Uruguayan Bentancur appeared on his country's broadcasting program and made remarks related to Son Heung-min. He was asked to get Son Heung-min's uniform from the host. Bentancourt said, `Even if you bring Son Heung-min's cousin's uniform, you won't know. It looks just like Son Heung-min or his cousin." 'Orients all look the same' was a statement of racist perception.
There was a lot of criticism from the fans. Bentancourt apologized to Son Heung-min through his personal SNS (social network service). However, the situation did not end easily. It was because of the authenticity of the apple. Bentancur posted an apology on a page that lasted only 24 hours. Sonny brother! It was a really bad joke. I apologize. You know how much I love you. I never meant to ignore or hurt you or anyone, of course. I love you. However, the problem grew even more by writing Son Heung-min as Sony, not Sonny, who is nicknamed Sonny. But Bentancourt didn't care. His messy apology disappeared in 24 hours, and Bentancur later freely conducted his SNS activities. Tottenham, on the other hand, were silent.
사진=REUTERS Yonhap News
사진=AP Yonhap News
Son Heung-min showed off his 'grandchild mind'. He spoke with Bentancourt on his personal social media. Bentancourt made a mistake. Bentancourt, who recognized his mistake, apologized to me. Bentancur would not have said so with aggressive intent. We are still brothers, nothing has changed. We will get back together in the upcoming pre-season and fight as a `one-team' When Son Heung-min expressed his position, Tottenham also belatedly mentioned the related content. Tottenham, which has remained silent so far, is trying to solve this problem well through SNS. We will provide education on diversity, equality, and inclusion to all athletes. I will fully support captain Son Heung-min so that he can leave the controversy behind and focus on the upcoming new season. We are proud of our global fans and our squad. There should be no discrimination of any kind in our club and society."
Meanwhile, Son will visit South Korea with his Tottenham teammates this summer. The Korea Professional Football Federation officially announced on the 31st that it will hold a friendly match between 'Team K League' and Tottenham 'Coupang Play Series', which consists of players representing the K-League, at 8 p.m. on the 31st at Seoul World Cup Stadium. Team K League and Tottenham faced off once through the Coupang Play series in 2022.
