Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur wipes away tears after beating Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League final at Athletic Bilbao’s Estadio de San Mamés in Spain on May 22, 2025. (Reuters/Yonhap)
Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur wipes away tears after beating Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League final at Athletic Bilbao’s Estadio de San Mamés in Spain on May 22, 2025. (Reuters/Yonhap)
Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur has won his first trophy with his club in the Europa League. This marks the end of a 15-year trophy drought for Son, whose club career began in 2010 with Germany’s Hamburger SV.
A decisive goal from Brennan Johnson in the 42nd minute of the game secured Tottenham’s win against Manchester United, 1-0, in the 2024-25 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Europa League final at the San Manés Stadium in Bilbao, Spain, on Thursday (KST).
After the team clinched the victory, captain Son Heung-min clutched his teammates in a strong embrace, tears of joy streaming down his face. This marks the Spurs’ first title in 17 years, their last being in the 2007-08 season, and the culmination of Son’s “10-year dream” of winning a trophy.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has redeemed the team of its shame of finishing 17th in the EPL. Qualifying for the next season’s UEFA Champions League is just another bonus.
Son Heung-min and the rest of the Spurs celebrate their Europa League victory at Athletic Bilbao’s Estadio de San Mamés in Spain on May 22, 2025. (EPA/Yonhap)
Son Heung-min and the rest of the Spurs celebrate their Europa League victory at Athletic Bilbao’s Estadio de San Mamés in Spain on May 22, 2025. (EPA/Yonhap)
Thwarted thrice, but not four times: Sonny comes out strong in finals
Son joined Tottenham in 2015 and narrowly missed his chance at lifting a trophy the following year when the club finished as the runners-up in the 2016-17 Premier League. The team stumbled during the finals of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League and 2020-21 League Cup, coming in second place twice. After Tottenham continued to emerge empty-handed, Harry Kane, the team’s star striker, left for Bayern Munich and tasted sweet victory as the team won the 2025 Bundesliga title. Son remained at Tottenham to become a Europa League champion.
Son joins Cha Bum-kun, who won the UEFA Cup with Eintracht Frankfurt in 1980 and 1988, as the only other South Korean to win this trophy.
“It’s what I’ve always dreamed for, and today’s the day that it happened. Dreams really do come true,” Son said gleefully in an interview that took place after his team’s victory. “Today’s the day I could probably say I’m a legend of this club. Only today!”
Son Heung-min, the captain of Tottenham Hotspur, kisses the Europa League trophy after he and his team bested Manchester United at Athletic Bilbao’s Estadio de San Mamés in Spain on May 22, 2025. (AFP/Yonhap)
Son Heung-min, the captain of Tottenham Hotspur, kisses the Europa League trophy after he and his team bested Manchester United at Athletic Bilbao’s Estadio de San Mamés in Spain on May 22, 2025. (AFP/Yonhap)
Postecoglou, cool under pressure
Postecoglou managed to orchestrate a dramatic comeback by hoisting his team to the top in the most adverse of circumstances. Postecoglou had been the subject of fierce mockery following Tottenham’s poor league performance, with outlets jokingly referring to him as a “clown.”
Son attested that the Spurs’ manager had been under “severe pressure and criticism.” However, Postecoglou once again proved his track record of leading his team to victory in his second year in charge.
Even when many members of the team faced injuries, Postecoglou’s strategy of focusing on the Europa League paid off, quenching Tottenham’s thirst for a trophy. This is the team’s third trophy in 41 years, with the first two from its victories in the UEFA Cup, the predecessor to the Europa League, in the 1971-72 and 1983-84 seasons.
After the game, Postecoglou said, “I’m going back to my hotel room and get my family and friends together, open up a nice bottle of scotch, have a couple of quiet ones. No one has spoken to me about anything [following this last league game of the weekend]. And que sera sera.”
Reaching the end of his prime, will Son venture forward with the Spurs?
Son was not a starting member of the team during this final game, coming on in the 22nd minute. Even when he joined the pitch, he failed to showcase explosiveness on the field. With 11 goals (12 assists) in 46 appearances this season, he has scored double digits for nine consecutive seasons, but it is also true that he lacks the same spark he once had. Following his foot injury, he had been off the pitch for a month since the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals against Eintracht Frankfurt. The Tottenham legend (173 goals in 454 games) is slowly feeling the toll of time creep up on him.
Turning 33 in July, Son has been subject to commentary on his declining sprinting abilities and agility. He has a one-year extension option on his contract, which would keep him at the club until next season, but that will put him at a disadvantage as Tottenham rebuilds around younger players. If he does leave the team, he might head to Saudi Arabia.
By Kim Chang-keum, staff reporter
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