So, it's farewell to Son
At a press conference in Seoul, prior to tomorrow's friendly against Newcastle, Spurs' club captain Heung-min Son made the emotional announcement that he would be leaving his beloved Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
"Before we start, I just want to share the information that I have decided to leave this club this summer," he said. "Respectfully, this club is helping me to make my decision. It was the most difficult decision I have made in my career. The main reason is I have achieved everything I can at Tottenham. I need a new environment for a fresh challenge.
"I have been here for 10 years. It's a beautiful club with beautiful fans. I have such amazing memories. I just felt like I need a new environment to push myself to get more out of me. I think I need a little bit of change. Ten years is a long time.
"I came to north London as a kid. 23 years old, a very young age. A boy who couldn't speak English. I leave this club as a man. Thank you to all the Spurs fans who have given me so much love. It felt like it was my home. It was one of the toughest decisions I ever made. I think it is the right time to leave. I hope that everyone understands that and respects that."
It is very likely that tomorrow's game, being played in front of "Sonny"'s adoring fans, will be his last Spurs game, before a move to Los Angeles Football Club, where he will join his former club captain Hugo Lloris.
Son signed for us in August 2015 and when he made his home debut on 17th September against Qarabag, scoring two goals, I wrote "If you can score two goals on your home debut, you'll be a Spur my Son."
Son is and will always be a Spur - a Spurs legend. "Sonny" will be remembered for his smiles and goals galore. In May he became the 13th Spurs player to lift a trophy, capping his career when he was the captain of the team which won the Europa League. He was also the fourth Spurs captain to lift a European trophy, after Blanchflower, Mullery and Roberts.
In that regard Son beats Spurs' record goalscorer Harry Kane, who finally won a senior trophy this year with Bayern Munich. Son played with Kane for most of his Spurs career and they forged a record 47 goal involvements together.
Son will be remembered for so many iconic goals, those trademark curlers, hit with either foot, but especially his box to box "Puskas Award" winning classic on 7th December 2019 against Burnley.
???? [Official] | Tottenham Hotspur attacker Heung-Min Son s solo goal against Burnley for Spurs has won @BBCMOTD s Goal Of The Season .
?? Deserved#THFC #COYS #BBCFootballpic.twitter.com/owJjJi1QvG
— Last Word On Spurs?? (@LastWordOnSpurs) May 7, 2020
Son scored the first senior club goal in our new stadium against Crystal Palace in April 2019. He then scored three vital goals in the classic Champions League quarter-final games against Manchester City that year. Don't forget he won the coveted Premier League Golden boot (jointly with Mo Salah) with 23 league goals in 2021/22 when we pipped Arsenal to qualify for the Champions League for the sixth time.
In all, "Sonny" has scored 173 club goals, and is the club's fifth highest scorer, only one behind Martin Chivers. 127 of those goals were in the Premier League, putting him joint 16th in the elite list of Premier League scorers. Son has achieved 198 Premier League goal involvements, just two away from becoming the 13th player to reach 200 in the Premier League. He has our record number of Premier League assists (71), above Anderton, Eriksen and Kane.
In terms of appearances, Son is sixth in our all-time club list, behind only Steve Perryman, Gary Mabbutt, Pat Jennings, Cyril Knowles, and Glenn Hoddle. What a list! I am proud to say I have seen all those players, and as was the case with Harry Kane, Spurs Odyssey carries reports on all Son's club appearances and goals. (Just check the archives page)
Son is second highest in our list of Premier League appearances (333) behind only Hugo Lloris (361). In European matches, only Kane (76), Ben Davies (73) are ahead of Son (71), who overtook Lloris when he led us to May's win over Manchester United. Son came off the bench in that final to take over as captain.
Son has been our proud and deserving captain for the past two years and stood in on plenty of occasions before inheriting Kane's armband. Son is also the proud captain of his country - South Korea - for whom he has 134 caps, scoring 51 goals. Son hopes to lead his country in next year's World Cup finals, being hosted in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
If indeed, tomorrow's game is to be Son's last game for Spurs, he is assured of a fantastic send-off. He is a gentleman footballer, and will be remembered for his dedication, commitment, skill, goals, and those smiles. Son is a credit to his family, and an ambassador to his country, his club, and to the game. He and his family deserve our praise and best wishes for the future. Let's hope he can score tomorrow!
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