Tottenham legend Son Heung-min has just announced that he will be leaving the North London club this summer.
The South Korean international broke the news to the media on Saturday that he is bringing his 10-year stay at Spurs to an end ahead of the new season, with the winger stating via Sky Sports that it was “the most difficult decision” he has made in his career.
Son is now expected to move to MLS to play for Los Angeles Football Club, with the American franchise pushing to complete the signing of the 33-year-old.
English football will miss the Tottenham legend, but one set of supporters that won’t is Man City’s, as the South Korean star has punished the Manchester club on several occasions over the last decade.
Son Heung-min curls in a beauty during Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur.
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
Son Heung-min’s incredible record against Manchester City
Every Man City fan remembers the moment Son was running towards their goal during the 23/24 campaign, knowing that if the Tottenham star scored, Arsenal would very likely go on to win the Premier League.
Surprisingly, the winger missed his opportunity, leaving Son to praise Stefan Ortega for his save after the contest, as an Erling Haaland brace helped City to a 2-0 win.
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Pep Guardiola was surprised with Son’s miss as much as anyone, stating: “You know how many times Son punishes us the last seven, eight years? How many goals they score with Harry Kane? Oh my God.”
This was one of the rare occasions that Son did not punish Man City, who are one of the clubs set to benefit from the winger leaving Tottenham, as the 33-year-old has an impressive record against the Manchester side.
The Spurs legend has faced City on 21 occasions over the last ten years, winning 10, drawing two, and losing the remaining nine.
More impressively, Son has produced eight goals and five assists against Man City over the years, but the havoc he caused Guardiola goes beyond this.
The Manchester club are the seventh highest opponent the South Korean star has scored against during his career, which should not be overlooked, given how dominant City have been throughout the Guardiola era.
The 2019 Champions League quarter-final will stand out to Man City fans when they think of Son from now on, when the winger scored three goals to knock the Manchester club out over the two legs in a crazy 4-4 contest.
Tottenham have been Man City’s bogey team throughout the Guardiola era, but now that Son has left the North London club, six points may be easier to come by throughout the 25/26 campaign.
Jose Mourinho believes Son Heung-min could have played for Man City
Jose Mourinho previously admitted that Son was good enough to play for Man City, having had the privilege of managing the winger during his time at Spurs.
“I don’t look at Son as a Korean player. I look at Son as one of the best players in the world. Maybe Tottenham supporters are not going to be happy with what I’m going to say, it’s not disrespectful,” Mourinho told EA Sports FC.
“He could win titles, he could play for the best teams. He could be playing in England for Man City, for Liverpool, for Chelsea. It could be abroad playing for one of the top teams.
“He has that modern mobility of the attacking players. He can play through the middle, from the sides, wide to coming inside.”
There is no doubt that Son would have excelled at the Manchester club under Guardiola’s guidance, but given the importance of Raheem Sterling to the legendary coach, a move to the Etihad Stadium was never on the cards for the Spurs legend.