Tag: Son Heung-min

Let’s bask in some good World Cup injury news for a change

Son Heung-min will be in Qatar. Phew!

There has been plenty of bad news on the injury front recently, as the countdown to the World Cup moves into its final two weeks.

On Wednesday alone, Reece James was ruled out for England while Senegal star Sadio Mané appears to be very much in doubt after an injury suffered with Bayern Munich. The previous day, it was CONCACAF duo Chris Richards and Tecatito that saw their World Cup hopes end.

With that in mind we should take every opportunity to celebrate the rare bit of good news, which Son Heung-min thankfully provided on Wednesday.

Son suffered a fracture around his left eye earlier this month with Tottenham, leaving his status for the World Cup very much in doubt after he underwent surgery.

But the South Korea star took to Instagram on Wednesday to reassure nervous fans that he is set to take part in the tournament in Qatar.

“Hi everyone. I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you all for the messages of support I have received over the last week,” Son wrote.

“I have read so many of them and truly, truly appreciate you all. In a tough time I received a lot of strength from you! Playing for your country at the World Cup is the dream of so many children growing up, just as it was one of mine too. I won’t miss this for the world. I can’t wait to represent our beautiful country, see you soon.”

South Korea will open the World Cup against Uruguay on November 24, and will also face Portugal and Ghana in Group H.

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Son Heung-Min hits hat trick as Tottenham steamrolls Leicester 6-2

No start, no problem for Son

Son Heung-Min’s slow start to the Premier League season appears to be over.

Son, who was rotated to the bench by Antonio Conte after starting the season with only one goal contribution in Tottenham’s first eight games, produced a hat trick anyway as Spurs clobbered Leicester City 6-2 on Saturday.

Richarlison got the start for Tottenham over Son, but a wild first half saw Leicester take the lead on a twice-taken Youri Tielemans penalty, only to see Harry Kane and Eric Dier put Spurs ahead by the 21st minute (with both Tottenham goals coming on corner kicks).

Leicester equalized through a James Maddison stunner, but the second half was all Spurs. Rodrigo Betancur put them ahead in the 47th minute, and Son made his way into the match 12 minutes later.

Son notched his first goal in transition, showing supreme confidence. Spurs forced a midfield turnover and the South Korea international found himself one-on-two on the counter. With help not exactly arriving at the speed required, Son called his own number, freezing both Leicester defenders before feinting right and sending a rocket past Danny Ward.

His second was even better. Leicester had numbers back, but Kane still found a seam to pass to Son, in the right half-space. From 23 yards and with no one in blue opting to close him down, Son went to his less-preferred left foot to fire a gorgeous curling shot just inside the post, sending the home fans into rapture.

Leicester threw numbers forward in search of any positivity to take away in the final minutes, but that just meant another Spurs counter set Son up to claim the match ball. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg led the break before sending Son, who had gone wide left, in alone to tuck the ball under Ward.

The goal was initially called back for offside, but after a minute-long VAR check, that call was overturned, giving Son his third Premier League hat trick.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Son told the BBC about his extremely calm reaction to scoring his first goal of the year. “All the frustration and what I had, disappointment and negative feeling just went (away). I couldn’t move so I stood still. It made me really happy.”

“I was really frustrated as well,” added Son. “I can do much better than I have been. I have been disappointed, the team has been doing really, really good but I was disappointed with my (recent) performance.”

Watch Son’s amazing hat trick for Spurs

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Most people would say Son Heung-min is world class. His father isn’t one of them.

Winning the Premier League Golden Boot hasn’t quite convinced the Spurs star’s father

Son Heung-min is pretty good at what he does.

The Tottenham star just finished the Premier League season with 23 goals, tying Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah for the Golden Boot. Notably, the Korean scored none of his goals from the penalty spot while Salah scored five.

Son has been one of the top players in the Premier League for some time now, having scored double-digit league goals for six consecutive seasons while also ranking near the top of the league’s assist charts during that span.

Plenty of fans and pundits would say the 29-year-old is still underrated, especially after he got shut out entirely of the recent PFA awards. But the Spurs star’s father thinks his son still has a ways to go.

Son Woong-jung, himself a former pro player, gave an interview in 2018 when he said his son was “absolutely not world class.” Four years later, has his mind changed at all?

“There is no change even now,” Woong-jung told Daum. “Heung-min is not yet world class.”

Asked what makes someone world class, Woong-jung replied: “He is a player who can survive in the best clubs in the world. I think it will be possible if Heung-min grows by 10 percent in all fields.”

Complacency doesn’t seem likely to set in for the Tottenham striker as long as he is taking his father’s advice. Maybe it’s tough love, but it could also ensure the striker keeps striving for bigger and better things.

“I’m always cautious,” Woong-jung said. “A crisis comes when you say, ‘This is enough.'”

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