Emotional send-off for Heung-Min Son in final Tottenham game with classy gesture from Newcastle

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Heung-min Son received a standing ovation as he left the pitch during his final Tottenham appearance.

The Spurs captain announced on Saturday that he will be leaving the club.

As a result, their friendly against Newcastle in Seoul, South Korea is likely his last match for Spurs.

Having started in his home country, Son was withdrawn by Thomas Frank in the 64th minute.

The crowd inside the Seoul World Cup Stadium applauded as they gave the 33-year-old a standing ovation.

Son also embraced with his teammates on the pitch before the Newcastle players came over to shake his hand.

Players from both sides then formed a guard of honour and gave the forward playful slaps as he left the pitch.

He was ultimately replaced by Mohammed Kudus for the final 26 minutes of the match.

After the match, emotional scenes continued with Son even pointing out the moment had got to one of Tottenham's social media staff, who filmed him through tears.

Meanwhile, the player himself got choked up in the tunnel post-match.

"Look, this is the time to say goodbye to everyone," Son said, misty-eyed.

After composing himself, he added: "Probably you'll never see me [again] on Spurs media, unfortunately. Maybe.

"Spurs will always be in my heart and I will cheer you as a family member.

"All the best. All the best, guys."

Eddie Howe reacted to the touching gesture after the match, telling reporters: "It was instinctive. I think that speaks volumes about him.

"It's not just the talent he has but the way he has carried himself over the years.

"I think he's seen as one of the game's great Premier League players.

"I've never had the pleasure of working with him or meeting him and talking to him but I'm sure he would be the same as he is on the pitch."

The feisty affair had seen a heated clash between Bruno Guimaraes and Cristian Romero during the first half.

Meanwhile, Frank also suffered an injury blow as James Maddison was stretchered off late on.

It followed goals from Brennan Johnson and Harvey Barnes as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

As for Son, he is in advanced talks with Los Angeles FC over a move to the MLS, talkSPORT understands.

Having joined Spurs in 2015, he has spent 10 years with the north London club.

During that time, Son scored 173 goals and provided 101 assists in 454 appearances across all competitions.

He leaves having set the record for most goals and appearances for the club by an overseas player.

His decision to depart was announced during the pre-match press conference, with Son admitting: "It was the most difficult decision of my football career.

"I’ve been here ten years at a beautiful club with beautiful fans and having such amazing memories.

"And after all that, it was so hard to make this decision. But as I said, I feel like I need a new environment and to push myself.

"And to get more of me, I feel like I need a little bit of change. Ten years is a lot of time when you’re thinking about it.

"I came to London as a kid. 23 years old, a very young age [and] a young boy came to London who even didn’t speak English.

"And [I’m] leaving this club as a grown man. This is a very, very proud moment.

"So I just wanna say thank you to all of the Spurs fans that gave me so much love.

"I felt like it was my home. But yeah, it was, it was one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever made."

Son departs having lifted the Europa League in May, ending Spurs' 17-year trophy drought.

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