As Tottenham take on Newcastle United in Seoul, a much bigger story has been brewing. Son Heung-min, captain of his club and country, is leaving Spurs after a decade. He admitted, "it was one of the toughest decisions I ever made", but he goes with no regrets and goodwill from the locker room.
‘I just need a little bit of change’
For the second year in a row, Spurs are partaking in the Coupang Play Series in their preseason prep. Another trip to South Korea means a return to his native country for Son, and he appreciates the love.
“Thank you so much for having us again here in Korea. I think it’s the second year in a row we have come here. Everybody’s appreciated it. Even in the airport we felt welcome. Everybody loved this.”
It was also the backdrop for the announcement that everyone had been waiting for from the captain.
“I have decided to leave this club this summer and the club is helping me with this decision.”
The 33-year-old is set to sign for LAFC, and he believes it is time for a new challenge in his career.
“It was the most difficult decision I made in my career: 10 years in a beautiful club with beautiful fans and having such amazing memories. After that leaving this club I think it was just so hard to make that decision but I felt like I need a new environment to push myself and get more out of me.”
He is right to remind people that he is a very different person from the one who arrived in North London. The forward had left South Korea in his youth and spent seven years at Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen, but he was not a household name in the sport when he became a part of Spurs' squad.
“I just need little bit of change. I mean 10 years is a lot of time when we thinking about. I came to London as a kid 23 years old very young age, young boy came to London who didn't speak English.”
He now departs as one of the most respected two footed finishers of the last decade. He only failed to hit double digits in the Premier League in his first and last seasons and is a member of the '100 Club.'
Son is a calibre of player that Tottenham have not been blessed to have a lot of in more recent times.
‘He fully respected my decision and so did everyone’
But memories of Son go further than his 173 strikes in all competitions, the contributions to the run to the 2019 Champions League final in the absence of Harry Kane, or even the Europa League title.
He took on the duty of wearing the armband as club captain in 2023 once Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris left the camp. It was a role of responsibility that not only reflected his seniority in the squad and service to the club but also the humility of character that has earned admirers across England.
He has fond feelings for the respect of Spurs' supporters, whom he hopes can respect his choice to go.
“Leaving this club as a grown man is a very proud moment. I want to say thank you to the fans that gives me so much love. I felt like it was my home. It was one of the toughest decisions I ever made.”
The exits of Kane and Lloris left two men from the Mauricio Pochettino era. Ben Davies is one of the players with whom Son has spoken about his future plans in private. It is not easy for the Korean to pull himself apart from the fullback, but he could confide in a person who respects his headspace.
“I spoke with a guys with whom I spent a long time. Everybody would be disappointed if somebody decided to leave the club but I mean in a very respectful way. I am very close with Ben and obviously we talked about the future a lot of times but he fully respected my decision and so did everyone else.”
Son had settled on a future away from Spurs for some time before he made his decision public. The intimacy within the group meant there were some telling signs, but there is no bad blood in the camp.
“It’s very hard to tell your teammates but sometimes I spend more time than with my family because we're traveling together. We spend time every single day in a training ground maybe five, six hours every single day. So yeah, I think we can tell more than what everybody thinks.
“Everybody was a bit disappointed but in a very happy way. So that is what was my feeling.”