Heung-min Son was given a guard of honor by both Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United players as he played what is expected to be his final minutes as a Spurs player.
An emotional Son, 33, announced on Saturday that he is set to leave Spurs this summer after a decade with the north London club. It has been widely reported that he will join LAFC in Major League Soccer.
The friendly in Seoul, South Korea finished 1-1 on Sunday with Brennan Johnson’s early goal putting Spurs ahead — he of course hit Son’s signature celebration — but Newcastle equalized before the break through Harvey Barnes in front of almost 65,000 fans at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
However, Son’s farewell game ended on a sour note as his close friend James Maddison was stretchered off the pitch late on as the Spurs playmaker looked to have suffered a serious injury.
Son gets standing ovation, guard of honor in Seoul, South Korea
In his native South Korea on Sunday, Son started Spurs’ friendly against Newcastle and was substituted in the second half.
When that happened the players from both Spurs and Newcastle gave him a guard of honor off the pitch while the entire stadium rose to its feet to applaud Son.
He was then mobbed by players and coaching staff on the sidelines too as one of the most popular players in Premier League history, no matter who you support, received a fitting farewell as a Spurs player.
Son’s legendary status at Spurs is confirmed after he captained them to the UEFA Europa League trophy last season, their first trophy in 17 years and first European trophy in 41 years. He will leave Spurs having scored 173 goals and adding 101 assists in 452 games as he became a club legend and the model of consistency.