Like opposing fans of the Premier League have felt feelings of terror in the last decade when his son Heung-Min has taken the ball on the verge of their region, there had been a summer of concern among his millions of followers in Asia that his time in England ended.
While the South Korean legs slowed down last season, the relationships of a movement elsewhere gathered. His 10 years in Tottenham may have ended with a trophy, the Europa League in May, but the inheritance had been in place for some time. The 33 -year -old has changed the way Asian players are perceived in the world and much more.
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“It was the most difficult decision I made during my career,” said an emotional son at a Seoul press conference on Saturday before Sunday’s pre-season exhibition against Newcastle. “Incredible memories. It was so difficult to make the decision. I need a new environment to push myself. I need a little change – 10 years old, it’s long. I came in northern London when I was a child, 23 years old, such a young age. I leave this club as an adult man, a very proud man.”
His has been the pride of Asian football for years, the first player on the continent to become a real star of the Premier League, a legend from his club. There had been compatriot Park Ji-Sung who won titles and respect for seven years at Manchester United, but he was never an automatic starter and, unfairly for a technically excellent and intelligent player, the old lungs were more hailed for his race, his work and his endurance.
Shinji Kagawa seemed to reach the following level in Old Trafford, but was soon back in Germany. It was therefore his son, signed by Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, who continued to appear in billboards in northern London, Seoul and many cities between the two as one of the best known faces in the best known league in the world.
There were 173 goals in 454 competition games, including the Puskás 2020 prize for that Strike against Burnley. During the 2021-2022 season, he scored 23 in the league, sharing the golden boot with Mohamed Salah, another important step for Asian football.
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When Harry Kane left the Spurs for Bayern Munich, his son remained and was appointed captain, and although last season was a relative struggle, for the team and the player, it ended at the top. Some thought he could stay for another crack in the Champions League, after having done so much to help the Spurs in the final in 2019, but that was not the case.
In 2022, I went to Tottenham’s sparkling training field on the northern outskirts of the capital to present the native born in Chuncheon with the price of the best Asian footballer, a trophy given by Titan Sports in China, a country that is not known for his love for Korean football but who has the greatest respect for the older brother.
He had received the prize in every 12 years except three which since it has become one thing. We discussed our favorite food from his homeland while he was trying not to laugh at Hugo Lloris Korean language attempts in the neighboring room while the goalkeeper recorded a video message to the morning fans before the club visit a few weeks later.
Tottenham is there once again. “It is very clear that Sonny will start and lead the team as a captain,” said the new manager of Tottenham, Thomas Frank. “If it’s the last match for Sonny, which place to do it here in front of her fans at home. It could be a great end.”
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And emotional. His Premier League performances will be missed in Korea, especially by bars that hang huge televisions in their windows, showing Tottenham games with a small image of his smiling face in the upper corner of the screen to show that their idol is on the ground.
The playing time is a great thing for Korean fans after most of the predecessors of sound had trouble. Park Chu-Young joined Arsenal in 2011, but only managed seven minutes from League in the red and white corner of northern London, an inactivity that caused resentment at home. The son’s experience was the opposite. Playing regularly, becoming a star for so long, then the captain in a large club also helped develop the Tottenham world fans base.
Although the European estimates of their fans in Asia are not confirmed, it was affirmed in 2022 that there were more than 12 million supporters of the Spurs in Korea.
Whatever the accuracy of this number, there has never been such a popular player – his son announced more than 30 brands in his homeland – to play in such a popular league during such a period.
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Tottenham will have to find a way to rely on his inheritance in Korea and on the rest of Asia. For the moment, however, they only have to find a way to live without threads on the ground. And the player’s fans on the largest continent in the world will also have to get used to action in the Premier League without the attacker.
A Chinese journalist one day said that the son has shown the world that Asia can produce a player as exciting as it is in a party or in South America. As the inheritances go, it’s pretty good.
