We have often witnessed footballers suffering career threatening injuries. While extremely tragic, the above is a situation allowing consolation due to inability to perform physically on the field. However, South Korean international Heung-Min Son had to face a crisis much more emotionally devastating. According to South Korea’s military policy, every citizen must serve a minimum of 2 years in military service before the age of 28. A term, which may be decreased only under the condition that an athlete win a medal, representing the country in a major international tournament. After South Korea’s elimination from the group stages of the FIFA World Cup 2018, Heung-Min Son faced a career threatening obstacle. At the peak of his career, Son was expected to serve 21 months in military service. A roadblock, that would almost certainly spiral the then 26-year old Tottenham Hotspur forward’s career ambitions. The only possible way for Heung-Min Son to have a chance at a reduced term was for him to lead the South Korean football team to a gold at the Asian Games. And football won, as Son led his national team to victory, earning gold for his career, reducing his term to a few weeks and saving his sparkling career. Fans and players from all over the world expressed their admiration for Son whose story of defying odds to keep playing the beautiful world will continue to inspire many along the years.
Heung-Min Son continues to have an illustrious career at Tottenham Hotspurs where his blistering pace, adept ball control and decisive shooting ability have made him one of the best players in the Premier League. We go over some of the early years of this star’s career.
Son dropped out of Dongbuk High School in 2008 and joined Hamburger SV’s youth academy, signing his first professional contract on his 18th birthday. He scored his first Bundesliga goal against 1. FC Köln on 30th October 2010, returning from a foot injury, making him Hamburger’s youngest Bundesliga scorer. Son earned his spot in the starting lineup in the 2012-13 season, which saw the transfers of many of Hamburger’s main players. He finished the season with 12 goals. Over three seasons, Son scored 20 goals in 78 appearances for Hamburger SV in all competitions.
In June, 2013, Son joined Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen for a club record fee of 10 million euros. Adjusting quickly to his new surroundings, Son scored 12 goals in 43 matches in his first season and 17 goals in 42 matches in his second season at Leverkusen.
August, 2015 saw the transfer of Heung-Min Son to the Premier League heavyweight Tottenham Hotspur for a trasnfer fee of 30 million euros, making him the most expensive Asian player in history. Son scored his first two goals for Tottenham on 17th September in a UEFA Europa League match against Qarabag FK in a 3-1 win. He scored his first Premier League goal against Crystal Palace three days later. His second season saw him struggling for game time resulting in him asking to be loaned away. However, Spurs gaffer Mauricio Pochettino wished for him to fight for a place in the lineup. Son did not disappoint, equalling his goal tally from the previous season in 25 fewer games, thus earning the confidence of his manager. Finishing the season with 21 goals, he, along with Harry Kane and Dele Alli became the first Spurs trio to score above 20 goals in all competitions. Son carried his red hot form into the 2017-18 season becoming the highest Asian goalscorer in Premier League history as well as the first Asian to finish as a top ten goal score in the Premier League.
Heung-Min Son signed a new five-year deal with Spurs this season and has continued his blistering form in front of goal, winning the Goal of the Month award in November and also bagging a Premier League Player of the Year award in February at the London Football awards. Son has been instrumental in Tottenham’s meteoric rise in the UEFA Champions’ League this season, scoring in almost every important match. In his latest conquests, Son has scored the only goal in the first leg of the UCL quarter final clash against Manchester City. Hardly satisfied, Son scored 2 out of the 3 goals in the 2nd leg nail-biter against City which they lost 3-4 but progressed to the Semi Finals on away goals.
Son has more than proven his worth, consistently delivering admirable performances in a league as daunting as the Premier League and his club and country have a lot to thank this sensation for. We hope he can keep playing magical football and keep entertaining us for a number of years to come.
-Rishav Mukherjee
The Sport Catalogue 