Son Heung-min's Tottenham career ended in Seoul, but his 10-year journey was truly completed in Bilbao. That was where he lifted the Europa League trophy in May - the only moment that suddenly clarified everything else. All the efforts, all the loyalty, all the goals, all the tears, were rewarded worthyly in northern Spain and the subsequent celebrations. And it was in Bilbao that the blend between Son and Tottenham - and Son - became complete.
Before the final against Manchester United, no one knew this better than their coach at that time, Ange Postecoglou. He used that as motivation.
I want him to be the center of the Europa journey because I think he represents the way people look at the club, Postecoglou shared, He is clearly an excellent player but lacks an important piece of success.
Postecoglou told the players that the victory over Man United would change people's perspective on both Son and the club in the blink of an eye. The players fought for Son, as well as for Spurs. There is no longer a separation between the two. If you ask Spurs fans who Son Heung-min is in the history of the team, the answer is unquestionable: He is Tottenham. Not only an icon, Son is also the soul, the beat of the club for a decade of ups and downs.
Starting from... 12 years ago
It didn't start in 2015 - when Son arrived at Spurs for £22 million - but in 2012, when he was a 20-year-old in Hamburg. At that time, Tottenham sent people to watch, but the report sent back was not very optimistic: "Hamburg is bad, Son has just recovered from injury, has not seen any outstanding points".
Southampton were the team closest to his signing in the summer of 2013, when coach Mauricio Pochettino and head of the scouting department Paul Mitchell believed that Son was the perfect piece: fast, sharp in changing conditions, and easy on the legs. But Son chose to stay in the Bundesliga, to Bayer Leverkusen to continue to work illegally.
Two years later, Pochettino and Mitchell returned to Tottenham. And the memory of that energetic Korean guy has not fading away. In the match where Leverkusen lost 4-5 to Wolfsburg, Son scored a hat-trick, scoring with both feet, making the Spurs team realize: "This is a player who not only scores, but also does it with the elegance and surprise that few people have".
On August 28, 2015, Tottenham officially announced new signing Son Heung-min. Mitchell recalled: That price for such a quality player is the best investment of my career.
Career turning point
Few people know that, after his first season at Spurs, Son had intended to give up. After a brilliant start, a foot injury has left him out of the rhythm, starting only 10 Premier League games of the season. In the summer of 2016, Son returned from Olympic Rio, seriously planning to leave London to return to the Bundesliga, where Wolfsburg were ready to welcome.
I went to the coachs office and said I didnt feel comfortable and wanted to go back to Germany, Son recalled in 2019. Luckily, Tottenham thought differently. Partly because they spent £22 million just a year ago and didn't want to sell at a loss. But more importantly, the coaching staff knows Son's potential. Players with his speed, quality, versatility and attitude do not appear often. Replacing him in a short time is impossible.
Son did not feature until after the national team break at the end of August, in which he played a World Cup qualifier for South Korea and immediately flew back to England. He has been so impressed that Pochettino has decided to start him in his next Stoke City game on 10 September. That decision became a turning point. Son shined, scoring twice and assisting Kane in the 4-0 win.
In a way, this is the real start of Son Heung-min's career at Tottenham. Paul Mitchell recalled: We know his quality. Dynamism, intelligence, and the ability to finish with both feet, Son deserves to be a big player. We just need to be patient.
Goals that made history
Son not only scored, he scored the most important goals. The 89th-minute decision against Watford helped Spurs chase the top 4 in the first season. Borussia Dortmund's qualifying goals in the 2017 and 2019 Champions League. The first goal at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The only goal defeated Man City in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. And especially, the historic double at the Etihad in the second leg. All of Son's quintessence was encapsulated in that moment: cold, elegant, and deciding the fate of the biggest match.
The 2021-2022 season is the peak: 23 Premier League goals, equal Gold shoe with Mohamed Salah. Son became one of the few 34 players to have reached 100 goals in the toughest tournament on the planet.
Son - a player, a Tottenham person
The teammates' love for Son is not only for goals. Kevin Wimmer always remembers his early days: He always smiles, cares for everyone like family. Ben Davies, his best friend, once held a party to celebrate Son's 100th Premier League goal.
During his tours to Korea, Son personally prepared gifts for each club member, including the head coach. After each practice session, he would hang around signing gifts, record videos to fans, and visit each old acquaintance's family. Postecoglou said: The greatest value of a person is not achievement, but the way they treat others. Sonny kept giving, that was a lesson for all of us.
No one has ever worked with Son without mentioning his kindness. Although he has millions of idol fans, Son has never forgotten to see himself in others.
Second choice and the moment Bilbao
In 2020, at the peak of his career, Son could well leave Spurs to find a title elsewhere. But he signed a 4-year contract, deciding to stay with the club for his most fulfilling period. Kane left, Hugo Lloris too, and Postecoglou chose Son as captain. He is the only one who can sit with anyone in the team and connect everything. A leader is a person who brings together the collective, he explained.
In his final season, Son was injured and missed many big matches. But right before the Europa League final against Man United, Postecoglou reminded his students: "This trophy will elevate Sonny to the status of a legend. And we will be a part of that heritage.
At Bilbao night, when Son lifted the trophy for the first time in 10 years, the tears he shed were Tottenham's tears. Because Son's journey is the club's journey: suffering, perseverance and final justice.
Son Heung-min left Tottenham as he had lived with this team - with a sincere love and pure joy for football. He is the embodiment of beautiful football moments, of happiness when accelerating on the touchline, making a curse and sharing joy with the whole world. Best friend James Maddison said on behalf of all: Sonny is Tottenham. Tottenham is Sonny. It's strange to think about Tottenham Hotspur without Son."
And perhaps, forever, for those who love this team, there will be no Second Son.
