Did You Know? 5 facts about Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min
Soccer Football - Premier League - AFC Bournemouth vs Tottenham Hotspur - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - March 11, 2018 Tottenham's Son Heung-min celebrates scoring their third goal REUTERS/Ian Walton EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Shoot! would like to wish Son Heung-min many happy returns as the Tottenham Hotspur forward celebrates his 26th birthday this evening!
The South Korea international, who has 70 international caps for his country, scored an impressive 18 goals and provided 11 assists in 53 appearances in all competitions for Spurs last season, as they finished third in the 2017-18 Premier League table.
Son, who joined Tottenham back in August 2015 from German outfit Bayer Leverkusen, has netted 47 times in 140 games for Mauricio Pochettino’s side overall.
The winger suffered an early exit with South Korea at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals this summer, after finishing third in Group F, though the 26-year-old did score two goals at the tournament in Russia, including the second strike that knocked out defending world champions Germany.
Son’s attention now turns to preparations for his fourth campaign with Spurs this summer, and to celebrate the forward’s latest milestone, here is Shoot!‘s five facts you may not know about the South Korean star…
Footballing Family
Son’s father is retired footballer, Son Woong-jung.
The 56-year-old former forward played for Sangmu, Hyundai Horangi and Ilhwa Chunma, but he now manages and runs his own football academy.
Left school at 16
Son (centre) celebrates scoring against Chelsea in pre-season (2010).
Spurs’ Son left Dongbuk High School at the age of 16, to join Hamburg’s youth academy.
A brave move, which certainly paid off!
International Idol
Son’s footballing idol when growing up is fellow South Korean international, Lee Chung-yong.
Despite being just four years older than the Tottenham forward, Lee was the player Son looked up to whilst coming through the international and FC Seoul’s youth ranks, where they both graduated from.
Lee, 30, is currently a free agent after being released by Crystal Palace at the end of the 2017-18 season.
He has previously played for Seoul, Bolton Wanderers and Palace.
Most expensive Asian in history
Son agreed a £22m transfer to Tottenham back in August 2015 from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.
That deal made Son the most expensive Asian in football history!
Premier League Record-Breaker
In three seasons, Son has scored 30 league goals for Tottenham – making him the highest Asian goalscorer in Premier League history.
Former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung is second on the list with 19 strikes.