Heung-Min Son (손흥민)

  • The Fighting Cock is a forum for fans of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Here you can discuss Spurs latest matches, our squad, tactics and any transfer news surrounding the club. Registration gives you access to all our forums (including 'Off Topic' discussion) and removes most of the adverts (you can remove them all via an account upgrade). You're here now, you might as well...

    Get involved!

Latest Spurs videos from Sky Sports

By the end of the video Son's dad appears, he's apparently following everywhere Son goes. Heard that ppl at Leverkusen didnt really like him as they felt he's interfering the communication btwn Son and the club. There are several cases of famous 'soccer daddies'(no i didnt want to use THAT word :pocheyes:) for S. Korean players: fathers of Park Jisung or Ki Seungyong are very famous(notorious, to some people, especially journalists) and Son's is another famous daddy.

The dad is a football coach and well understands that S. Korean football is all about factionalism. Apparently he didnt want his son to play in the system so sent him to Germany when he was very young. He also had controversies with the national team several times, requesting the Korean FA to not call up his son.

I reserve my judgement on him as his strict management of his son might have brought the player this far, but I guess the dad wouldnt be fan's favorite here. We'll see.

Korean fan born and raised in NY here. I've been lurking on here ever since the rumors of Son to Tottenham first surfaced. Decided to finally sign up and wanted to reply to this. Son's father might be overbearing but he's the reason Son as we know him exists, with his current strengths and weaknesses. His father trained him relentlessly from a young age to perfect his shooting technique and to be ambidextrous. Son mentioned in previous interviews (can't bother digging them up right now) that he would spend days just practicing shooting over 1,000 times per day. That's why he can score goals at angles from which he has no business even taking a shot, right foot left foot both with aplomb.

On the other hand, his father also kept him from playing in too many matches as a youth as he felt it would enforce bad habits. This is where his weaknesses come into play, in that he can seem lost in buildup play even while being such a ruthless finisher. Obviously he's been getting better these past several seasons but you'll see what I'm talking about.

Of course we've all seen the highlight reels and goal compilations, but sometimes watching a 'ball-touch' vid can be more helpful to get an idea of what his overall game is like.




This match against Uruguay he was wearing the number 9 with pink boots. He's not hard to spot lol. When he's on form and has space to run at defenders he's an absolute terror to the opposition. When he's on his A-game you'd swear he was CR7 in FIFA. But when he's low on form/confidence he can go missing in matches. Thus far he's always bounced back with purple patches of goals but I wouldn't be surprised to see him get a hat trick one week then be anonymous the next. All the English-speaking Korean soccer fans I speak to would say this is his biggest weakness: consistency. I guess at 23 years old we can't complain too much.

There's been plenty said about his Bundesliga goal-scoring record so nothing more to say there. But I didn't see his Champion's League stats mentioned, because in his first season at Bayer he scored 0 goals and looked pretty innocuous. Then in his second season (last year) he scored 5 of Bayer's overall 15 UCL goals. So he is certainly still developing and sometimes we forget that he's been in the Bundesliga scoring goals since he was a teenager.

As for the military issue, since someone asked for a recap, basically Son is stuck in a sh!tty confluence of factors working against him. He was born too late to exploit a loophole for middle school dropouts which Lee Chung-Yong (formerly at Bolton, now at Crystal Palace) used to gain exemption. Now that loophole is apparently reopening but is only open to people born after 1996. He missed exemption with the 2012 Olympic squad (sorry for knocking out Team GB) that won Bronze and then missed it again in 2014 when Korea won Gold in the Asian Games. That one hurt especially, since not only was it one of his last chances to gain exemption, the Korean FA told Leverkusen that Son only had to show up for the Final. Basically they were willing to make a farce of the competition in order to get Son his exemption. Bayer refused to release him for that single game, his future be damned. Now he only has the 2016 Olympics and the 2018 Asian Games, unless Korea makes some serious noise in the 2018 World Cup. Given how crap we were in Brazil 2014, I wouldn't be banking on that option..

As for deferring service based on residency or fabricating a medical loophole, there is a long string of celebrities/pop stars/etc. who have destroyed their careers by attempting such things. Son would effectively become persona non grata. The question remains if Son can become a big enough star to force the issue and sway public opinion if the time comes for him to report for duty and he hasn't gained exemption. It would pretty much take an Act of Congress (sorry, don't know what the Korean equivalent term is) to get him an exemption by fiat. Even then there would be very vocal opposition, regardless of how big a star Son might be.

Sorry for the long post but just had to add my 2 cents.

edit: I managed to sneak the first half against Everton on Saturday while on vacation with my family. It looked like Everton were leaving huge swaths of space behind their line from what I saw. Perfect conditions for Son to absolutely wreak havoc...:baletroll:
 
Last edited:
Chelsea are planning an audacious swoop for South Korean star Heung-Min Son in the summer, with the Blues ready to pay around £80 million to sign the Asian star. The Tottenham player, who has been in insatiable form this campaign, is seen by many as one of the best players in the Premier League.

Chelsea chairman Roman Abramovich has been sufficiently impressed and is now ready to open his cheque book to lure the player to the club.

Chelsea plan swoop for Heung-Min Son
 
tenor.gif
Levy walking in to get his wallet, then hears on the TV of the South Korea score.
 

jimmyriggle

Blatant
And you can tell everybody
This is our Son
It might be quite simple but
Now that he's come

I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind
That I put down in words
How wonderful life is
That Son plays for Spurs

PS. If you fuck this up Levy I will charge you for the time it took to come up with that
 
Serious point here: Son excels when he's confident and happy.

He now has the weight of national duty lifted from his shoulders, which will have been on him his entire playing career up to this point.

I think we'll be getting Son 2.0 when he returns to England, to be honest. Actual Sonaldo form.
 
First goal at the new stadium, big champions league goals especially his 3 against City, playing on with a fractured arm, winning the Puskas award with one of the greatest ever goals scored, kicked Rudiger in the ribs, kills transfer speculation early, playing with a smile on his face and seems to be so grateful and loves playing for Spurs.

Club legend.
 
Meeting the other self of Son: the agent Thies Bliemeister



“He’s one in a million talent for S. Korea. Also he got this sense of language and sociability."




Son’s German agent, Thies Bliemeister(38) was very calm. He tried to keep his objectivity when praising Son, almost made it easy to forget that he’s Son’s agent. Bliemeister was always with Son from the player’s first year of career: Son was selected for ‘Studying Abroad Programme for Elite Football Youngsters’ to join Hamburg in 2008.


Ilgan Sports interviewed Bliemeister in London, who is referred as the other self of Son. This is his first time to have in-depth interview with S. Korean media. Calling himself ‘older Sonny’, he explained the reason that Son headed to Spurs, Son’s life back in Germany and how he’s adapting to the new life in England. He also had advices for Son, while being happy for the player’s consecutive scorings. “I knew that Son was always perfect for the PL. There’s nothing happier than playing the favorite type of football in the favorite league.” he said.




◇Heung-Min is my Son


-What was the reaction of Son’s family against his PL debut goal?


“They gone speechless, being too happy for the goal. It was like myself scoring that goal. Mauricio Pochettino must have this eye for players.”


-Have you imagined this when Son first played for Hamburg Youth?


“There was this vague expectation that he’ll be a big player. Otherwise I wouldn’t have brought him to Germany at the first stage. When I first saw him I instantly knew that he’s got something different; his personality and mental strength. His techniques were completed in Germany. Any player who first met him doesn’t need a long time to get along with him. Everyone likes him and this is a huge advantage. Plus, he’s working really hard, train much harder than average player. Those realized my expectations. There are some lucky players to play in the PL, but Heung-min brought himself this far only with his own ability."



-You must be very proud of him.


“Son is like my son. It’s been almost a decade since we got to know each other: I was staying with him in his first two years in Germany without his family. Someone has to take care of 16 years old boy who just arrived to a totally different place. I was with him everyday, everywhere; eating food, playing ping-pong etc. So I know almost everything about him. Like every daddy, I hope he’d be happy. I feel great that he can play his game now.”



-It might be harder to see him for you as he moved to London.

“Not at all. From Hamburg where I live, Leverkusen and Dusseldorf (where Son used to live) both takes an hour by car. To London also takes an hour by plane. I and Heung-min’s dad followed Leverkusen's every CL game last season and S. Korea’s matches held in Australia earlier this year. I’ll visit England every week to watch him play.


◇Now I can reveal the truth


There were rumors on the procedure of transfer from Leverkusen. As he moved to London after the new season started, some people doubted his relationships with the head coach or players.


-Is that true that he had uncomfortable relationship with the head coach?

“Roger Schmidt always included Son in his starting 11 week in week out, there’s no reason for bad relationship. Son just chose to play in England, where he always dreamed of."


-What about him skipping trainings without a word?

“(Laughs) I’m not a kidnapper. Would I leave for England with the player without the club’s approval? The club emailed me allowing his medical in London."


-Why Tottenham, why now?

“We were in contact with Spurs from 2 and half years ago. Pochettino was after him for the last 3 years and the club also wanted him. Heung-min, his dad and me all thought this is the right time to move to Tottenham. While dealing with transfer, there are those final negotiations going on forever; this was the case and had to wait for a long time to finalize the deal, which didn’t make the deal before the start of season. The deal wasn’t made all of sudden: it has been a long-term plan."


-Did the player’s will influence the transfer?

“Of course. The last decision was made by us three, the player, the dad and me, but Heung-min was the first person to brought out the issue. He said “Can I move to Tottenham? I trust Pochettino and I want to play with him. I want to play for Spurs.” I respected him. It’s not daddy’s decision either. Of course his father is an important person for me, since he understands football better than anyone. More than anything, we all are family, staying 7-8 years together. We know what is the best way for Son, so we always make decisions together. Tottenham is the best place for Son to start in the PL."


-There were rumors of him to move to Liverpool.

“They watched him for a long time and wanted him. Actually Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg also wanted him. But those two are German sides; he wanted to play in the PL."



-Then why not Liverpool?

“Pochettino was the biggest reason to choose Spurs. He’s the best manager for Son for now. He’s got great personality, and very talented to improve young players. He constantly communicates with players, cares and brings out their potentials. He will make great synergy with Son.



◇Hung-min is respected by team mates


-Is that the manager’s idea to play him in various positions?

“Poch is allowing various roles to Son; as seen in the match against Qarabaq, Son scored 2 goals as the role of no. 9. People think he’s a winger, especially a left winger; it’s wrong. He used to play as no. 9 in Hamburg. As he can use both feet freely, he can play at both wings, up front, everywhere. This kind of player need experiences in various positions. I regret that he didn’t have a chance to play as no. 9 in Leverkusen. Poch has this different eye to see a player. Haha."


-Son always said that CL is the best stage to play in. But Spurs plays in Europa League.

“It is true that Son thinks playing in the CL is important: but I want him to improve step by step. There are players who move from German clubs to English clubs that can compete in the CL. But there are so many examples that they had to come back to Germany right away. At his age, playing week in week out is the most important thing. Spurs is great that he can improve while playing. They may not be compete in the Cl, but Europa is enough for him for now."


-Do you think that the PL is the better league than Bundesliga?

“I think so. I’ve been watching the games of those two. The PL plays faster and stronger games. I won’t comment more, I’m a German myself!(Laughs)”


-The Atmosphere is good for now.

“This is a big challenge for Son. Everything’s new to him. Against Sunderland he seemed a bit nervous. But he seemed happy then - to play in the PL."


-Is he adapting well to the life in London?

“I had dinner with him and his family yesterday, everyone seemed happy. Recently he got his place to live with his parents, a house with beautiful garden. He seemed happier ever to find a Korean grocery nearby(Laughs). It’s important to be with his parents, since his father is an important advisor. Whatever other people think about it, I think his father is crucial to him, witnessing his improvement. But I once again make this clear: his father does not make the decisions."


-What kind of player will he be in Spurs?

“Tottenham is a very attractive side with very young players. Including Son, important players like Kane and Erikssen are all in their early 20s. It’s hard to find any other team in the PL like this. This trio will be a tremendous one, will be very exciting to watch. Have you seen when Son scored in the Europa and the league? Every Spurs player ran to him and celebrated the goal. Since being away for the national team games, Son only spent 1-2 weeks at Spurs. It’s hard to be like this, when you spent that little time with the new team. Is it because Heung-min’s sense of humor? No, it’s that the players are respecting him."


[창간특집-단독인터뷰] 손흥민의 ‘분신’ 블리마이스터를 만나다

the news article is in korean but its basically an interview with sons agent. Apparently, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, & Wolfsburg were interested in Son but he chose spurs
:levylol:
 
I don’t think I could admire professional footballers any more than I admire this current team.
Dier’s interview with the Times in his thread, Eriksen larking about with his Danish Chums in his thread, Harry Kane, Jan V, Big Victor in their threads etc etc.
But this young man deserves a special mention. So grounded, humble & talented.
We are truly lucky to have this bunch in a world of cunts like Carragher, Terry, Rooney & their ilk.

Bursting with pride that we have players like Son in our ranks. You just know that a lad like him won’t ever be in the media for the wrong reasons. If we win fuck all ever again in my lifetime, I will still remember this current crop as a fine bunch of footballers & human beings.

Except for Rose. He can fuck off.

:roseunsure:
 
Back
Top Bottom