Tottenham Hotspur had all but secured their Champions League place and were determined to ensure that Son Heung-min won the Golden Boot on the final day of the
www.thetimes.co.uk
Tottenham Hotspur had all but secured their Champions League place and were determined to ensure that Son Heung-min won the Golden Boot on the final day of the Premier League season.
The South Korea forward had struck with two quickfire goals — his 22nd and 23rd of the season — to give Spurs a 5-0 lead against Norwich City and leapfrog Mohamed Salah as the race to be crowned the season’s top scorer entered the final few minutes.
Harry Kane, Son’s strike partner, went over to the Tottenham bench and heard the news that the Liverpool forward had drawn level on 23, with a goal five minutes from time against Wolves at Anfield.
The England captain ran over to Son, lying down with cramp, andencouraged him to put in one final effort to move clear. “I didn’t know about Salah’s scoring situation at the time,” Son said. “I was rather upset, I was feeling pain in my leg and taking a bit of rest. Harry said: ‘Sonny you need to get up, you have to run more, you need to score one more goal.’ ”
There were no more chances for Son to add to his tally and the 29-year-old had to settle for sharing the award with Salah. He was presented with the trophy on the pitch at Carrow Road and is the first Asian player to win the award. Kane has won it three times.
Hundreds of supporters gathered at Incheon international airport to welcome Son, holding the trophy, to South Korea last week, where he is preparing to play Brazil in a friendly on Thursday.
At half-time against Norwich, with Tottenham leading 2-0, Antonio Conte instructed his players to create opportunities for Son. With 20 minutes left he was played through by Lucas Moura to score his first before curling into the top corner a few minutes later.
“The coach said at the break, ‘Our goal is still the same but now we have to help Sonny,’ ” Son told TV Chosun. “So I think the players helped a lot. I feel very grateful for that. From the second half, personally, I could not help but be a little greedy.
“It’s hard to believe that the goal I’ve been dreaming of since childhood is unfolding right before my eyes. Seeing my team-mates after scoring the second goal, it was a moment that made me feel that I have really good team-mates and that I am close with the players. That moment was happy.”
The plan did not begin smoothly and there was an amusing episode the first time his team-mates tried to help. Dejan Kulusevski rounded Tim Krul and, instead of shooting, passed to Son for a tap-in — only for the shot to be blocked on the goalline. “The players were mentally helping, even though I missed, for example saying, ‘I’ll make you the top scorer,’ or ‘You’ll get another chance,’ ” Son said. “Some players I’m close to said, ‘Don’t worry too much, because you’ll bring it anyway.’ ”
Son Woong-jung, Son’s father, is famous in South Korea for keeping the player’s awards and trophies out of sight at his home to keep Son humble. However, there is a special exception for the Golden Boot.
“They say they will put it away, but they seem to like it,” Son said. “I always know where it is, but I kept the Golden Boot in a prominent place in my study. I always know where it is. It may seem like a bragging thing, and I am a person who does not want to show it at all, but on the other hand, if I think about it, I was able to receive such an award thanks to the fans who support me day and night.”
Son could not imagine that Tottenham would qualify for the Champions League when Conte took over with the team in ninth place in November. Spurs went on to win 17 and draw five of the next 28 league matches, taking 56 points from a possible 84. “When the coach came, he filled in the gaps,” he said. “What I still remember is how I really liked the way the players came back on the bus after Norwich and we achieved the goal we wanted.”
. I don't think this PFA snub affects him at all. He's got his teammates and millions of fans showing him love if there was any doubt.
