South Korean international star Heung-Min Son has captured the hearts of Spurs fans since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2015 with his electrifying goalscoring performances.
The 2023/24 season, Son’s ninth at Spurs, marked another significant chapter for him. Named Club captain in August 2023, he made 36 appearances, bringing his career total to 408 across all competitions. With 17 goals during the season, he advanced his Spurs tally to 162. Son reached his 150th goal in spectacular fashion with a brace in the north London derby against Arsenal in September 2023, a month that saw him named Premier League Player of the Month. He later moved into the Club’s top five all-time goalscorers with 160 goals, surpassing Cliff Jones after scoring against Luton in March 2024. In April, Son made his 400th appearance for Spurs, joining an elite group of just 14 players to reach that milestone. By May 2024, he had become the third player in club history, after Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane, to make 300 Premier League appearances for the team.
In addition to these achievements, Son captained South Korea to the semi-finals of the Asia Cup in early 2024 and concluded the 2023/24 season with 127 international caps for his country.
Born in Chuncheon, Son began his football journey in Germany, joining Hamburger SV’s academy and scoring on his Bundesliga debut against 1. FC Köln in October 2010. He made 78 appearances for Hamburg, scoring 20 goals before transferring to Bayer Leverkusen in June 2013. There, he helped secure Champions League qualification in both of his seasons, scoring 29 goals in 87 appearances.
Son’s impact at Spurs was immediate. After making his debut away at Sunderland in September 2015, he scored twice on his home debut in a Europa League win against Qarabag and followed that up with the winner against Crystal Palace in the Premier League. He finished his first season with eight goals in 40 appearances, including a late winner against Watford in December 2015.
Son’s breakout came in the 2016/17 season, with standout performances such as two goals in a 4-0 win at Stoke City and a double in a 2-1 victory over Middlesbrough. He won two EA SPORTS Player of the Month awards and finished the season with 21 goals in 47 appearances. By November 2017, his winning goal against Crystal Palace made him the highest-scoring Asian player in Premier League history. He ended the 2017/18 campaign with 18 goals in 53 appearances.
The 2018/19 season saw Son reach 20 goals again despite missing time for international duty. He scored a memorable solo goal against Chelsea, earning the Premier League’s Goal of the Month and our Goal of the Season. Son made history by scoring the first-ever goal at Spurs’ new stadium in April 2019 and was pivotal in the Champions League quarter-final victory over Manchester City, which helped propel Spurs to the final. He also won the Best Footballer in Asia award for the fourth time in January 2019.
In the 2019/20 season, Son produced one of the most iconic goals in Premier League history, running the length of the pitch to score against Burnley, a goal that later earned him the FIFA Puskás Award. He finished the season with 18 goals in 41 appearances, despite fracturing his arm in February and completing military service in South Korea during the pandemic.
The 2020/21 season was another highlight in Son’s career. He netted 22 goals in 51 appearances, with 17 in the Premier League, and set a record with Harry Kane for the most goal combinations in a single Premier League season (14). Son reached 100 goals for Spurs and earned a place in the PFA Premier League Team of the Season.
In the 2021/22 season, Son signed a contract extension and continued to break records, including surpassing 50 European appearances for Spurs and 200 Premier League matches. He finished the season with 24 goals in 45 games, clinched the Premier League Golden Boot with 23 goals, and won multiple Player of the Season awards.
Son’s 2022/23 season included a milestone 100th Premier League goal in April 2023, making him the first Asian player to reach that landmark. Despite some struggles with form, he still netted 14 goals in 47 appearances.
Internationally, Son has represented South Korea in three World Cups (2014, 2018, 2022) and captained his nation to an Asian Games victory in 2018. As of the end of the 2023/24 season, he had earned 127 caps for South Korea and was preparing for a fourth World Cup in 2026.
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