Son Heung-min says the biggest reason he has stayed at Tottenham for so long is to succeed where others have failed and win a trophy with the club. The captain will have the chance to do so on Wednesday 21 May in the Europa League final against Manchester United, and he described himself as being driven by “desperate passion”.
Son, who is fighting to regain peak fitness after a foot injury, joined Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015. He has scored 173 goals for the club, putting him fifth on their all-time list behind Harry Kane, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Smith and Martin Chivers. But he has been on the losing team in each of the finals he has contested with them – against Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League and Manchester City in the 2021 League Cup. Tottenham’s last trophy was the 2008 League Cup. Son is under contract until 2026, the club having triggered a one-year option on him in January.
“We’ve been talking about this for years,” Son said. “The biggest reason I stayed at Tottenham was because I wanted to do something others couldn’t achieve. That’s probably why I’m where I am now.
“You need all the pieces to complete a puzzle. I think I’ve gathered all the other pieces to make that puzzle complete. I’ve been missing that one most important, final piece and I’ve been trying to find it for the past 10 years. I really hope I can finally complete the puzzle this time.
“Every game is special and meaningful. But this game [against United] feels like an opportunity that may not come back. It feels different this time. I really want to win – more than anyone else. So many people are supporting us with the same desperate passion I feel. If we prepare well, I believe we can achieve it.”
Son has just seen his former Spurs teammate Harry Kane win the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich. It is the first team trophy of Kane’s career. “I texted Harry and he called me back on a video call,” Son said. “I was really happy to see him happy. He is one of my best friends and to see a once teammate achieve so much, I was delighted for him like he’s my family. With that positive energy I hope he can support Spurs in the game as well, so we can achieve a good result like his.”
Son returned on Sunday from a month-long layoff with the foot problem in the 2-0 home defeat against Crystal Palace in the Premier League, appearing as a 58th-minute substitute. He said he had worked with his personal therapist, Ahn Deok-su, and Tottenham’s medical staff to come back “much earlier than expected”.
He said: “I have to say I’m OK because I want our fans, as well as those who support me, to feel at ease while watching the game. So, I will always say that I’m fine. And I will be fine.”
