Heung-Min Son, the FC Seoul academy graduate became the first Asian player to win the top scorer gong in English Premier League. The gifted player who is well equipped to use both his legs and capable of beating his man on either side and opening defenses is considered one of the best players the continent has ever produced. He became the most expensive Asian footballer when he was bought for £22 million by Tottenham in 2015 from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen. 

After making his debut in 2015, Son slowly established himself as one of the important members of Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino’s system.

In the next two Premier League seasons, he scored 14 goals each and was the second-highest goal scorer in the team behind talisman Harry Kane. The 2018/19 season was a memorable campaign for both the club and the player as they reached the UEFA Champions League final for the first time in history. He played an important role in Tottenham getting an opportunity to take a shot at European glory. Son scored the only goal as Spurs won 1-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final tie before bagging a pivotal three-minute brace in that 4-3 spectacular at the Etihad, with the Lilywhites going through on away goals which helped the North London club to knock out Pep Guardiola’s side.

Season 21-22

The season was a rollercoaster for Spurs but the impact the South Korean has made in the front three has been huge. Conte’s appointment had a transformative effect on the club and he has underlined his status as one of the world’s top coaches by leading the side to fourth in difficult circumstances. Kane -Son duo broke the Premier League record for the most combination goals earlier in the season. With the England captain has improved again upon his ability to drop deep and link play this season, it has given Son a huge boost in front of goal.

Tottenham Hotspur have secured their place in next season’s Champions League with a 5-0 victory over Norwich City on Sunday at Carrow Road. Son drew level with Mohamad Salah in the Golden Boot race on 22 goals in the 70th minute, as he stroked into Krul’s bottom-left corner from Lucas Moura’s clever pass in the 70th minute. The South Korean went one clear of Salah five minutes later with a sublime finish from outside the box by curling in from 25 yards to add further gloss to the score line. But the Liverpool forward scored at Anfield against Wolves shortly after to ensure the award was shared. While Mohamed Salah has scored five Premier League goals from the penalty spot this season, Son has scored none. All his goals this season have been from open play, which just goes to show how many more he could’ve had if he was on penalty duties for Tottenham. Son Heung-Min has scored 23 goals this season in 3006 minutes of Premier League action. He has scored at a rate of 0.65 goals per 90, which is vastly superior to his xG per 90 of 0.39. The Korean has taken only 2.3 shots per game, but he has hit 60% of those on target.

Son is the first Asian to be seen as one of the best players in a major European league, perhaps even the best league in the world right now, considering that English teams have been in four of the last five UEFA Champions League finals. Past Asian stars have had some success in Europe, like Japan’s Hidetoshi Nakata – who held the previous transfer fee record for an Asian player – and Shinji Kagawa, or Iran’s Sardar Azmoun and Mehdi Taremi. But none have been as consistently excellent or as celebrated as Son. Son Heung-min was awarded South Korea’s highest sporting honour-Cheongnyong Medal after the Tottenham forward became the first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot.

Son has been one of the best signings the club has ever made. He is producing massive impact on and off the field. Son will continue to hold the key role in Tottenham’s attack for next season’s Premier League and Champions League Campaign.