Son Heung-min is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the South Korea national team. Considered one of the best players in the world and widely regarded as the greatest Asian footballer of all time, he is known for his explosive speed, finishing, two-footedness and ability to link play.

Born in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Son relocated to Germany to join Hamburger SV at 16, making his debut in the Bundesliga in 2010. In 2013, he moved to Bayer Leverkusen for a club record €10 million before signing for Tottenham for £22 million two years later, becoming the most expensive Asian player in history. While at Tottenham, Son became the top Asian goalscorer in both Premier League and Champions League history, and surpassed Cha Bum-kun's record for most goals scored by a Korean player in European competition. In 2019, he became the second Asian in history to reach and start a UEFA Champions League final after compatriot Park Ji-sung. In the 2021–22 season, he won, shared alongside Mohamed Salah, the Premier League Golden Boot award with 23 goals, becoming the first Asian player to win it. In April 2023, he became the first Asian player to score 100 Premier League goals.

Early life

Son Heung-min was born in Chuncheon, Gangwon. His father, Son Woong-jung, is a retired footballer turned manager who once played for the South Korea national B team.

Son came through the academy at FC Seoul, the same club that former Spurs defender Lee Young-pyo played for. Son was a ball boy in an FC Seoul home match in 2008 when he was a FC Seoul youth player. At that time, his role model was midfielder Lee Chung-yong, who played for Crystal Palace and Bolton Wanderers. Apart from his native language Korean, Son is also fluent in German and English. His agent Thies Bliemeister said Son was so determined to make himself a success in Europe that he learned German by watching episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Club career

Hamburger SV (2009–2013)

At the age of 16, Son moved to Hamburger SV via the Korean FA Youth Project. After he participated in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, Son began playing for Hamburger SV actively. Prior to the onset of the 2010/11 season, Son led Hamburger in goals and was granted a professional contract on the day he turned 18. He began his season in scoring against Chelsea but was injured which left him on the sidelines for two months. In October 2010 he returned to action and thus earned his first goal in the Bundesliga against FC Köln, which made him the youngest Bundesliga goal scorer for the club. He ended his 2010/11 campaign with 3 goals in 14 matches.

As he prepared for the following season, he registered 18 goals in 9 preseason games. But as the season began, Son suffered from fever and was out of action. He soon returned to action and during the season he registered 5 goals in 30 games and also helped his team avoid relegation. His final season with Hamburger was his breakthrough season. Son was in top form as he helped his team defeat Bundesliga giant, Dortmund. His goal scoring abilities improved as he went on to score 12 goals to become the fifth South Korean footballer to record double-digit goals in a European league.

Bayer Leverkusen (2013–2015)

In June 2013, Son moved to Bundesliga side, Bayer Leverkusen for €10 million, a record amount for Hamburger then. He signed a five-year deal with the club. During the season, Son was in amazing form as he helped his team earn a UEFA Champions League spot. His debut season with Bayern Leverkusen ended with 12 goals in 43 games. His second season with Bayer Leverkusen was more impressive as he scored 17 goals in 42 appearances.

Tottenham Hotspurs (2015–present)

In August 2015, Tottenham Hotspurs signed Sonnon in a five-year contract. His move from Bayer Leverkusen cost €30 million, which made him the most expensive Asian footballer. He debuted for Tottenham in a game against Sunderland in September 2015. The month, he also earned his first goal for Tottenham Hotspurs in a Europa League game against Qarabağ FK, in which he scored a brace. Son was in top form that season. In a game against Chelsea in May 2016, he scored a goal which would have made Tottenham EPL winner, but following an equaliser, Leicester City emerges the winner.

In his second season at Tottenham, he requested then Spurs manager, Mauricio Pochettino, to transfer him to another team, after he couldn’t get playing time as much in the Spurs team. Rather the manager gave Son a chance to fight for a spot in the starting XI. In September 2016, Son began a wonderful goal scoring run, which saw him receive the EPL Premier League player of the month award, making him the first Asian to receive the award. His top form continued and at the end of the 2016/17 season, he was one of three Spurs players who scored more than 20 goals in the season.

In the 2017/18 season, Son was once again on an impressive run. By November, he had become the Asian player with the most goals in the EPL. At the conclusion of a brilliant season, he became the only Asian player to have a finish in the top 10 in the EPL goal scoring chart. In July 2018, Son agreed to a five-year deal with Tottenham. His first goal of the season,  which was his 50th goal for Spurs was awarded the EPL Goal of the Month award in November. He continued in his top-scoring form and was awarded the EPL Player of the Year at the London Football Award.

In Tottenham Champions League Quarter-final game against Manchester City, Son was in top form that his brace in the second leg of the game helped Spurs advance to the semifinal of the tournament for the first time since 1962. His brace catapulted him to become the highest Asian goal scorer in the Champions League. He ended his 2018/19 season as runner-up in the Champions League.

Son began his 2019/20 season with a brace in an EPL game against Crystal Palace. In October 2019, he was included in the 30 man list for the Ballon d’Or award. He continued in top form throughout the season, and in December, he scored a spectacular goal against Burnley in which he passed 7 opponent players before he scored. The goal was lauded by pundits and was awarded the goal of the Month for December 2019. In February 2020, he became the first Asian player to register 50 goals in the EPL. That month, he suffered a fracture in his arm, which was revealed could put him on the sidelines for the rest of the season.

International career

2009–2014: Youth level and first major tournaments

Son was a member of the South Korea national team that participated at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup held in Nigeria. He scored 3 goals in this tournament.

On 24 December 2010, Son was named in South Korea national team's squad for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, making his debut for the national team in a pre-tournament friendly against Syria on 30 December. At the tournament finals, Son scored his first international goal during a 4–1 group stage win against India. This goal made him the youngest goalscorer in the AFC Asian Cup history

On 7 October 2011, after initially missing the first two matches of South Korea's 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign on 2 and 6 September 2011 due to an ankle injury, Son played in a friendly against Poland, and was again featured in 11 October World Cup qualifier against the United Arab Emirates. His selection for national team play was a point of concern for Son's father, however, who caused a stir by asking the Korea Football Association not to select his son for the national team in the immediate future so he can rest and mature more as a player. Cho Kwang-rae, then the South Korea head coach, responded by saying that he would continue to call up Son when needed.

Son turned down the opportunity to participate in the 2012 London Olympics, opting to concentrate on his club career at Hamburger SV. Son was quoted as saying, "In Korea, an Olympic appearance has a special meaning, but I want to speed up for Hamburg. What matters is to pour all my time into team training." Son did, however, play for the national team in the autumn of 2012 for two 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lebanon and Iran, and became a regular call-up in friendlies and World Cup qualifying matches in 2013. In the World Cup qualifier against Qatar on 23 March 2013, Son came on as a substitute in the 81st minute and scored the winning goal in the 96th minute.

In June 2014, Son was named in South Korea's squad for the 2014 World Cup. On 22 June, he scored in a 4–2 defeat to Algeria in the team's second group match. The Korea Football Association requested Bayer Leverkusen to allow Son to play in the 2014 Asian Games, as winning the gold medal at the tournament would grant Son exemption from military service. Despite Son affirming his interest and the KFA's efforts, his club at the time, Bayer Leverkusen, refused to release him, as his absence would mean the team would lose him for at least six matches.

2015–2018: Asian Cup runner-up and Asian Games gold

Son was selected for South Korea for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia. At the quarter-final stage, he scored both of the team's goals in the 2–0 extra time defeat of Uzbekistan. In the final against the hosts, he equalised in added time, but his team lost 2–1 after extra time. He was chosen as one of three forwards in the Team of the Tournament.

In June 2016, Son was named as one of the three overage players in South Korea under-23 squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Son amassed two goals in the group stages with a goal against Fiji and another against Germany, helping his team to top the group with two wins and a draw. South Korea was eliminated by Honduras in the quarterfinals, with Son missing crucial chances.

On 3 September 2015 at the Hwaseong Stadium, Son scored a hat-trick in an 8–0 home win over Laos in the second round of qualification for the 2018 World Cup.

On 13 June 2017, Son broke his right forearm after falling awkwardly on his arm during a World Cup qualifier match in Doha against Qatar. He was part of the team that saw Korea qualify for the 2018 World Cup after a 0–0 draw against Uzbekistan on 5 September 2017. On 4 June 2018, Son was selected in 23-man squad for the World Cup. On 23 June, Son scored a goal from outside the penalty area – a curling strike into the top corner – though his side was defeated with a 2–1 loss to Mexico in their second group stage match of the World Cup. On 27 June, during their final group stage match, he scored the second goal in the 97th minute in their 2–0 victory over world champions Germany, sealing their elimination.

Son was selected as one of three overage players permitted in the under-23 team for the football tournament at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. He captained the team in the final game of the group stage against Kyrgyzstan, scoring the only goal of the match to help the team reach the knockout rounds. He also captained the team in the knockout rounds and reached the final after the Taeguk Warriors beat Vietnam, 3–1. In the gold medal match, Son assisted in both extra-time goals in a 2–1 victory over Japan, which guaranteed the entire squad's exemption from mandatory military service.

2019–present: Assuming the captaincy

Son was called up as captain for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates by Paulo Bento, but missed the first two group matches due to an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur related to his call-up. He recorded an assist in the third group game against China. However, his play at the tournament was lethargic due to lack of physical strength in his busy schedule, and he returned to London following his team's defeat in the quarter-finals to the eventual champion Qatar.

Still recovering from his eye injury from the match against Marseille, Son was named to lead the 26-man South Korean squad. Due to the tenderness of his injury, Son wore a mask that covered nearly half his face. Son failed to score a goal, but successfully led South Korea to the round of 16, for the first time since 2010, following a match winning assist to Hwang Hee-chan in a 2–1 victory against Portugal on 2 December, before being eliminated by Brazil following a 4–1 defeat on 5 December.

Style of play

Son is a versatile player who can play in any forward position, (winger, second striker, striker) and can even be deployed as an attacking midfielder or wing-back if necessary. He himself has confirmed this, saying, "I don't care where I play. The main thing is I'm in the game. I can play as a second striker or behind. Whatever the coach says, I'll do. I don't have a favorite position. I'll be anywhere and always on the throttle."

Son is known for his two-footed ability, explosive pace, positional sense, movement, close control and clinical finishing which make him especially effective on the counter-attack. Moreover, he has drawn praise from teammates and in the media for his selfless work-rate and defensive contribution, and is capable of providing assists for teammates, in addition to scoring goals himself.

In recent years, particularly following his prolific success with Tottenham, he has been considered one of the best players in the world and has often been cited as the greatest Asian footballer of all time.

In a 2021 interview, Sir Alex Ferguson mentioned Son as a player that he wished he could have managed, calling him and teammate Harry Kane "excellent players."

Sponsorship and media

Son has a sponsorship deal with sportswear and equipment supplier Adidas. Since 2022, he was selected as brand ambassador for British luxury fashion house Burberry.

On 7 August 2022, Son has been named brand ambassador for Calvin Klein Underwear in South Korea.

Son has two officially licensed NFT collections that have been released in collaboration with NFTStar (a sports fandom social platform with a web3 community) that are available for purchase on OpenSea. His first NFT collection is called the 'NFTStar Fan Pass – Son Heung Min', and the second NFT collection called 'Golden Shiny Boot' was a free mint project available for fan pass holders.

Personal life

Son has dated the K-pop singers Bang Min-ah and Yoo So-young, and is currently single.

Son used the suspension of football during the COVID-19 pandemic to complete South Korean mandatory military service. He was exempted from military service with a gold medal at the Asian Games, but he had to do basic military training regardless of exemption. He completed basic training in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps in Jeju in April–May 2020, finishing in the top five of 157 trainees.

He is also a fan of the video game League of Legends.

In 2019, Son donated around £100,000 to the victims of the Goseong Fire, which left vast devastation in Goseong County, Gangwon, in his native South Korea. In 2020, Son donated £65,000 in aid, to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea.

Son opened Son Football Academy in his hometown Chuncheon with his father and his brother, at a cost of £11 million paid mostly by him.

Career statistics
 

Club

International

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	18 January 2011	Thani bin Jassim Stadium, Doha, Qatar	3	India	4–1	4–1	2011 AFC Asian Cup
2	26 March 2013	Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea	13	Qatar	2–1	2–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	6 September 2013	Incheon Football Stadium, Incheon, South Korea	17	Haiti	1–0	4–1	Friendly
4					4–1
5	15 October 2013	Cheonan Stadium, Cheonan, South Korea	20	Mali	2–1	3–1	Friendly
6	5 March 2014	Karaiskakis Stadium, Athens, Greece	23	Greece	2–0	2–0	Friendly
7	22 June 2014	Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, Brazil	27	Algeria	1–3	2–4	2014 FIFA World Cup
8	22 January 2015	Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, Australia	37	Uzbekistan	1–0	2–0	2015 AFC Asian Cup
9					2–0
10	31 January 2015	Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia	39	Australia	1–1	1–2	2015 AFC Asian Cup Final
11	16 June 2015	Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand	43	Myanmar	2–0	2–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
12	3 September 2015	Hwaseong Stadium, Hwaseong, South Korea	44	Laos	2–0	8–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
13					5–0
14					7–0
15	17 November 2015	New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane, Laos	46	Laos	3–0	5–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
16					5–0
17	6 October 2016	Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, South Korea	50	Qatar	3–2	3–2	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
18	10 October 2017	Tissot Arena, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland	59	Morocco	1–3	1–3	Friendly
19	10 November 2017	Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, South Korea	60	Colombia	1–0	2–1	Friendly
20					2–0
21	28 May 2018	Daegu Stadium, Daegu, South Korea	64	Honduras	1–0	2–0	Friendly
22	23 June 2018	Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don, Russia	69	Mexico	1–2	1–2	2018 FIFA World Cup
23	27 June 2018	Kazan Arena, Kazan, Russia	70	Germany	2–0	2–0	2018 FIFA World Cup
24	26 March 2019	Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea	79	Colombia	1–0	2–1	Friendly
25	10 October 2019	Hwaseong Stadium, Hwaseong, South Korea	84	Sri Lanka	1–0	8–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
26					5–0
27	13 June 2021	Goyang Stadium, Goyang, South Korea	91	Lebanon	2–1	2–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
28	7 October 2021	Ansan Wa~ Stadium, Ansan, South Korea	93	Syria	2–1	2–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
29	12 October 2021	Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Iran	94	Iran	1–0	1–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
30	16 November 2021	Thani bin Jassim Stadium, Doha, Qatar	96	Iraq	2–0	3–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
31	24 March 2022	Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea	97	Iran	1–0	2–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
32	6 June 2022	Daejeon World Cup Stadium, Daejeon, South Korea	100	Chile	2–0	2–0	Friendly
33	10 June 2022	Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, South Korea	101	Paraguay	1–2	2–2	Friendly
34	23 September 2022	Goyang Stadium, Goyang, South Korea	103	Costa Rica	2–2	2–2	Friendly
35	27 September 2022	Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea	104	Cameroon	1–0	1–0	Friendly
36	24 March 2023	Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium, Ulsan, South Korea	109	Colombia	1–0	2–2	Friendly

Awards

Tottenham Hotspur

• UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2018–19
• EFL Cup runner-up: 2020–21

South Korea U17

• AFC U-16 Championship runner-up: 2008

South Korea U23

• Asian Games: 2018

South Korea

• AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 2015

Individual

• FIFA Puskás Award: 2020
• Eurosport Player of the Season: 2021–22
• Best Footballer in Asia: 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
• AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 2015
• AFC Asian International Player of the Year: 2015, 2017, 2019
• AFC Opta All-time Best XI at the FIFA World Cup: 2020
• AFC Asian Cup All-time Dream XI: 2023
• The Asian Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sports: 2016
• AIPS Asia Best Asian Male Athlete: 2018
• IFFHS Asian Player of the Year: 2020, 2021, 2022
• IFFHS Asian Men's Player of the Decade: 2011–2020
• IFFHS Asian Men's Team of All Time: 2021
• UEFA Champions League Set-piece Goal of the Season: 2014–15
• Bundesliga Debut of the Hinrunde: 2010
• Korean FA Player of the Year: 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
• Korean FA Goal of the Year: 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021
• Cheongnyong Medal: 2022
• Premier League Player of the Month: September 2016, April 2017, October 2020
• Premier League Goal of the Month: November 2018, December 2019
• Premier League Goal of the Season: 2019–20
• Premier League Golden Boot: 2021–22
• PFA Fans' Premier League Player of the Month: January 2018
• PFA Premier League Team of the Year: 2020–21
• BBC Goal of the Season: 2019–20
• Premier League Player of the Year by London Football Awards: 2019
• Tottenham Hotspur Goal of the Season: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2022–23
• Tottenham Hotspur Player of the Season: 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22
• Tottenham Hotspur Goal of the Decade: 2010–2019