The 2021-2022 English Premier League (EPL) top scorer, Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham Hotspur), had an eventful 2022-2023 season. However, on his way home, he didn’t show any signs of his hardships and remembered the fans who came to see him with a smile on his face.
Son Heung-min returned home on the afternoon of the 30th through Incheon International Airport. Even in the midst of the crowds, Son Heung-min waved both hands and responded to the fans who cheered him on. It was said that the conversation continued until just before he left Incheon Airport in his car.
It was a season of high expectations. Heung-min became the first Asian to lead the EPL in scoring last season, tying Mohamed Salah for the league lead with 23 goals and nine assists. With a career-high season under his belt, Son was expected to perform well this season and at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar last November.토토사이트
The first half of the season didn’t go as well as expected. He was up and down throughout the first half of the season and even suffered an orbital fracture in the UEFA Champions League group stage against Marseille (France) before the World Cup.
Son Heung-min performs a masked fight at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar last December. /AFPBBNews=News1
Son Heung-min attempts a shot in the 10th minute against Brighton & Hove Albion on April 8, 2018 in South Korea. It was Son’s 100th EPL goal. /AFPBBNews=News1
The EPL Secretariat congratulated Son Heung-min on his 100th career goal in Korean. /Photo=EPL Secretariat social media
The masked hero qualified for the World Cup and assisted Hwang Hee-chan’s (Wolverhampton) winner in the final group game against Portugal to help South Korea reach the last 16 in dramatic fashion. However, Joy’s time as captain of the national team was not without its ups and downs, including friction between the Korea Football Association and some trainers and the reversal of teammate Kim Min-jae’s (SSC Napoli) international retirement.
To make matters worse, upon his return to Tottenham, he struggled to coexist with left-back Ivan Perisic. The team as a whole suffered a terrible run of form that culminated in the sacking of head coach Antonio Conte in March and the departure of assistant coach Christian Stellini, who replaced him.
But the South Korean captain overcame all the odds. On April 8, Son reached the 100-goal milestone in the EPL with his signature right-footed curler against Brighton & Hove Albion at home. He became the 34th player in EPL history and the first Asian to reach the milestone. On May 1 against Liverpool, he recorded his 10th league goal with a goal and an assist, giving him 104 career goals and seven consecutive seasons of double-digit league scoring.
He finished the 2022-2023 season with 14 goals and six assists in all competitions, including an assist on Harry Kane’s goal in the season finale against Leeds United on May 29. It was their 47th career goal together. The team faltered under Ryan Mason, finishing eighth in the league and missing out on European club competition next season.
With all his club commitments wrapped up, the South Korean will take a break before returning to action in June for a domestic A-match. The South Korean national soccer team, led by Jürgen Klinsmann, will be called up on June 12 and will play exhibition matches against Peru (Busan) on June 16 and El Salvador (Daejeon) on June 20.