Premier League praises Son Heung-min’s finishing as British fans urge Tottenham to bring him back

Son Heung-min (34, LAFC) appeared once again on the Premier League’s official account to mark Hangul Day.

The Premier League’s official social media account on the 9th (Korea time) shared a video of Son Heung-min’s goals from his Tottenham days with the comment “There is no one who finishes like Son Heung-min” and an archery bullseye emoji with an arrow stuck in it.

The video included highlights of Son Heung-min’s goal against Aston Villa in April 2022. At the time, he scored three times against Villa in the 2021-2022 Premier League away match, recording his second career Premier League hat trick.

Four years and six months earlier, Son Heung-min pierced the corner of the goal with a nonstop left-footed shot in the third minute of the first half, and in the 21st minute of the second half he received Harry Kane’s exquisite headed pass and sprinted to score the second goal. And just five minutes later he completed the hat trick by receiving a pass from Dejan Kulusevski and scoring the third goal. After the match Son Heung-min collected a commemorative ball and smiled widely, sharing a warm embrace with Kane.

Thanks to the hat trick against Villa, Son Heung-min also claimed the Premier League Golden Boot that season. He added two more goals against Norwich in the final match of the 2021-2022 season, finishing with 23 league goals and sharing the top scorer title with Mohamed Salah (then of Liverpool). It was the moment the first Asian player to win the Premier League scoring title was crowned.

Son Heung-min then continued to play for Tottenham for a full 10 years. He left several records that will go down in history. Wearing the Tottenham shirt he appeared in 454 matches in total, scoring 173 goals and providing 101 assists. He ranked sixth in club appearances and fifth in goals, and became the first Asian player to surpass 100 Premier League goals in total.

He also lifted the final missing piece, the trophy. Son Heung-min, wearing the captain’s armband in the 2024-2025 season, raised the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Europa League (UEL) trophy with his teammates. Thanks to that, Tottenham ended a 17-year trophy drought domestically and a 41-year drought in European competitions.

Son Heung-min remained a Premier League legend beyond Tottenham. The Premier League also sent congratulations when Son Heung-min scored three goals in four A internationals in September–October, recording his 59th career international goal and surpassing Cha Bum-kun to become South Korea’s all-time leading male scorer.

Meanwhile, not only the Premier League but also local fans in Britain had not forgotten Son Heung-min. He transferred from Tottenham to MLS side LAFC last summer, but many still miss him. In particular, Tottenham’s fall to last place with two draws and three losses this season has made Son Heung-min’s absence feel even greater.

Tottenham fans left comments such as “We should bring him back. There’s no shame in that. Tottenham could be reborn with Son Heung-min,” “the real GOAT (Greatest of All Time) of Spurs, he didn’t leave until he brought a trophy to that dusty club,” and “legend. We still miss him so much.”

Fans of other teams also reacted, saying things like “I’m a Manchester United fan so I’m jealous” and “Tottenham could really use Son Heung-min’s finishing quality right now.”

However, rival club Arsenal fans still expressed resentment toward Son Heung-min. They again mentioned the moment in May 2024 when Son Heung-min missed a one-on-one opportunity against Manchester City and alleged he deliberately did not score when Arsenal’s title was at stake.

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