50 Super Interesting Facts About Son Heung-Min

50 Super Interesting Facts About Son Heung-Min

1. 1. Son Heung-min is a 30-year-old forward who plays for Tottenham Hotspur and captains the South Korea national team.
   2. He is right-footed and 6’ 0″ tall.
   3. He shots an average of 0.31 goals per game in club competitions and scored 24 goals in 43 club matches last season.
   4. He has 21 shots on goal out of 31 shots in the current season.
   5. He passes completed 81 percent.
   6. He is considered one of the best players in the world and widely regarded as one of the greatest Asian footballers of all time.
   7. He is known for his explosive speed, finishing, two-footedness and ability to link play.
   8. He was born in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on 8 July 1992.
   9. His father, Son Woong-jung, is a retired footballer turned manager who once played for the South Korea national B team.
   10. His father trained him and his older brother Son Heung-yun like pros since they were young and made them do four hours of keepy-uppies every day.
   11. He dropped out of school at 16 to join Hamburger SV’s Youth Academy through the Korean FA Youth project.
   12. He made his debut in the Bundesliga in 2010 and became the youngest Hamburg player to score a goal in the league at 18 years and 135 days old.
   13. He moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2013 for a club record €10 million and scored his first hat-trick in a 5–3 win over his former club Hamburg.
   14. He signed for Tottenham Hotspur in 2015 for £22 million, becoming the most expensive Asian player in history.
   15. He became the top Asian goalscorer in both Premier League and Champions League history, surpassing Cha Bum-kun’s record for most goals scored by a Korean player in European competition.
   16. He became the second Asian in history to reach and start a UEFA Champions League final after compatriot Park Ji-sung in 2019.
   17. He won the Puskas Award for the best goal scored on the planet in 2020, a solo run from his own half against Burnley.
   18. He was named ‘Best footballer in Asia’ for a fourth time in a row in 2020.
   19. He won, shared alongside Mohamed Salah, the Premier League Golden Boot award with 23 goals in the 2021–22 season, becoming the first Asian player to win it.
   20. He became the first Asian player to score 100 Premier League goals in April 2023.
   21. He has a nickname ‘Sonaldo’ after his idol Cristiano Ronaldo.
   22. He is a full international since 2010 and has represented South Korea at four FIFA World Cups (2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026).
   23. He is his country’s joint top scorer at World Cups, tied with Park Ji-sung and Ahn Jung-hwan on three goals.
   24. He has also represented South Korea at the 2018 Asian Games, where the team won gold and he earned an exemption from mandatory military service.
   25. He has also played at four AFC Asian Cups (2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023), where Korea was the runner-up in 2015 and he scored five goals in total.
   26. He is the most capped player and the second-highest goalscorer for South Korea with 110 appearances and 37 goals as of March 2023.
   27. He has a tattoo of a crown with his parents’ names on his left arm as a tribute to them.
   28. He has a pet dog named Simba that he often posts on his Instagram account @hm_son7.
   29. He is a fan of Korean pop music and has met some of the famous idols such as BTS, Blackpink and Twice.
   30. He is fluent in four languages: Korean, English, German and Portuguese.
   31. He has a degree in sports science from Konkuk University in Seoul that he earned in 2017.
   32. He is a philanthropist and has donated millions of won to various causes such as the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster, the coronavirus pandemic and the wildfire in Gangwon Province.
   33. He is a ambassador for the Asian Football Confederation’s Dream Asia Foundation, which aims to promote social development through football.
   34. He is a symbol of national pride in South Korea for his achievements and has been listed in Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 since 2019, where he ranked third in 2022.
   35. He has a documentary about his life and career titled ‘Sonsational’ that was released on Amazon Prime Video in 2021.
   36. He has a signature celebration gesture of covering his ears with his hands that he says is inspired by his father’s advice to ignore the noise and focus on his game.
   37. He has a personal chef named Lee Kang-woo who cooks for him and his teammates at Tottenham’s training ground.
   38. He has a close friendship with his Tottenham teammate Harry Kane, who he calls ‘the best player in the world’ and ‘my brother’.
   39. He has a rivalry with his former Tottenham teammate Jan Vertonghen, who he jokingly calls ‘the worst player in the world’ and ‘my enemy’.
   40. He has a fan club called ‘Sonny’s Angels’ that supports him and sends him gifts and messages.
   41. He has a clothing line called ‘Sonaldo7’ that sells T-shirts, hoodies, caps and accessories with his name and number.
   42. He has appeared in several commercials and advertisements for brands such as Adidas, Gillette, Coca-Cola, Audi, EA Sports, Levi’s and Korean Air.
   43. He has won several individual awards and honors such as the Asian Footballer of the Year (2015, 2017, 2019, 2020), the Korean Footballer of the Year (2014, 2017, 2019), the Tottenham Hotspur Player of the Season (2018–19), the Premier League Player of the Month (September 2016, April 2017, October 2020) and the FIFA FIFPro World11 nominee (2019).
   44. He has scored some memorable goals for both club and country such as the winner against Germany at the 2018 World Cup, the solo goal against Chelsea in the 2018–19 Premier League season, the brace against Manchester City in the 2018–19 Champions League quarter-final and the hat-trick against Southampton in the 2020–21 Premier League season.
   45. He has broken some records and milestones such as being the first Asian player to score more than 10 goals in a Premier League season (2016–17), being the first Asian player to score more than 50 Premier League goals (2020), being the first Asian player to score more than 20 goals in a single European season (2016–17), being the first Asian player to score four goals in a single Premier League match (2020) and being the first player to score three consecutive away braces in the Premier League (2020).
   46. He has faced some challenges and controversies such as being racially abused by fans and opponents, being sent off three times in one season (2019–20), being accused of diving by some pundits and managers, being injured by a tackle from Everton’s Andre Gomes that left him in tears (2019) and being involved in a heated argument with his teammate Hugo Lloris on the pitch (2020).
   47. He has shown his resilience and character by overcoming these difficulties and proving himself as one of the best players in the world with his consistent performances, goals and assists.

Here are 10 inspirational quotes from Son Heung-Min, a South Korean footballer who plays as a forward for Tottenham Hotspur and the South Korea national team:

• “I want to play football until my body says, ‘You can’t run anymore: you’re dead.’”
• “Competition makes us all better and better.”
• “Every player’s dream is to play Champions League and the World Cup.”
• “I’m never happy with my performances. I always want to prove more and more things.”
• “I may play poorly at times, but I’ll always try to give my best effort.”
• “It doesn’t matter who scores as long as we win the match. I’ll obviously try to get on the board, but the more important thing is to be prepared for the match.”
• “I’m playing Premier League, but I’m still very hungry.”
• “Football sometimes goes up and down, and we need to accept the result.”
• “In every country I’ve gone to, if you smile at people, they are going to be happy. This is my attitude.”
• “If I’m on the pitch, I want to just try to give my best performance every game.”

Son Heung-Min Net Worth

Son Heung-min’s net worth is $20 million as of 2022. He is one of the highest paid South Korean athletes in the world and makes £85,000 ($106,000) a week playing for Tottenham Hotspur. He also has sponsorship deals with brands like Adidas and Gillette. He is a star striker on both Tottenham and the South Korean national soccer team.

Song Heung-Min’s Girlfriend

Son Heung-min’s girlfriend was Yoo So-young, a South Korean actress and former member of the girl group After School. They confirmed their relationship in November 2015, but they reportedly broke up later due to Son’s father’s disapproval and his focus on his soccer career. Yoo So-young is 35 years old and was born on March 29, 1986. She debuted as an actress in 2010 and has appeared in various dramas and movies.

How does he train young footballers at his academy?

He trains young footballers at his academy with a focus on developing their two-footedness, ball control and basic skills. He does not allow shooting for under-15s because he wants them to master the fundamentals first. He also makes them do drills with hundreds of repetitions and keep the ball up for hours. He visits the academy whenever he can and gives advice and encouragement to the students. He hopes to inspire the next generation of Korean footballers with his academy.