Son Heung-min (30), who went on the pre-season Korea tour as a member of Tottenham (England) rather than the soccer team, was happy throughout. From the arrival of the squad on the 10th to the departure on the 17th, he had a smile on his lips.
During the week’s stay, he actively participated in various events as well as the first match (6-3 wins on the 13th) and the 2nd game with Sevilla FC (Spain) (16th, 1-1 draw) with the ‘Team K League’ during the week’s stay. Tottenham Hotspur immediately emerged as a ‘people’s club’.
After finishing the match against Seville at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 16th, Son Heung-min said, “I wondered if I could receive so much love. I just want to thank him.” He recalled his precious memories of his homeland, saying, “The team members had a proud and happy time to the extent that there were people who said they would come to Korea on vacation.”
The only regret is that I couldn’t make many memories due to my busy schedule. Coach Antonio Conte went straight to the training ground right after his arrival, and gave the players hell by intense full training twice a day in the morning and in the afternoon. Heung-Min Son barely had time on the 14th and only had the players have a dinner with Korean beef ribs.
Son Heung-min said, “The pre-season is not about enjoying, it’s about training. I build my body through hard training.” “It would have been nice if I had had time to show more Korean culture and history. Also, if the opportunity arises, I hope to make better memories.”
Instead, the condition is improving. It’s only been his first week of training, but he’s got a good sense of action enough to score 2 games, 2 goals and 1 assist. “You have to make it 100% for a long season. The goal of each season is to do better than last season,” he said. “I met a lot of fans in our uniforms. He must have realized that his colleagues were ‘receiving a lot of love in Korea’ and felt a sense of responsibility.”
Son Heung-min, who finished all domestic schedules and left a message on his social media (SNS) account saying “Korea’s best”, showed extraordinary ‘fan service’ by responding to as many fans’ requests for autographs as possible right before departure on the 17th.
Suwon | By Nam Jang-hyeon, staff reporter [email protected]