Dream Stage Fades Away... Son Heung-min's Best Performance Ever

Personal Best in Regular League Goals... 3rd in Attack Points Following Kane and Fernandes
Soaring Beyond Regular League... 17 Bundesliga Goals, Shoulder to Shoulder with Cha Bum-kun

It was the best performance of his life, but there is still some regret. This is Son Heung-min's 2020-2021 season playing for Tottenham in the English Premier League (EPL). Despite setting his personal record for most goals in a regular league season, he missed out on qualification for both the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League.

On the 24th (Korean time), Son Heung-min started as a left winger in the final match of the 2020-2021 EPL Round 38 against Leicester City at King Power Stadium in Leicester, UK, and played 94 minutes until he was substituted in added time of the second half. In the 76th minute, he induced an own goal by opposing goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel from a corner kick, contributing with sharp movements to a 4-2 comeback victory.

Tottenham maintained 7th place (17 wins, 9 draws, 13 losses) with the final match win. They secured a ticket to the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL), a tournament considered below the Champions League and Europa League. Although the dream stage was out of reach, it was a meaningful season for Son Heung-min personally. He scored 17 goals in 37 matches, his highest tally in a single regular league season. This surpassed his previous record of 14 goals set in the 2016-2017 season by 3 goals. He ranked 4th in the scoring chart alongside Patrick Bamford (17 goals, Leeds), behind Harry Kane (23 goals, Tottenham), Mohamed Salah (22 goals, Liverpool), and Bruno Fernandes (18 goals, Manchester United).

Son Heung-min also ranked joint 4th in assists alongside Jack Grealish (10 assists, Aston Villa). He provided 10 assists, following Kane (14 assists), Fernandes, and Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City, both with 12 assists). Recording double digits in both goals and assists, he established himself as a world-class player. Only two players had more combined attacking points (27 points) than Son: Kane (37 points) and Fernandes (30 points).

Son Heung-min also shone outside the regular league. He consistently accumulated attacking points with 3 goals and 1 assist in the Europa League, 1 goal and 2 assists in the Europa League qualifiers, 1 goal in the League Cup, and 4 assists in the FA Cup. His season totals of 22 goals and 17 assists are both personal bests. His previous highest single-season attacking points were 30 points (18 goals, 12 assists) last season. On the 8th, in a match against Leeds United, he also set the record for the most goals by a Korean player in a single European league season. He matched the record of Cha Bum-kun, who scored 17 goals in the German Bundesliga for Bayer Leverkusen in the 1985-1986 season.