[Current & Culture] Cheering for the Era of Son Heung-min

Son Heung-min became the top scorer of the Premier League this season. Competing in Europe as a Korean was surely not easy; in fact, words cannot fully capture how physically and mentally exhausting it must have been beyond my imagination.

It is impressive that he achieved such results in the world's best league, but there is something even more remarkable. On that day, Tottenham seemed like a team that existed solely to help Son Heung-min score goals. In the professional world where weekly wages depend on the number of attacking points and corresponding ratings in a season, is that really possible? Many players do not pass perfectly to their teammates even when a perfect opportunity arises. It seems as if they think, "I'd rather take the shot myself than assist you." However, in the final league match where the top scorer competition with Liverpool’s Salah was at stake, Kane, Kulusevski, and Moura all moved for Son Heung-min alone. Whenever they had the ball, they looked for where Son Heung-min was and passed to him repeatedly until he scored.

Especially for Kulusevski, a moment came when he could achieve his first league hat-trick. Having beaten the goalkeeper, all he had to do was kick the ball into the empty net. But instead of doing that, he looked for Son Heung-min, saw him rushing toward the goal, and passed. This scene will remain in my memory more than any other beautiful goal I have ever seen. If the viewers felt that way, how must the players on the field have felt? The ball, struck awkwardly by an unfamiliar foot, was soon cleared by a defender, but the mood of the stadium was clearly understood. Perhaps Kulusevski wanted to repay a debt. It was Son Heung-min who assisted his debut goal. Even though he had the chance to score, he deliberately passed to Son Heung-min to let him score his first goal. Wasn’t that a welcome greeting to him as a loaned player? Since then, Kulusevski has become an indispensable player for the team.

When Moura came on as a substitute in the second half, I almost gave up. I thought, "Ah, with that greedy Moura coming on, Son Heung-min won’t score today." Many people might have felt the same. But Moura reportedly said to Son Heung-min, "I will help you." And within minutes, he assisted Son Heung-min’s first goal and was involved in the second goal as well. It was hard to believe that this was the same Moura I knew, who used to run around selfishly and recklessly.

Son Heung-min’s top scorer title was clearly made possible thanks to teammates who played alongside him for 90 minutes with the mindset of "I want you to succeed." When Son Heung-min scored his second goal, all the Tottenham players ran to him and embraced him. What on earth did he do to make them, who seemed to play only for the team’s victory and their own ratings, feel that way? It was difficult to read such feelings from Liverpool players toward Salah, who was competing for the top scorer title with him.

Son Heung-min not only played football well but also showed beautiful attitudes and virtues on and off the field. Perhaps that is why everyone, starting from his teammates who played with him, wished for his success. And I, and you who cheered in the early morning, did too.

People do not simply cheer for someone’s success just because they are good at football or something else. Son Heung-min is someone who wishes for everyone’s success and gives confidence that if he succeeds, others will too. More than the amazing fact that he became the top scorer, I want to remember his selfless attitude and the inspired appearances of his teammates for a long time. I support the era he has built up in this way.

Kim Min-seop, Social and Cultural Critic