Son Heung-min has revealed that he played through the pain barrier in order to score the last of his 23 goals during the 2021/22 Premier League season, earning him the Golden Boot alongside Mohamed Salah.
The South Korean went into the final day of the campaign trailing his Egyptian rival by one goal, and thought he had done enough to split the Golden Boot when he scored Tottenham's fourth in their 5-0 win at Norwich.
But news quickly filtered through to Carrow Road that Salah had come off the bench to net in Liverpool's eventual 3-1 victory against Wolves, meaning Son would have to score again in order to claim the prestigious prize.
Teammate Eric Dier was seen asking opposition goalkeeper Tim Krul what Salah was giving him in order to continually deny Son. But he would round off the scoring in Norfolk in typical fashion, cutting inside onto his right foot and picking out the far corner from 25 yards, becoming the first Asian player to win the Golden Boot.
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Son and Salah exchanged messages on Twitter after the game congratulating one another on their respective seasons, and the Tottenham forward has opened up on that frantic final day, insisting he played through the a minor injury in order to finish top of the scoring charts.
"I was feeling pain in my legs and taking a bit of rest...but my teammates told me 'Son, get up! Salah just scored and you may need another one'," he told South Korean broadcaster TV Chosun.
Son's Golden Boot-winning campaign capped off his best season in Spurs colours, breaking onto the club's top ten list of all-time scorers in the process.
Source : 90min