Son Heung-min: What his father really said about Tottenham & becoming 'world class'

Tottenham forward Son Heung-min has been the topic of conversations recently after he was overlooked for this season's PFA awards.

Despite scoring 23 non-penalty goals to win the Premier League Golden Boot alongside Mohamed Salah, the South Korean was not nominated for the PFA Players' Player of the Year award, while he was also snubbed from the PFA Team of the Year.

Hot on the tail of this news, quotes from Son's father, Son Woong-jung, resurfaced in which it appeared he was overly critical of the forward, while it was also implied that the 29-year-old would need to leave Spurs to reach his peak.

But a lot has been lost in translation or wildly misinterpreted. Here's what was actually said.


What was Son Heung-min's father alleged to have said?

Aggregators and football news accounts on social media ran stories in which Son Woong-jung claimed the Tottenham star was not world class.

He was alleged to have said: "[Son] must be able to play a solid role in one of the world's top clubs. That's when he will become a world class player."


What did Son Heung-min's father actually say?

South Korean journalist Sungmo Lee, who covers Tottenham, has been quick to point out that Son Woong-jung's quotes have been taken out of context and are actually nothing new.

Son's father actually spoke in an interview back in 2018 in which he pushed the forward to always want to better himself.

"I believe when you are satisfied with yourself, the crisis will come," he said.

At that point, Son Woong-jung played down suggestions that his child was world class - something Korean media jokingly asked him about recently after his Golden Boot triumph.

"My position is the same. If he could improve 10% in all aspects, then he could be [world class]," he said.

"If you can survive in the best club in the world, that's world class in my view."

As Lee pointed out, no mention to Tottenham is made, nor is there a wider suggestion that Spurs aren't a top club, only stressing 'the best club'.



Source : 90min