Son the Sonta Claus gives his jersey to a child supporter

With Christmas nearing, Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min took off his jersey and gave it as a gift to a child fan who rushed into a soccer field, the generosity of which earned him a nickname “Sonta Claus,” a combination of Son Heung-min and Santa Claus.

At the 2021-2022 Carabao Cup quarter-final between Tottenham and West Ham, which took place on Thursday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Son was pitched in the 61st minute and played for 30 minutes. Tottenham claimed a 2-1 win over West Ham with one goal and one assist by Steven Bergwijn, moving into semi-finals for two consecutive years. Tottenham will face Chelsea in the semi-final that will take place on Jan. 5 and 12, 2022. If they beat Chelsea, Tottenham will take on the winner of the Arsenal vs. Liverpool at the final of the Carabao Cup. Spurs advanced to the final of the 2020-2021 Carabao Cup but lost to Manchester City.

Although Son did not fire a goal in Thursday’s game, his act surprised fans even more. After the game finished, Son was having chats with Harry Kane and West Ham’s Declan Rice. Then a child fan suddenly rushed into the stadium and ran towards Son. When a guard caught him, the child burst into tears. Watching the child cry, Son approached and petted him on the head, pulled off the jersey, and presented it to the child.

Son is well-known for presenting his jerseys to child fans after home games. Earlier, Son gave his jersey as a gift to a child fan after the game with Norwich City, which took place on Dec. 5, a moment for the fans to applaud. Yet the child fan who received an unforgettable gift is likely to face punishment, apart from Son’s good gesture. Field-rushing is subject to sanctions, such as being banned for a set amount of time from the stadium.


hun@donga.com