Son Heung-min, Hotspur say Korea is the best

“I am not sure if I deserve this much love, but I will do my best to repay your support and love. Korea is the best,” Son Heung-min of English Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur wrote on his social media account.

Son and the members of Tottenham Hotspur looked happy with the passional support from South Korean fans on their way back to London on Sunday after spending a week in South Korea. “Thanks to everyone for the support in Seoul this week. It has been amazing. A pre-season I won’t forget,” said Harry Kane. Lucas Moura wrote in Korean that it was great to get to know South Korea and its culture. The team’s manager Antonio Conte also said that he was happy with the time he spent in the country.

Over 500 fans called the players’ names and said goodbye at Incheon International Airport on Sunday. Son who arrived in South Korea before the rest of the team and welcomed them at the airport on July 10 also took an airplane along with his teammates.

The match between Spanish football division La Liga’s Sevilla and Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday was attended by 43,998 audience members at the Suwon World Cup Stadium. The game between Team K-League and Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday was watched by 64,100 audience members at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur returned fans’ love with a spectacular match. Son and the main players of the team played for 70 minutes in the match against Sevilla, with Son recording an assist and Kane scoring a point. While it was tied at 1-1, the two teams showed spectacular performance, as if it was a preview of the Union of European Football Associations’ Champions League. In the two friendly matches, Son recorded two goals and one assist while Kane scored three goals, exciting fans for the new season. “We tried to approach the match against Sevilla as if it is a real game,” said Conte. “I saw how players who were tired from hard training overcame exhaustion and performed in the game.”

Tottenham Hotspur will begin its preparation for the new season in full gear. The team will have two more warm-up matches, each against Rangers on Saturday in Scotland and A.S. Roma on July 30 in Israel before the EPL’s opening match for the 2022-2023 season against Southampton in the team’s home city on August 6.


Bae-Jung Kim wanted@donga.com