Why Europa League success secures Son Heung-min's legacy
Tottenham Hotspur's Europa League triumph was a magical night for everyone connected with the club, but perhaps for captain Son Heung-min more than anyone else.
A Premier League runner-up in 2017, a Champions League finalist in 2019, and narrowly beaten 1-0 by Manchester City in the 2021 Carabao Cup final, the South Korean had nothing tangible to show for his incredible decade of service to Spurs.
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But on Wednesday night in Bilbao, that long wait finally ended. With a winners' medal around his neck and the Europa League trophy held high, Son undoubtedly put all those demons of the past behind him.
On the latest episode of The View From The Lane, Danny Kelly and Jay Harris reflected on how the victory further cemented Son's legendary status at Tottenham.
This partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available via the The View from the Lane feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Danny: We have to have a word about Son Heung-min. Because afterwards, there were some sweet interviews where he was talking about Harry Kane winning the Bundesliga, and he said, 'They're different trophies.' I think he was pointing out that one is not just the Bundesliga, it's actually a European trophy. But he's too nice to say that.
However, after all that he's been through and, more importantly, after all that he's done for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, it was great to see Son get his hands on the heaviest trophy in world football, wasn't it Jay? To get the thing and lift it up was amazing, and that's when the tears really started with me.
Jay: It was great to see. And being honest, it probably would have stung that he didn't start the game. He's the club captain, and as you said he's contributed so much over the last 10 years. Yet there he was watching on from the sidelines, although he still played his part when he came onto the pitch.
It must be said that not just for Spurs, but for the Premier League as well, Son has been an absolute joy to watch over the past 10 years. And it would have been a real shame if he went down as a player who never tasted success, or who never won a trophy. So to have that moment undoubtedly secures his legacy in Tottenham's history. Not that it wasn't already secured, but it's just gone up to another level now. He's done something that Harry Kane didn't do, Luka Modric didn't do, and Gareth Bale didn't do. I know Spurs haven't won the Premier League, but I also think it secures him as a Premier League great if that makes sense.
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Danny: It makes total sense, just look at his goals and assists. It's an astonishing record.
Jay: It really is. And it was great to see him joking in those interviews after the game when it was said, 'You must be a legend now'. And he just sort of said, 'Oh, I don't know about that.' He's always been a very smiley character, but his smiles in all of those post-match scenes, the interviews, the videos, and everything — he just looked absolutely buzzing. It can't help but warm your heart when you see something like that.
Danny: Also that embrace he had with James Maddison where he was crying into Maddison's hair and shirt really touched me, it was just incredible.
Jay: Exactly. He and Ben Davies have been through some tough times together, and they're the only ones who are still there. They lost in 2019, and they've seen all their teammates leave for new challenges and go on to win things. But now they've done it too, it's just an incredible moment for him. He's had a difficult individual season, but that doesn't matter now. No one will care about that anymore, all that matters is that he helped Spurs win a trophy for the first time in 17 years.
Danny: Well said, Jay. And as I've said many times, the age of five substitutes means it's a 16-person game, even though he will be disappointed not to have started. I was on American radio previewing the game, and they seemed bewildered that he wasn't starting because they like celebrities. And I said, 'You haven't seen him play all this season. And he's not entirely fit either, but he'll play his part.' Which he did, and it was just lovely to see him getting his hands on that trophy.
Football's not about what you deserve, it's about what you get. People don't deserve anything because it's a competition, it's not an exhibition. But to see him get what I thought was his just deserts after a decade at the club was brilliant. And on top of everything else, he just works so hard. Apart from his brilliance over the years he works like a demon, so it was just great to see him get his hands on that trophy.
Remember, you can listen to full episodes of The View from the Lane for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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