Departing Spurs captain Son in tears on emotional evening
Spurs drew 1-1 with Newcastle in a pre-season friendly in Seoul, but that was secondary to the farewell for the 33-year-old attacker.
In what could have been his final game for the north Londoners, Son played 65 minutes but did not score at Seoul World Cup Stadium, a day after announcing his decision to leave Tottenham this summer after a decade.
He left the pitch to a thunderous ovation from nearly 65,000 fans, hugging his teammates and even his opponents.
The South Korean captain was caught offside twice in the early going, as his teammates tried to create opportunities for him, but didn't really assert himself on the match otherwise.
Son was replaced in the 65th minute by Mohammed Kudus, and he walked off in tears as thousands of fans chanted his name.
"I didn't think I was going to cry at first," Son said.
"But after hearing a few words from my teammates, leaving the club I've spent so much time with felt really tough.
"I felt really, really happy playing this match. Thanks to my fans, my teammates and also my opponents, I've had an unforgettable day."
Son, who has been linked with LAFC in Major League Soccer, declined to reveal his next destination, saying: "Nothing has been finalised."
Tottenham coach Thomas Frank said he enjoyed the "unbelievable, beautiful scenes" Son had with players from both sides on his way off the pitch.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said his players' reaction to the end of Son's night had not been planned ahead.
"I think it was very instinctive from the players," Howe said.
"I think that speaks volumes for him as a person and him as a footballer that both teams recognise the way he's played the game."
Brennan Johnson's right-footed strike opened the scoring for Tottenham in the fourth minute, and the Welsh forward paid homage to Son by mimicking the South Korean star's camera celebration.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
Singapore's national athletes experience high levels of poor mental health: Study
A study has found that Singapore's national athletes experience high levels of poor mental health. Almost three in four reported elevated levels of psychological strain that are athlete-specific. The study recommends mental health screening to be included in the pre-participation process to identify athletes at risk. Experts say raising awareness is key, along with education and having resilience programmes. Nikhil Khattar reports.
CNA
12 hours ago
- CNA
Arteta calls Arsenal's defending 'naive' after Villarreal loss
Arsenal were naive in their defending and paid a painful price, manager Mikel Arteta said after his side's 3-2 friendly defeat against Villarreal left them with back-to-back pre-season losses. Arsenal, who started their preparations for the new season with victories over AC Milan and Newcastle United before losing to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, found themselves trailing 2-0 inside 33 minutes against Spanish side Villarreal at the Emirates on Wednesday. "Today I think the result is painful. I think they were super efficient but we've been naive, especially the way we have defended in open spaces and that's something that, especially the way we play, we have to absolutely nail," Arteta told reporters. "Today we haven't been good at all in that department and that has cost us the game for sure." Arteta, however, was pleased with what he saw from striker Viktor Gyokeres, who completed his 63.5 million euros ($74.14 million) switch from Sporting last month, after handing the 27-year-old Swede his first start in an Arsenal shirt. "I think it was very important for him to start a match and start to have the feeling and the connection with the team," Arteta said. "He's been with us only a week or so, but I really saw a lot of things and a lot of purpose, especially the way he was attacking certain spaces." Arteta also heaped praise on highly rated 15-year-old attacking midfielder Max Dowman, who won a penalty for Arsenal. "He continues to impress, without a doubt. The impact he had in the game again today, the efficiency that he shows in every attack and action, it's incredible," the Spaniard added.
Independent Singapore
12 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
'We plan to hit these targets in the years ahead' — FAS President Forrest Li shares plans for a stronger Singapore National Team
SINGAPORE: In an event that marks the Council's 100 days of taking office since Apr 29, 2025, Football Association of Singapore (FAS) President Mr Forest Li expressed that strengthening and improving the Singapore National Team is the primary focus of his team during their four-year term. The event is titled FAS Media Day 2025: The First 100 Days , and it took place at Shangri-La, Singapore, with a total of 80 guests, including the local and international media. During the event, the President addressed the four key areas on how they will achieve their goal for the team: 1) National Team preparations and operations, 2) competitiveness and attractiveness of the Singapore Premier League (SPL), 3) youth development, and 4) infrastructure. The Council believes that with these key areas, the national team will grow on the international stage. View this post on Instagram A post shared by FAS (@fasingapore) With this, Mr Li expressed: 'We know that football is woven into the fabric of Singapore society, and because of that, we must be open about our aims, how we plan to hit these targets in the years ahead, and how we are working with our stakeholders to get there faster.' He added: 'We spent our first 100 days as the FAS Council tightening the logic of our approach and putting in place structures that will lay the foundations for sustainable success in the future.' On the national team's preparations and operations In line with this key focus, the Council recently started a broad-reaching recruitment process for the new National Team Head Coach–the one who will be charged with leading the squad into the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Finals in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the Council will also ensure new SOPs for the adoption of best practices for the team's success, and an incentive structure will also be incorporated to motivate the team to do their best. As for the team travels, there would be a dedicated Head of Delegation appointed to oversee the National Team's administration and operations. About the Singapore Premier League There would be revisions to the SPL rules and regulations before the 2025/26 season mark. Changes will revolve around structural improvements to elevate the competition standards and to enhance player quality. With this, SPL will continue to become a reliable platform for athletes to develop their capabilities and skills until they are ready to join the National Team. An example of the regulation change would be the increase in the foreign talent quota. This change believes that top local athletes will be challenged in a more competitive environment in their respective clubs if there is an increase in foreign players. This results in a high-performing competition standard at the SPL. Furthermore, another change for the structural fine-tuning of the SPL is the introduction of the Singapore Premier League 2 (SPL2). The SPL2 will replace the Centre of Excellence (COE) Under-21 competition, and will offer a more advanced developmental platform for each club's senior team. On SPL's digital presence, their website will also be revamped and will include statistical data powered by Hudl, the world-renowned football analysis company. The prize money for the league has also been doubled–from S$290,000 to S$600,000. On youth development For the benefit of the young people, the Council had strategic hires and coaching staff appointments to improve talent pathways. In partnership with the Unleash The Roar! national football programme, they aim to ensure the consistency and quality throughout the developmental stages of each young athlete. They will venture into UTR!'s projects over the last few years, including providing a broad-based platform in the Singapore Youth League, starting with the National Development Centre and the Overseas Football Scholarships, among others. On infrastructure As part of UTR!, FAS has partnered up with Sport Singapore and is also key on the infrastructure front. This is to ensure that FAS continues to build on its infrastructure network. Part of this improvement is the ongoing exploration into the feasibility of new venues such as the Toa Payoh Integrated Development, which is expected to be completed by 2030. With everything that the President discussed, he declared: 'The achievements of our first 100 days represent just the beginning of the transformational journey of Singapore football. 'We invite all stakeholders – clubs, players, fans, and partners – to actively join us as we work together to reignite passion and put in place structures that will set Singapore football up for sustainable success in the future.'
