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."
The 33-year-old Son, who is under contract until 2026, is set to leave Spurs after a decade. He led Spurs to their first trophy in 17 years with their win over Manchester United in the Europa League final in May.
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.
Harvey Barnes levelled in the 38th minute, beating Antonin Kinsky with a right-footed shot that went in off the post.
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Departing Tottenham captain Son Heung-min was in tears and his team-mates threw him in the air on an emotional evening in his native South Korea on Sunday. 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." The 33-year-old Son, who is under contract until 2026, is set to leave Spurs after a decade. He led Spurs to their first trophy in 17 years with their win over Manchester United in the Europa League final in May. 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. Harvey Barnes levelled in the 38th minute, beating Antonin Kinsky with a right-footed shot that went in off the post.
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There were some moments last year that were hard on me. I know what to do to change the club … but I'm disappointing all these people. And I know that in football, when you lose so many games, it's hard on everybody to believe in one idea and all the changes. So there were some moments last year that I was really, really frustrated. Many have said 'we trust Ruben to get it right'. And you say it will be better. Is that a pressure? Yeah. It's not … sometimes you are right or wrong. But if I say it, it's because I believe it. And that is clear. Again, we cannot control the results. But the way we play, the way we perform, the way we connect with the fans, all these small things, we are going to do it no matter what. And so that is going to improve our club and is going to improve our team. And I know that all the credit that I had when I arrived, I know that last year was used on that. Now we must perform. And I really like the pressure. I will be OK. If I have the feeling that before the game that we are going to be competitive, we'll be OK. I just don't want to return to that feeling that it's not a 50-50 game. Do you think this club can still be Premier League, Champions League winners? I have no doubts, because there are some things that you cannot buy. And this club has: the pedigree, the history, the fans. We have that, that is clear. Then the money. We have money. We have money without the Champions League. So we can, we'll have money and more money in the future. And we are doing everything. You talk with Omar and all these guys, they are making all the strategy to have more money in the future. So that will not be a problem. And then I think it's clearly the culture. If we have a different culture, with all that, with all the pedigree, the money, all these things, we can return to our place. And that is clear. Alex Ferguson was here for ever. Everybody that's followed … David Moyes went very quickly, but everybody else lasted two years. Yeah, I want to stay. I want to stay 20. That is my goal and I truly believe in that. Something will happen. Always does. In some moments I will be lucky. I had a lot of luck during my career as a manager and my idea is to stay for many years. But again we know that the results will dictate that. I know that last season I used all the credits but I'm ready to start fresh. You have four players that you didn't bring on tour. You go back to Carrington on Wednesday. What do they do? What do you do? How does that interaction work? I think it's like we just need to follow the markets. So the market is open. There are players that clearly show that they don't want to be here and that is normal. They are not bad and I'm good. I'm not bad and they are good. It's not that situation. It's a simple situation that they want new challenges. So we will try to use this space to prepare the team that I think is going to be here. If the market closes and then they are Manchester United players, we as a club must treat them in the same conditions. But in this moment I'm just working with the players that I think are going to stay and the other guys are trying to find a solution for their careers.
