Son Heung-min ( ko, 손흥민; ; born 8 July 1992) is a South Korean professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a forward for

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

club

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

and captains the South Korea national team. Considered one of the best forwards in the world and one of the greatest Asian footballers of all time, he is known for his explosive speed, finishing, two-footedness and ability to link play. Born in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Son relocated to Germany to join

Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...

at 16, making his debut in the

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

in 2010. In 2013, he moved to

Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, t ...

for a club record €10 million before signing for Tottenham for £22 million two years later, becoming the most expensive Asian player in history. While at Tottenham, Son became the top Asian goalscorer in both Premier League and Champions League history, and surpassed Cha Bum-kun's record for most goals scored by a Korean player in European competition. In 2019, he became the second Asian in history to reach and start a UEFA Champions League final after compatriot

Park Ji-sung Park Ji-sung (; ; born 30 March 1981) is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in the South Korean capital Seoul, Park is the most successful Asian player in football history, having won 19 trophies in ...

. In the 2021–22 season, he won, shared alongside

Mohamed Salah Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly ( ar, محمد صلاح حامد محروس غالي, ; born 15 June 1992), also known as Mo Salah, is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Liverpool and captains the Egypt ...

, the

Premier League Golden Boot The Premier League Golden Boot is an annual association football award presented to the leading goalscorer in the Premier League. For sponsorship purposes, it was called the Carling Golden Boot from 1994 to 2001, the Barclaycard Golden Boot from ...

award with 23 goals, becoming the first Asian player to win it. A full international since 2010, Son has represented South Korea at the

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and

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FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

s and is his country's joint top scorer at World Cups, tied with Park Ji-sung and Ahn Jung-hwan on three goals. Son has also represented South Korea at the

2018 Asian Games The 2018 Asian Games ( id, Pesta Olahraga Asia 2018 or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, was a continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 Augus ...

, where the team won gold, and the 2011, 2015, and

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

editions of the AFC Asian Cup. Korea was the runner-up in 2015. Outside of football, Son is viewed as a symbol of national pride in South Korea for his achievements, and has been listed in ''Forbes'' Korea Power Celebrity 40 since 2019, where he ranked third in 2022. In June 2022, Son received the ''Cheongnyong Medal'', the highest order of merit for achievement in sports given to a South Korea citizen, for his achievements in football. He is credited with causing a large uptick in interest in and the number of supporters of Tottenham among South Koreans and even East Asians more broadly, resulting in the club's social media strategy altering in order to target and cater to Koreans using both the club's standard English language accounts and their newer accounts in Korean.

Early life

Son Heung-min was born in Chuncheon, Gangwon. His father, Son Woong-jung, is a retired footballer turned manager who once played for the South Korea national B team. Son came through the

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

at FC Seoul, the same club that former Spurs defender

Lee Young-pyo Lee Young-pyo ( ko, 이영표; ; born 23 April 1977) is a retired South Korean professional footballer who played as a right-footed left back. Lee was recognized for his speed and dribbling skills. His former manager Martin Jol once called h ...

played for. Son was a

ball boy Ball boys and ball girls, also known as ball kids are individuals, usually human youths but sometimes dogs, who retrieve and supply balls for players or officials in sports such as association football, American football, bandy, cricket, tenn ...

in an FC Seoul home match in 2008 when he was a FC Seoul youth player. At that time, his role model was midfielder

Lee Chung-yong Lee Chung-yong (; ; born 2 July 1988) is a South Korean footballer who plays as a winger for K League 1 club Ulsan Hyundai and is a South Korean international. He is nicknamed "Blue Dragon", which is a literal translation of his given name ...

, who played for

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

and Bolton Wanderers. Apart from his native language Korean, Son is also fluent in German and English. His agent Thies Bliemeister said Son was so determined to make himself a success in Europe that he learned German by watching episodes of ''

SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It chronicles the adventures of the title character ...

''.

Club career

Hamburger SV

In August 2008, Son dropped out of Dongbuk High School's football club (formerly FC Seoul under-18 team) and joined

's youth academy at age 16 through Korean FA Youth Project. A year later, he returned to South Korea. After participating in the

FIFA U-17 World Cup The FIFA U-17 World Cup, founded as the FIFA U-16 World Championship, later changed to U-17 in 1991 and to its current name in 2007, is the world championship of association football for male players under the age of 17 organized by ''Fédération ...

, he formally joined

's youth academy in November 2009 He was impressive in the 2010–11 pre-season, leading the team with nine goals, and signed his first professional contract on his 18th birthday. After scoring against

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

in August, he was out for two months due to a foot injury. He returned on 30 October 2010 to score his first league goal, against 1. FC Köln in the 24th minute. The goal made Son the youngest Hamburg player to score a goal in the Bundesliga at 18, breaking the record held by

Manfred Kaltz Manfred Kaltz (born 6 January 1953) is a German former football player and manager, who played as a right-back. Kaltz played in the Bundesliga for Hamburger SV and 13 times (one goal) for FC Mulhouse in Ligue 1 after initially joining Mulhouse l ...

Son signed a new deal with Hamburg through 2014. Pundits said he had what it took to become the next Cha Bum-kun, a legendary

forward and fellow South Korean. Son scored three goals in 14 matches in all competition during the 2010–11 season. Son Heung-Min

During the 2011–12 pre-season, Son was explosive, scoring 18 times in only nine matches. After missing the opening match due to a fever, Son scored two goals within three matches. On 27 August, Son picked up an ankle injury in the 4–3 loss to 1. FC Köln and was initially projected to be out of action for four to six weeks. His recovery was quicker than expected and he returned to action only three weeks later as a substitute in a 1–0 loss against Borussia Mönchengladbach on 17 September. Over the course of the 2011–12 season, he made 30 appearances for Hamburg and scored five goals, including crucial goals against Hannover 96 and 1. FC Nürnberg at the end of the season to help ensure that Hamburg remained in the Bundesliga. Following Hamburger SV's 2012–13 offseason moves, which saw the transfers of the team's strikers

Mladen Petrić Mladen Petrić (; born 1 January 1981) is a retired Croatian professional footballer who played as a forward or striker. During his career, he played for Grasshopper, Basel, Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, Fulham, West Ham United and Pana ...

and

Paolo Guerrero José Paolo Guerrero Gonzales (; born 1 January 1984), known as Paolo Guerrero, is a Peruvian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Brasileirão club Avaí and the Peru national team. Forging his career in Germany, Guerrero s ...

to Fulham and

Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-aut ...

respectively, manager Thorsten Fink chose to name Son a starter. The 2012–13 season was a breakthrough season for Son as he scored two goals in an away fixture against

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...

on 9 February 2013, helping his team to a 4–1 victory. Son was chosen ''Mann des Tages (Man of the Match)'' by ''kicker''. On 14 April, Son netted two goals in a 2–1 win against Mainz 05. He finished the season with 12 goals, becoming the fifth South Korean footballer to achieve double digits in goals in Europe. He finished the 2012–13 season with 12 goals in 34 matches in all competitions.

Bayer Leverkusen

On 13 June 2013,

confirmed Son's transfer for reportedly €10 million, which was the highest transfer fee in the club's history at the time. He agreed to a five-year deal with the team. Son adjusted quickly to his new club in the pre-season, scoring three goals in his first three appearances for the team in exhibition matches (against 1860 Munich,

Udinese Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a ...

and KAS Eupen respectively). On 9 November 2013, Son scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...

for Leverkusen in a 5–3 win against his former club Hamburgers SV. On 7 December, Son scored a crucial goal against Borussia Dortmund to put his club just four points off the summit of the Bundesliga. On 10 May 2014, Son scored another goal against

Werder Bremen Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are best known for the ...

ensuring his team a spot for the

2014–15 UEFA Champions League The 2014–15 UEFA Champions League was the 60th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 23rd season since it was renamed from the European Champion Clubs' Cup to the UEFA Champions League. The final was pl ...

. He finished the 2013–14 season with 12 goals in 43 matches. Son scored a hat-trick against

VfL Wolfsburg Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg () or Wolfsburg, is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of W ...

on 14 February 2015, in a 4–5 defeat, scoring when they were losing 0–3. He finished the 2014–15 season with 17 goals in 42 matches. Son started the 2015–16 season with Bayer Leverkusen. He made a league appearance and a Champions League qualifying match.

Tottenham Hotspur

2015–16: Debut season

On 28 August 2015, Son joined

club

for £22 million (€30 million) on a five-year contract, subject to work permit and international clearance. Upon his signing, he became the most expensive Asian player in football history. The record had been held since 2001 by Japanese Hidetoshi Nakata, who transferred from Roma to

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...

for €25 million. Son made his debut on 13 September away to Sunderland, being replaced by

Andros Townsend Andros Darryl Townsend (born 16 July 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Everton. A graduate of the Tottenham Hotspur academy, Townsend was initially loaned out to several League One and then Champions ...

in the 62nd minute of a 1–0 win. In Tottenham's first match of the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League on 17 September, Son netted his first two goals for the club in a 3–1 win against Qarabağ FK. Three days later, he scored his first Premier League goal, against

White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater it had a capacity of 36,284 before demolition. ...

, netting in the 68th minute to give Tottenham their first home Premier League win of the season. On 28 December in the match against

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...

, Son replaced Tom Carroll in the 80th minute and scored Tottenham's winning goal in the 89th minute. On 2 May, he scored the second goal against

in a crucial match to give Spurs hope of winning the Premier League. Chelsea equalised in the second half, however, handing over the title to

Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...

2016–18: Breakthrough and Premier League runner-up

Before the season, he reportedly asked Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino for permission to leave Tottenham in an attempt to get more playing time, but was instead given a chance to fight for his place at Spurs. On 10 September 2016, Son scored two goals and created a third in his first appearance of the season, in a 4–0 win against Stoke City. Son followed that performance up with a second brace, coming at

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

on 24 September, earning his team a 1–2 victory. Upon equalling his league goal total from the previous season in 25 fewer matches, Son was hailed by Pochettino as "a different person – he's more mature and he knows the league and he's settled in fantastically now." Son continued his excellent run of form with his fifth goal in five matches on 27 September in the Champions League. Playing at

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet era, it was a central piece of the big So ...

, Son slipped a shot past goalkeeper

Igor Akinfeev Igor Vladimirovich Akinfeev ( rus, Игорь Владимирович Акинфеев, Igor' Vladimirovich Akinfeyev, p=ˈiɡərʲ vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ ɐkʲɪnˈfʲe(j)ɪf; born 8 April 1986) is a Russian professional footballer who pla ...

for the only goal of the match. On 14 October, Son was named the

Premier League Player of the Month The Premier League Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League player each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to 10 ...

for September, being the first South Korean and first Asian to receive the award. Following the Christmas break Son continued to score the odd goal over the following couple of months and then on 12 March 2017 he scored his first Spurs hat trick in the FA Cup against

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...

in a 6–0 win. In the same match, he was racially abused by a section of the Millwall fans who chanted "DVD" and "he's selling three for a fiver" whenever he touched the ball, referencing a stereotype towards east Asians. He scored in the 2–0 victory away at

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...

on 1 April 2017, and four days later he scored in the 91st minute to put Spurs ahead at Swansea, in a game where they were losing 1–0 after 88 minutes and ended up winning 3–1. A brace at home to Watford the following weekend brought his season total to 18 goals, 11 in the Premier League, his best ever goals return. On 12 May 2017, Tottenham announced that Son had won the Premier League Player of the Month for April, the second time of his career and thus becoming the only player in 2016–17 to win the award 2 times. On 18 May 2017, Son bagged a brace away to

as part of a 6–1 rout of their former title rivals. With 21 goals in all competitions, Son joined

Harry Kane Harry Edward Kane (born 28 July 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Tottenham Hotspur and captains the England national team. A prolific goalscorer with strong link play, Kane is regarded as one of ...

and Dele Alli as the first trio of Spurs players with over 20 goals on the season. Son scored his first goal of the 2017–18 season in the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

game against

on 13 September 2017 at Spurs temporary home

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

, which Spurs won 3–1. He scored his first Premier League goal in the season when Spurs beat

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

4–1 at home. On 5 November 2017, Son scored the only goal in the 1–0 win against

. The goal brought his tally in the Premier League to 20 and in doing so he became the top Asian goalscorer in Premier League history, breaking the record set by

Park Ji-Sung Park Ji-sung (; ; born 30 March 1981) is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in the South Korean capital Seoul, Park is the most successful Asian player in football history, having won 19 trophies in ...

at Manchester United. On 13 January 2018, Son scored a goal and provided an assist in a game against Everton, matching the club record set in 2004 by

Jermain Defoe Jermain Colin Defoe (born 7 October 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He also played for the England national team. Defoe began his career with Charlton Athletic, joining their youth team aged 14, be ...

of scoring in five consecutive home games. On 28 February 2018, Son scored a brace and assisted

Fernando Llorente Fernando Javier Llorente Torres (; born 26 February 1985), nicknamed ''El Rey León'' ("The Lion King" in Spanish), is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a striker. He started his career with Athletic Bilbao, working his way throu ...

as Tottenham beat

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

6–1 in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Son also converted a penalty, but his goal was overruled by the

video assistant referee The video assistant referee (VAR) is a match official in association football who reviews decisions made by the referee. The assistant video assistant referee (AVAR) is a current or former referee appointed to assist the VAR in the video ope ...

. Son has become the first Asian to finish the season as a top-10 goal scorer in the English Premier League.

2018–19: Champions League runner-up

On 20 July 2018, Son signed a new five-year deal extending his contract with Tottenham until 2023. The first goals of the season came in October 2018 when he scored a brace in his 150th game for Tottenham in the

2018–19 EFL Cup The 2018–19 EFL Cup was the 59th season of the EFL Cup. Also known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, the competition was open to all 92 clubs participating in the Premier League and the English Football League. The first round was playe ...

match against West Ham. He scored his first league goal in the season, his 50th goal for the club in all competitions, in a solo effort in the 3–1 home win against Chelsea, inflicting the first defeat for Chelsea in the Premier League this season. This goal won the Premier League's Goal of the Month award for November. On 13 February 2019, Son scored the first goal in a 3–0 win over

, in the first leg of the round of 16,

. At the end of the month he was named Premier League Player of the Year at the London Football Awards. On 3 April 2019, Son scored the very first professional goal at the new

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the home of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in north London, replacing the club's previous ground, White Hart Lane. With a seating capacity of 62,850, it is the third-largest football stadium in England and the ...

in a 2–0 victory over

. On 9 April 2019, Son scored the very first European competition goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a 1–0 win against Manchester City in the quarterfinals of the 2018–19 Champions League. In the return leg, Son scored twice to earn Tottenham a 4–4 aggregate win on the away goals rule and help the club reach the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 1962, and only the second time ever. His brace also saw him become the highest scoring Asian player in the history of the tournament with 12 goals, overtaking the previous record holder, Maxim Shatskikh. On 4 May 2019, Son received his first red card in the Premier League due to his vindictive action against

Jefferson Lerma Jefferson Andrés Lerma Solís (born 25 October 1994) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club AFC Bournemouth and the Colombia national team. He has also been used as a defensive midfielder and as a r ...

2019–20: Puskás Award

Son opened his 2019–20 account on 14 September 2019 by scoring two goals against Crystal Palace in the Premier League with a final result of 4–0. On 21 October, Son was named in the 30-man shortlist for the

2019 Ballon d'Or The 2019 Ballon d'Or (French: ''Ballon d'Or'') was the 64th annual ceremony of the Ballon d'Or, presented by France Football, and recognising the best footballers in the world for 2019. Lionel Messi won the men's award for a record sixth time in ...

. On 3 November, Son was sent off during a 1–1 draw with Everton after sliding into André Gomes from behind, causing him to fall awkwardly and suffer a severe ankle injury. The injury prompted great concern and anguish from the players and supporters; Son was visibly highly distressed by the incident. Following a red card for a challenge on Gomes, Son also received suspension for three Premier League games. However, many professionals including former Everton player Kevin Kilbane expressed criticism of the red card decision, and Tottenham made an appeal to the Football Association against the dismissal. The FA accepted the appeal and Son's red card was rescinded on 5 November. Three days after this incident, in a 4–0 Champions League away game to

Red Star Belgrade Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional football club based in Bel ...

, in which Son scored a brace, rather than celebrating his first goal, he apologised to the camera for what happened at

Goodison Park Goodison Park is a association football, football stadium in the Walton, Liverpool, Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area ...

. On 23 November 2019, Son scored Tottenham's first goal with José Mourinho as manager, earning him Man-of-the-match in a 3–2 Spurs victory against West Ham. On 7 December, in the match against

, Son ran from one end of the pitch to the other, going past seven Burnley players, to score an individual goal that was immediately labelled a goal of the season contender. The nature of the goal saw Mourinho dub him "Sonaldo Nazario" in reference to the type of goal former Brazilian international Ronaldo would score. In January 2020, Son was awarded the Premier League goal of the month for December for his goal against Burnley, eventually winning him the Goal of the Season award. The goal was further recognised by FIFA with a Puskás Award as the best goal of the past 12 months in December 2020. On 22 December 2019, facing Chelsea, Son was sent off after raising his boot against

Antonio Rüdiger Antonio Rüdiger (born 3 March 1993) is a German professional Association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid and the Germany national football team, Germany national team. Rüdiger began ...

's ribs. On 16 February 2020, Son scored two goals at Villa Park and earned a 3–2 victory for Tottenham, in which he became the first Asian footballer to score 50 goals in the Premier League, with 51 scored goals in 151 Premier League matches. Son played the full game despite suffering a fracture to his arm at the 31st second of the game. Head coach José Mourinho declared at a later stage that he was not optimistic regarding Son's injury and that it was likely that the South Korean would be sidelined for the rest of the season. On 6 April 2020, while football was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, it was confirmed that Son would carry out his mandatory military service for South Korea. After completing a two-week quarantine on his return to Korea, he served with the

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

for three weeks on Jeju Island.

2020–21: PFA Team of the Year

In the second Premier League match of the 2020–21 season, Son scored four goals, all assisted by

, in a 5–2 win against

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

and the first League win and away win of the season. This was the first time in Premier League history in which a single player scored four goals in a match while being assisted by the same teammate. In the Premier League game on 4 October, he scored a brace against Manchester United to help Tottenham win 6–1, which is the biggest win for Tottenham at Old Trafford and their best result against United since a home win in 1932. Based on his performances, Son received his third Premier League Player of the Month award on 13 November 2020. On 28 January 2021, Son's counterpart on the Korean Women's National Team,

Cho So-hyun Cho So-hyun (, ; born 24 June 1988) is a South Korean footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Women's Super League side Tottenham Hotspur and the South Korean national team. She is widely regarded as one of South Korea's finest ever p ...

joined FA WSL side

on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season. With Son already at the club it gave Spurs the rare distinction of having both the Men's and Women's Korean National Team Captains at one club. On 2 January 2021, Son scored his 100th goal for Tottenham in the 3–0 win against

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

. On 10 February 2021, he provided three assists, but Tottenham lost 5–4 to Everton in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

. On 7 March, Son provided an assist to Harry Kane in a 4–1 win against Crystal Palace, and this, their 14th combined goal effort whereby one assisted another, set a record for the most goal combinations in a single Premier League season. After the end of the season, he and Kane were selected for the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, although Tottenham finished in seventh place.

2021–22: Premier League Golden Boot

On 23 July 2021, Son extended his contract with Tottenham until 2025. On 15 August, he scored his first goal of the season in the opening match against Manchester City, which ended in a 1–0 win. On 4 November, he scored in new manager

Antonio Conte Antonio Conte (; born 31 July 1969) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. Playing as a midfielder, Conte began his career at local club Lecce and later ...

's first match in charge, a 3–2 victory over Vitesse in the group stage of the

Europa Conference League The UEFA Europa Conference League (abbreviated as UECL) is an annual football club competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. Clubs qualify for the competition based on their ...

. In doing so, Son had the distinction of scoring the first goal under each of Tottenham's last three permanent managers. On 26 February, Son scored a goal against Leeds United in a 4–0 win; the goal was assisted by Harry Kane meaning this was the 37th time Kane and Son had combined to score, which set a new record in goal-scoring partnerships in the Premier League. On 9 April, Son scored a hat-trick against Aston Villa to give Spurs a 4–0 away win at Villa Park, and also break into

all-time top 10 goalscoring list. Son scored twice in a 5–0 win against

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...

on the last day of the season securing a Champions League qualification for Tottenham, after finishing in fourth place in the Premier League, while also winning the

alongside

with 23 goals, becoming the first Asian player to do so.

2022–23

After winning the Golden Boot the previous season, Son had a poor start to the 2022–23 season, failing to score any goal in the first eight games and proving only one assist. He ended his goal drought in the game against

on 17 September, when he came off the bench to score a hat-trick in 13 minutes to help Tottenham win 6–2. On 1 November, Son collided with

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

's Chancel Mbemba during the final matchday of the UEFA Champions League group stage. This collision caused Son to suffer an

Orbital Fracture Facial trauma, also called maxillofacial trauma, is any physical trauma to the face. Facial trauma can involve soft tissue injuries such as burns, lacerations and bruises, or fractures of the facial bones such as nasal fractures and fractures ...

in his left eye. Son managed to recover to the point that he would be healthy enough to play in the

2022 World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022; it is the first ...

for South Korea, after he declared himself fit to play.

International career

Youth and 2011 Asian Cup

Son was a member of the South Korea national team that participated at the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup held in Nigeria. He scored 3 goals in this tournament. On 24 December 2010, Son was named in South Korea national team's squad for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, making his debut for the national team in a pre-tournament friendly against Syria on 30 December. At the tournament finals, Son scored his first international goal during a 4–1 group stage win against

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. This goal made him the youngest goalscorer in the AFC Asian Cup history

2014 World Cup

On 7 October 2011, after initially missing the first two matches of South Korea's

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...

campaign on 2 and 6 September 2011 due to an ankle injury, Son played in a friendly against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, and was again featured in 11 October World Cup qualifier against the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...

. His selection for national team play was a point of concern for Son's father, however, who caused a stir by asking the Korea Football Association not to select his son for the national team in the immediate future so he can rest and mature more as a player.

Cho Kwang-rae Cho Kwang-rae ( ko, 조광래, born March 19, 1954) is a former South Korean football player and manager. He is the current executive director of Daegu FC. International career Cho was selected for the university students' national team for t ...

, then the South Korea head coach, responded by saying that he would continue to call up Son when needed. 2013

Son turned down the opportunity to participate in the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, opting to concentrate on his club career at Hamburger SV. Son was quoted as saying, "In Korea, an Olympic appearance has a special meaning, but I want to speed up for Hamburg. What matters is to pour all my time into team training." Son did, however, play for the national team in the autumn of 2012 for two 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, and became a regular call-up in friendlies and World Cup qualifying matches in 2013. In the World Cup qualifier against

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

on 23 March 2013, Son came on as a substitute in the 81st minute and scored the winning goal in the 96th minute. In June 2014, Son was named in South Korea's squad for the

2014 World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...

. On 22 June, he scored in a 4–2 defeat to

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

in the team's second group match. The Korea Football Association requested Bayer Leverkusen to allow Son to play in the 2014 Asian Games, as winning the gold medal at the tournament would grant Son exemption from military service. Despite Son affirming his interest and the KFA's efforts, his club at the time, Bayer Leverkusen, refused to release him, as his absence would mean the team would lose him for at least six matches.

2015 Asian Cup

Son was selected for South Korea for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia. At the quarter-final stage, he scored both of the team's goals in the 2–0 extra time defeat of

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

. In the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

against the hosts, he equalised in added time, but his team lost 2–1 after extra time. He was chosen as one of three forwards in the Team of the Tournament.

2016 Summer Olympics

In June 2016, Son was named as one of the three overage players in South Korea under-23 squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Son amassed two goals in the group stages with a goal against Fiji and another against

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, helping his team to top the group with two wins and a draw. South Korea was eliminated by Honduras in the quarterfinals, with Son missing crucial chances.

2018 World Cup

On 3 September 2015 at the Hwaseong Stadium, Son scored a

in an 8–0 home win over Laos in the second round of

qualification Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to: * Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...

for the

2018 World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...

. On 13 June 2017, Son broke his right forearm after falling awkwardly on his arm during a World Cup qualifier match in Doha against

. He was part of the team that saw Korea qualify for the

after a 0–0 draw against

on 5 September 2017. On 4 June 2018, Son was selected in 23-man squad for the World Cup. On 23 June, Son scored a goal from outside the penalty area – a curling strike into the top corner – though his side was defeated with a 2–1 loss to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in their second group stage match of the World Cup. On 27 June, during their final group stage match, he scored the second goal in the 97th minute in their 2–0 victory over world champions

, sealing their elimination.

2018 Asian Games

Son was selected as one of three overage players permitted in the under-23 team for the football tournament at the

in Indonesia. He captained the team in the final game of the group stage against

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...

, scoring the only goal of the match to help the team reach the knockout rounds. He also captained the team in the knockout rounds and reached the final after the Taeguk Warriors beat

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, 3–1. In the gold medal match, Son assisted in both extra-time goals in a 2–1 victory over Japan, which guaranteed the entire squad's exemption from mandatory military service.

2019 Asian Cup

Son was called up as captain for the

2019 AFC Asian Cup The 2019 AFC Asian Cup was the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 F ...

in the United Arab Emirates by

Paulo Bento Paulo Jorge Gomes Bento (; born 20 June 1969) is a Portuguese football manager and former player. A defensive midfielder with tackling ability and workrate as his main assets, he played for two of the major three teams in his country, amassin ...

, but missed the first two group matches due to an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur related to his call-up. He recorded an assist in the third group game against China. However, his play at the tournament was lethargic due to lack of physical strength in his busy schedule, and he returned to London following his team's defeat in the quarter-finals to the eventual champion

2022 World Cup

Still recovering from his eye injury from the match against Marseille, Son was named to lead the 26-man South Korean squad. Due to the tenderness of his injury, Son wore a mask that covered around half his face. Son led South Korea to the round of 16, for the first time since 2002, following a match winning assist to

Hwang Hee-chan Hwang Hee-chan ( ko, 황희찬; born 26 January 1996) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the South Korea national team. Hwang is nicknamed the "Bull" (''Hwang ...

in a 2–1 victory against

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

on 2 December, before being eliminated by

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

following a 4–1 defeat on 5 December.

Style of play

Son is a versatile player who can play in any forward position, ( winger,

second striker Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

, striker) and can even be deployed as an

attacking midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

or wing-back if necessary. He himself has confirmed this, saying, "I don't care where I play. The main thing is I'm in the game. I can play as a second striker or behind. Whatever the coach says, I'll do. I don't have a favorite position. I'll be anywhere and always on the throttle." Son is known for his two-footed ability, explosive pace, positional sense, movement, close control and clinical finishing which make him especially effective on the counter-attack. Moreover, he has drawn praise from teammates and in the media for his selfless work-rate and defensive contribution, and is capable of providing assists for teammates, in addition to scoring goals himself. In recent years, particularly following his prolific success with Tottenham, he has been considered one of the best players in the world and has often been cited as the greatest Asian footballer of all time.

Sponsorship and media

Son has a sponsorship deal with sportswear and equipment supplier Adidas. Since 2022, he was selected as brand ambassador for British luxury fashion house

Burberry Burberry is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry headquartered in London, England. It currently designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats (for which it is most famous), leather accessorie ...

. On 7 August 2022, Son has been named brand ambassador for Calvin Klein Underwear in South Korea. Son has two officially licensed NFT collections that have been released in collaboration with NFTStar (a sports fandom social platform with a web3 community) that are available for purchase on OpenSea. His first NFT collection is called the 'NFTStar Fan Pass – Son Heung Min', and the second NFT collection called 'Golden Shiny Boot' was a free mint project available for fan pass holders.

Personal life

Son has dated the K-pop singers

Bang Min-ah Bang Min-ah (; born May 13, 1993), better known by the mononym Minah, is a South Korean singer and actress. She debuted as a member of the girl group Girl's Day in 2010 and released her first solo album, ''I Am a Woman Too,'' in 2015. She has ...

and

Yoo So-young Yoo So-young (Hangul: 유소영; born March 29, 1986) is a South Korean actress and former member of the girl group After School. She is known for her supporting roles in Korean drama Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popular ...

, and is currently single. Son used the suspension of football during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

to complete South Korean mandatory military service. He was exempted from military service with a gold medal at the Asian Games, but he had to do basic military training regardless of exemption. He completed basic training in the

Republic of Korea Marine Corps The Republic of Korea Marine Corps (ROKMC; ko, 대한민국 해병대, Daehanminguk Haebyeongdae), also known as the ROK Marine Corps or ROK Marines, is the marine corps of South Korea. The ROKMC is a branch of the Republic of Korea Navy respo ...

in Jeju in April–May 2020, finishing in the top five of 157 trainees. He is also a fan of the video game ''League of Legends''. In 2019, Son donated around £100,000 to the victims of the Goseong Fire, which left vast devastation in

Goseong County, Gangwon Goseong (''Goseong-gun'' ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in Gangwon-do (South Korea), Gangwon Province, South Korea. Prior to the Korean Armistice Agreement, 1953 Armistice which ceased the Korean War, Goseong (which is loc ...

, in his native South Korea. In 2020, Son donated £65,000 in aid, to combat the

COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea The COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first case in South Korea was announced on 20 January 2020. The numb ...

. Son opened Son Football Academy in his hometown Chuncheon with his father and his brother, at a cost of £11 million paid mostly by him.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Son goal''

Honours

Tottenham Hotspur *

runner-up: 2018–19 * EFL Cup runner-up: 2020–21 South Korea U17 *

AFC U-16 Championship The AFC U-17 Asian Cup, formerly known as the AFC U-16 Championship and AFC U-17 Championship, is a football competition, organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held once every two years for Asian under-17 teams that also serves as a q ...

runner-up:

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

South Korea U23 * Asian Games:

South Korea * AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 2015 Individual *

FIFA Puskás Award The FIFA Puskás Award is an award established on 20 October 2009 by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA), at the behest of then-president Sepp Blatter, to be awarded to the male or female judged to have scored the mo ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

Eurosport Eurosport is a group of pay television networks in Europe and parts of Asia. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through its international sports unit, it operates two main channels— Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2—across most of its territories, ...

Player of the Season: 2021–22 *

Best Footballer in Asia Best Footballer in Asia () is an annual association football award organized and presented by Titan Sports (newspaper), Titan Sports. It is awarded to the player who had the best performance for Asian football during the previous calendar year ...

, 2015,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

* AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 2015 * AFC Asian International Player of the Year: 2015, 2017, 2019 * AFC Opta Best XI of All Time (FIFA World Cup): 2020 *

The Asian Awards The Asian Awards is an annual award ceremony for the global Asian community which takes place in the United Kingdom, with 14 categories that include business, philanthropy, entertainment, culture and sport. Nominees are selected by an independen ...

Outstanding Achievement in Sports: 2016 *AIPS Asia Best Asian Male Athlete: 2018 * IFFHS Asian Player of the Year: 2020, 2021 * IFFHS Asian Men's Player of the Decade: 2011–2020 * IFFHS Asian Men's Team of All Time: 2021 *

Set-piece Goal of the Season: 2014–15 *

Debut of the Hinrunde: 2010 * Korean FA Player of the Year: 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 * Korean FA Goal of the Year: 2015, 2016, 2018, 2021 * Cheongnyong Medal: 2022 *

: September 2016, April 2017, October 2020 * Premier League Goal of the Month: November 2018, December 2019 * Premier League Goal of the Season: 2019–20 *

: 2021–22 * PFA Fans' Premier League Player of the Month: January 2018 * PFA Premier League Team of the Year: 2020–21 *

BBC Goal of the Season In English football, the Goal of the Season is an annual competition and award given on BBC's '' Match of the Day'', in honour of the most spectacular goal scored that season. It is typically contested between the winners of the preceding ten Go ...

: 2019–20 *London Player of the Year (Premier League): 2018–19 *

Goal of the Season: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20 *

Player of the Season: 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22 *

Goal of the Decade: 2010–2019

References

External links

Profile
at the Tottenham Hotspur F.C. website * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Son, Heung-min 1992 births Living people People from Chuncheon Sportspeople from Gangwon Province, South Korea South Korean footballers Association football wingers Association football forwards Hamburger SV II players Hamburger SV players Bayer 04 Leverkusen players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Regionalliga players Bundesliga players Premier League players Best Footballer in Asia South Korea under-17 international footballers South Korea under-23 international footballers Olympic footballers of South Korea South Korea international footballers 2011 AFC Asian Cup players 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 AFC Asian Cup players Footballers at the 2016 Summer Olympics 2018 FIFA World Cup players Footballers at the 2018 Asian Games 2019 AFC Asian Cup players 2022 FIFA World Cup players FIFA Century Club Asian Games medalists in football Medalists at the 2018 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for South Korea South Korean expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Germany Expatriate footballers in England South Korean expatriate sportspeople in Germany South Korean expatriate sportspeople in England