Widely regarded as one of the best wingers in the world and also one of the best Asian players in European football history, Son is often considered an icon in his home country and in Asia, and was nominated for the Ballon d’Or in 2019, the highest-ever rank so far by an Asian player. Son was also the first Asian player in history to score more than 50 goals in the Premier League.
Born in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Son joined Hamburger SV at the age of 16 and debuted in the German Bundesligain 2010. In 2013, he moved to Bayer Leverkusen 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 fellow countryman Park Ji-sung.
A full international since 2010, Son has represented South Korea at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups and is his country’s highest scorer in the World Cup jointly with Park Ji-sung and Ahn Jung-hwan with three goals. Son has also represented South Korea at the 2018 Asian Games, where the team won gold, as well as the 2011, 2015 and 2019 editions of the AFC Asian Cup. Korea was runner-up in 2015.
