It’s time to respect Son Heung-min as a world-class player

27/05/22 3096

On the final day of the Premier League season, Son Heung-min bagged a brace as Tottenham Hotspur crushed Norwich City 5-0 to secure Champions League football for next term.

Thanks to his double, the South Korean claimed the Golden Boot. Both he and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah scored 23 goals to share the award.

Despite consistently scoring and assisting at a rapid rate, Son has often gone under the radar. But having claimed the Golden Boot, it’s about time that he gets the recognition and respect that he deserves.

By his own high standards, Son made a relatively slow start to the 2021-22 campaign – registering 11 goals and six assists across his first 25 Premier League outings.

However, the Tottenham superstar took his game to another level towards the end of the season – racking up a whopping 12 goals and three assists in the final ten matches.

Thanks to braces against West Ham, Leicester, and Norwich, as well as a hat-trick against Aston Villa, Son ended the season in flying form and has ultimately been rewarded for his efforts.

Not only did Son score 23 goals last term, but he also contributed nine assists. His seemingly telepathic relationship with Harry Kane was one of the main reasons why Spurs finished in the top four.

Kane registered 17 goals and nine assists in 37 league games, meaning he averaged 0.7 goal involvements per game last season.

On the flip side, Son racked up 23 goals and nine assists in 35 games. That means he finished the previous campaign with an average of 0.9 goal involvements per game.

It is also worth noting that Son netted 23 non-penalty goals last term. By contrast, five of Salah’s 23 goals came from the penalty spot.

Since arriving at Tottenham back in 2015, Son has amassed 131 goals and 74 assists in 325 appearances across all competitions. That is a hugely impressive record.

Kane has often grabbed the headlines at Spurs in recent years. However, Son’s performances throughout the 2021-22 season have thrust him into the limelight.

It’s surprising that a truly elite club has not attempted to sign Son. Of course, Tottenham are a big club. But they are not on the same level as Manchester City, Liverpool, Real Madrid and the like.

Crucially, Spurs secured Champions League football at the eleventh hour. That means Antonio Conte shouldn’t have to worry about losing one of the best players on the planet this summer.