2021-2022 season The 2022-2023 season of the English Premier League (EPL) top scorer Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham Hotspur) was indeed eventful. However, on his way back home, he didn’t forget the existence of the fans who came to him and took care of them with a bright smile.
Son Heung-min returned home through Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 30th. Even in the midst of many people, Son Heung-min responded to the fans who chanted him by waving his hands. It is rumored that he continued until right before leaving Incheon Airport in a car.
It was a season with more expectations than ever before. Son Heung-min became the first Asian to become the EPL top scorer by tying for first place with Mohamed Salah with 23 goals and 9 assists in the league last season. As he had a career high season in name and reality, achievements were expected this season and at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar last November.
The first half of the season was not as good as previous years. He showed ups and downs throughout the first half, and even suffered an orbital fracture injury in the match against Marseille (France) in the UEFA Champions League group stage ahead of the World Cup.
He showed his mask fighting spirit to force himself to participate in the World Cup, and assisted Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton)’s winning goal in the final match against Portugal in the group stage, leading Korea to the dramatic round of 16. However, the joy was short-lived, and he had a hard time as the captain of the national team, experiencing internal conflicts such as friction between the Korea Football Association and some trainers, and teammate Kim Min-jae (SSC Napoli) reversing his retirement from the national team.
To make matters worse, even after returning to his team Tottenham, he had difficulties coexisting with left wingback Ivan Perisic. After repeating the worst sluggishness as a whole, manager Antonio Conte was sacked in March, and even the head coach Christian Stellini, who replaced him, went through the worst situation.
However, he is the captain of the Republic of Korea who finally overcame all these bad news. On April 8, Son Heung-min set a milestone with his unique right-footed kick in a home game against Brighton & Hove Albion, scoring the 100th goal in his personal career in the EPL. It was the 34th in EPL history and the first as an Asian player. On May 1, in the Liverpool away game, he scored his 10th league goal with 1 goal and 1 assist, scoring 104 goals in his career and scoring double digits in the league for 7 consecutive seasons.메이저놀이터
In the final match of the season against Leeds United held on the 29th, he helped Harry Kane’s goal and finished the 2022-2023 season with 14 goals and 6 assists in all competitions. It was the 47th joint goal between the two. Even with the Ryan Mason acting system, the team faltered and finished in 8th place in the league and was unable to participate in the European club competition next season.
After finishing all club schedules, Son Heung-min will take a break and start an A-match held in Korea in June. The Korean national soccer team, led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, will convene on the 12th and play evaluation matches in Peru (Busan) on the 16th and El Salvador (Daejeon) on the 20th.
