Son Heung-min has admitted that he found last season very difficult.
Tottenham Hotspur will face Ryan City Sailors in a pre-season friendly at the Singapore National Stadium in Singapore on Sept. 26 at 8:30 p.m. (ET).
Ahead of the match, Football London quoted Son as saying, “Last season was painful for Heung-min in every sense of the word, and he revealed that he played through it despite having a problem that required him to undergo sports hernia surgery after the season ended.”
Son admitted it. He said, “It was a really tough moment. I’m the type of person who always hides pain. I didn’t want to publicly announce that I had surgery, but I feel good and refreshed,” he said, adding, “I was in pain literally every minute of last season. It sounds weird, but it affected everything: running, passing, shooting, turning, stopping, everything. When I wasn’t working out, I was fine, but when I was on the field, it was weird.”
However, Son was reluctant to have surgery during the season. “I decided to have surgery at the end of the season, and I think it was the best decision I ever made. You’re probably thinking why I didn’t have the surgery as soon as possible, but for me, every moment during the season felt like a difficult moment for the club. I didn’t want to disappoint people,” he revealed.
The 2022-23 season was an eventful one for Son Heung-min. He struggled at the start of the season, before scoring his first goal of the season with a hat-trick against Leicester City in the eighth round. He also suffered a devastating injury. Son suffered an orbital fracture in the sixth match of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) Group D against Marseille, just three weeks before the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The injury was more serious than expected. He underwent surgery and was out of action for a while. In the lead-up to the World Cup, he even played with a face mask, which could have aggravated the injury. Contrary to expectations, Heung-min excelled as the team’s captain and helped lead South Korea to the round of 16.
The team also faced a number of challenges, including the sacking of Antonio Conte and a falling out with Ivan Perisic. Nevertheless, Son has proven himself to be ‘world class’. In April, Son surpassed the 100-goal milestone in the EPL with a goal against Brighton. With three more goals in the 2022-23 season, Heung-min is 32nd on the EPL’s all-time goalscoring list.
This marks the seventh consecutive season that Heung-min has scored in double figures in the league. Only Michael Owen, Romelu Lukaku, Jamie Vardy, and Robbie Keane have scored in double figures in the EPL for seven consecutive seasons. Sadio Mane, Thierry Henry (8 seasons), Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero (9 seasons), Frank Lampard (10 seasons), and Wayne Rooney (11 seasons) have also scored double-digit goals in seven or more seasons.
But Son wasn’t satisfied with himself. “I made this decision (season-ending surgery) and I didn’t tell anyone because I had to take responsibility. The EPL is one of the toughest leagues in the world, and even if I was 100% fit, it would be hard, but I was only able to perform at 6-70%. It’s different for everyone. Some people want to publicize their pain. But I was different. I didn’t want to show it. I almost gave up against Leeds United, but I closed my eyes and prayed, 메이저놀이터 ‘Please let us win this game,’ and luckily we did,” he recalled.
Son was also asked about Conte. “I’m grateful to Conte. I should have played much better. I won the Golden Boot two years ago, so I had high expectations. The team needed me in difficult moments, but I wasn’t able to play (in good form), so I’m sorry to him. I got along well with him. The ending was not ideal, but I learned a lot about football, about people and about being passionate,” he thanked.