Son Heung-min and Tottenham: A Decade Defined by Loyalty and Legacy | OneFootball

Son Heung-min’s Spurs Legacy: The Beautiful End to a Decade of Devotion

Few players in modern football transcend their clubs in the way Son Heung-min did with Tottenham Hotspur. His story is more than statistics and silverware, more than goals and glories. It is a tale of unwavering loyalty, of resilience in adversity, of a deep and abiding connection between a man and a club. When Son lifted the Europa League trophy in Bilbao in May 2025, it wasn’t just a footballer celebrating victory. It was Tottenham Hotspur itself, manifested in one man, arms aloft, tears rolling, completing a journey ten years in the making.

Bilbao, Belief and the Bond That Couldn’t Break

Son’s Tottenham career may have ended in Seoul, but its emotional apex was found in the Basque Country. The 2-1 victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final brought clarity to years of effort, heartbreak, brilliance and near misses. All of it made sense under the bright Spanish lights.

That night, Son wasn’t simply a captain. He was the embodiment of Spurs. As The Athletic revealed, it was manager Ange Postecoglou who made Son the emotional core of the club’s continental campaign. “I made him a big focus of our Europa run because I thought he was symbolic of where people saw the club,” Postecoglou said. “Obviously he’s an outstanding player but was missing that key piece of success.”

Postecoglou knew what was at stake. The game wasn’t just about lifting silverware. It was about reshaping how Son was remembered, and how Tottenham would carry themselves into a new era. His words to the squad before the final were direct and heartfelt: winning for Son was winning for Spurs.

Photo: IMAGO

And the players responded. “The players went out and did it for Son, just as they did for Spurs. There was no longer any distinction between the two.”

In a world where player loyalty feels increasingly fleeting, Son’s decade at Tottenham stands out. “Sonny is Tottenham,” said James Maddison. “And Tottenham is Sonny. It’s weird to think about Tottenham Hotspur without Son.” The tears that followed were not just Son’s—they were every fan’s, every team-mate’s, every manager’s.

From Hamburg to North London: What Might Have Been

To understand how it all began, you need to rewind not 10 years, but 12. In 2012-13, Son was a 20-year-old making strides at Hamburg in the Bundesliga. Quick, skilful, fearless—he had all the raw attributes that now feel second nature. Tottenham sent scouts, including former manager David Pleat. His verdict? Underwhelming. But something about Son intrigued Spurs enough to stay in the race.

Interestingly, it was Southampton, not Spurs, who came closest to landing him in 2013. Mauricio Pochettino and Paul Mitchell were impressed. “Sonny represented exactly the profile that we liked,” Mitchell told The Athletic. “Dynamic, good on transitions, could play vertically, could play off both sides.”

Photo IMAGO

Yet Son stayed in Germany and joined Bayer Leverkusen. Two years later, everything aligned. Pochettino and Mitchell had moved to Tottenham, and they had not forgotten the Korean. A sparkling hat-trick against Wolfsburg in 2015 finally tipped the scales. Spurs acted swiftly, taking advantage of Son’s rumoured tension with Leverkusen boss Roger Schmidt.

“Because we had done all the background checks… we could move really, really quickly,” Mitchell said. On 28 August 2015, Tottenham signed Son for £22 million. “That fee for a player of that quality is maybe one of the best investments any of us have ever made in our careers.”

Early Struggles and the Crossroads of 2016

If Son’s arrival was exciting, his first year in north London wasn’t easy. There were flashes of brilliance—two goals in a 3-1 win over Qarabag and a Premier League winner against Crystal Palace—but a plantar fascia injury soon derailed his momentum. After returning, he found himself behind Lamela, Eriksen and Dele Alli in Pochettino’s plans.

Photo IMAGO

Behind the scenes, questions were asked. Was Son adapting? Was he happy? “He has such a positive mindset and attitude,” Mitchell recalled. But doubts persisted. Son himself admitted in 2019: “I came close to leaving. I went to (Pochettino)’s office and told him I didn’t feel comfortable and wanted to leave for Germany.”

Pochettino wouldn’t allow it. The Argentine’s human touch proved decisive. “We were clear with Son that he has to earn his right to play,” he explained later. “He wanted to leave after a bad year, but I told him… we weren’t going to let him go on the cheap. He decided to stay.”

That moment was arguably the turning point of his entire career. It required humility from Son, belief from his manager and time from the club. Son repaid all of them.

His return after the Olympics in 2016 was electric. A brace at Stoke, two more at Middlesbrough, another in the Champions League. Against Guardiola’s Manchester City, he led the line in Kane’s absence and delivered a masterclass. As Mitchell later reflected: “We had done the work… we were adamant: he will be a top player.”

Decisive Goals, Unmatched Grace and Quiet Leadership

Son’s brilliance was not just in volume, but in value. When it mattered most, he delivered. He scored openers, winners, and record-setters. He broke the deadlock at Watford in 2016, netted crucial goals against Borussia Dortmund, and wrote himself into club folklore with his performance against Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Every touch seemed choreographed. His movement, speed, two-footedness—Son was a master craftsman. “He was as good a finisher as you could find from wide areas,” said Postecoglou. “Even last year, there were times when Sonny breaks through on the left and puts it in the bottom corner. You know it’s a goal before he’s even struck it.”

In 2021-22, he shared the Premier League Golden Boot with Mohamed Salah, scoring 23 league goals. But perhaps more important was what he represented off the pitch. Son was a leader in the truest sense—not through barked instructions but through his demeanour, kindness and tireless effort.

Postecoglou saw that immediately: “I thought the key thing in looking for a leader was a unifier. And this is who Sonny is.”

He never changed. When Tottenham travelled to South Korea, Son gifted personalised items to every staff member. He remained humble, generous and inclusive. “Sonny didn’t have to do those things,” said Postecoglou. “It’s his generosity… that’s a greater measure than anything else.”

The image of Son holding back tears in Bilbao said everything. For a player who had given so much, the trophy was more than silver—it was vindication, legacy, closure.

Spurs’ Eternal Number Seven

In a time of footballing excess, Son remained refreshingly human. He never treated football as entitlement. Whether it was organising banquets for staff, cooking with his mother for team-mates or staying behind to sign autographs, Son’s impact stretched far beyond the pitch.

“He is exactly as you see him,” said Postecoglou. “To live in that sort of cauldron for as long as he has, and I doubt you could find one person to say something negative about him, is just incredible.”

When Harry Kane departed for Bayern Munich in 2023, Son became captain. He led by example, even when his own body began to falter. In his final season, injuries limited his pace and his presence in some key matches. But his influence was never in question. “If we can elevate Sonny to a level above some of the best players… by winning something and having him lift a trophy, we’re all going to be part of something special,” Postecoglou told his players.

And that is exactly what happened. Son Heung-min’s journey became Tottenham’s greatest story of the modern era. It ended not in bombast, but in emotion, unity and fulfilment.

Because Son was never just about the goals. He was about the grace with which he played, the integrity with which he led and the generosity with which he gave. He made football beautiful, in every sense of the word.

As Maddison said: “Tottenham is Sonny.”

Now, Tottenham will have to figure out who they are without him.

Our View – EPL Index Analysis

Emotional. Timeless. And possibly unrepeatable. That’s how many Tottenham fans will view this extraordinary chapter with Son Heung-min. From a sceptical scouting report in Hamburg to lifting silverware in Bilbao, his arc has the narrative power of a Hollywood film.

But for many supporters, Son’s story hits deeper. It was never about him being the best dribbler, the flashiest finisher or the biggest name. It was the way he carried himself. The way he celebrated. The way he cared.

And now? Spurs fans are excited and proud—but also concerned. Losing a figure like Son is not just losing a player. It’s losing part of the club’s identity. There is no ready-made replacement. Postecoglou has built a promising group, but someone must now step into an emotional void that may never be truly filled.

There is expectation around the next generation—Sarr, Udogie, Johnson—but there’s also scepticism. Can any of them embody the club the way Son did?

It’s a moment of reflection and of transition. Spurs are moving forward, but a chapter has closed. And as one fan wrote on social media, perhaps summing it up best:

“We didn’t deserve Sonny, but we got him. And we’ll never forget.”