"I hoped the day would come for Son Heung-min to win."
This was said by Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham's manager (59), after watching Son Heung-min (33) break his 'winless' streak.
Tottenham won 1-0 against Manchester United on the 22nd (Korean time) in the single-match final of the 2024-2025 season UEFA Europa League (UEL) held at Estadio San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain. With Johnson's winning goal in the 41st minute of the first half, they finally secured a major tournament victory after 17 years.
Finally, Son Heung-min has broken his career 'winless' streak.
After making his professional debut in Hamburg, Germany, in 2010, and moving to Bayer Leverkusen, Son Heung-min joined Tottenham in 2015 and experienced several near-misses at the title. The team finished 2nd in the Premier League during the 2016-2017 season, and in the 2018-2019 season, they lost to Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) final, ending as runners-up. In the 2020-2021 season, they were unable to overcome Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
Until this day, the only title Son Heung-min had experienced since his professional debut was the gold medal he won at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games as part of the South Korean national football team.
Finally, Son Heung-min lifted a trophy with his team. He fulfilled his dream of winning after 15 years in professional football.
Son Heung-min became the second South Korean UEL winner, following former national team manager Cha Bum-kun. Cha won the UEFA Cup (now UEL) in 1980 and 1988 with Frankfurt. Kim Dong-jin and Lee Ho also triumphed in the tournament in 2008 with Zenit St. Petersburg.
On this day, Son Heung-min, who had been on the bench, was substituted in for Richarlison in the 67th minute after the team was leading 1-0. He had been sidelined for a month with a foot injury but gained match fitness through two Premier League games leading up to this match. He played about 30 minutes in the game against Crystal Palace on the 11th and started the match against Aston Villa on the 17th, playing for over 70 minutes.
Ahead of the match against Manchester United, there was considerable interest locally in England regarding Son Heung-min's starting status. Ange Postecoglou's decision was to initially keep him on the bench, deploying Richarlison instead. During the first half, Son Heung-min sat on the bench, cheering when Johnson scored. After being brought on in the second half, he worked hard on the pitch. In the 81st minute, he attempted to create a shooting chance during a counterattack. However, he was unable to control the ball properly during a physical tussle with the defense. He also took a free kick in the 85th minute.
According to European statistical site 'Footmob', Son Heung-min played for 23 minutes (excluding stoppage time), made 13 touches, had a pass completion rate of 33% (2 successful passes out of 6 attempts), a 100% success rate in dribbles (1 successful dribble out of 1 attempt), recorded 1 defensive action, 3 recoveries, and a ground duel success rate of 40% (2 successful duels out of 5 attempts).
Postecoglou congratulated captain Son Heung-min on his first victory.
He noted in an interview with 'TNT Sports' after the match, "I thought it was essential for Son Heung-min to have such a day. It just hadn't happened for various reasons up until now," adding, "There are pictures of trophy-winning teams outside the dressing room. I told Son Heung-min, 'Now it's your turn to join them,' expressing how much he hoped for Son Heung-min's victory.
Additionally, Postecoglou mentioned, "I believed there would be opportunities here. We can build on this. The players want to feel this feeling again. Until you experience winning directly, you can't explain that emotion. Now the players have felt that feeling and will want it again."
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