Son Heung-min celebrates first trophy with manager Postecoglou after decade-long wait

Ten years ago, Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham Hotspur) was brought to tears by the former manager, who has now become an unforgettable benefactor. Ange Postecoglou granted Son his first trophy in life.

Tottenham Hotspur defeated Manchester United 1-0 in the 2024-2025 UEFA Europa League (UEL) final held at Estadio San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain, on the 22nd (Korean time), claiming the championship.

With this victory, Tottenham lifted a trophy for the first time in 17 years since the League Cup in 2008. It has been 41 years since they claimed the title in the UEFA Cup, the predecessor of the tournament, during the 1983-1984 season.

Son, who came on as a substitute in the second half, also achieved his first championship and successfully broke the title drought. It has been 15 years since he made his professional debut in Hamburg, Germany, and he has lifted a major trophy with his team. After 'two failures and three tries,' instead of shedding tears of sadness in the final, he cried tears of joy.

Tottenham has also secured a spot in next season's UEFA Champions League. Despite plummeting to 17th in the Premier League and enduring their worst season, they turned everything around with this UEL victory. Manchester United, placed 16th in the Premier League, shared the same dream but succumbed in a single match worth £100 million (approximately 186 billion won).

Up until now, Son had not had a single trophy. Since starting his professional career in Hamburg in 2010, he has never reached the pinnacle with either his club or the national team. Although he wore a gold medal around his neck at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, it was in a youth national team tournament, not the senior national team.

It was not that there were no opportunities. However, second place was the best result every time. Son and Tottenham finished second in the league behind Chelsea in the 2016-2017 season, and in the 2020-2021 League Cup, they were halted by Manchester City, earning the runner-up spot. They also missed out on the UEFA Champions League (UCL) final in the 2018-2019 season, which was a first in the club's history, failing to overcome Liverpool and losing the trophy right in front of them.

He also swallowed disappointment with the national team. In the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, Son led the South Korean national team to the final but ended up as the runner-up after losing 1-2 to the host country, Australia.

In that match, Son, who started, scored a dramatic equalizer in the 45th minute of the second half while trailing 0-1, pushing the game into extra time. However, James Troisi scored the winning goal in extra time, bringing down South Korea, and the final victors were Australia.

The coach who had commanded the Australian national team and claimed the trophy back then was none other than Postecoglou. After that, he went on to manage Yokohama F. Marinos and Celtic before taking the helm at Tottenham in the summer of 2023, establishing a bond with Son after previously facing him as an opponent.

Postecoglou had not forgotten the final in which Son participated. Right after taking charge at Tottenham, he noted, "First of all, Son (the nickname for Son Heung-min) scored against me in the Asian Cup final, so we have a connection. We were one minute away from winning when he scored. We scored in extra time and won, and I told Son that I had already forgiven him," smiling brightly.

And now, ten years after the Asian Cup, Son and Coach Postecoglou lifted the UEL trophy together as captain and manager. Postecoglou, who confidently exclaimed, "I always win in the second season," surprisingly succeeded in keeping his word.

The global media outlet '433', which covers football news, emphasized their connection, stating, "In 2015, Son Heung-min wept after losing in the Asian Cup final. At that time, Postecoglou, the coach of the Australian national team, comforted him. Now, 10 years later, they have lifted the trophy together."

Postecoglou is well aware of how significant this victory is for Son. He mentioned before the final, "I’m glad Son can play. He has been a major driving force for us this season. He understands better than anyone what a trophy means for this team and for himself."

Additionally, Postecoglou added, "Because Son has had an incredible career that every player would crave aside from the trophy, he knows how important winning is for the club and for himself. So it’s a good thing that he can play again."

Even after achieving victory, Postecoglou revealed his fondness for Son. Through 'TNT Sports', he said, "Tottenham had remarkable players like Harry Kane. But there has never been a moment like this. There are many Tottenham players who have not experienced such a day. I wanted to gift Son this day."

Postecoglou proudly exclaimed, "Over the past ten years, Son has done everything he could. In the corridor outside the locker room, there are photos of championship teams, and I told Son, 'We need you to be one of those.' And now he has become one of them."

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