“Son Heung-min is the only symbol who has directly brought a trophy to Tottenham.”
Tottenham defeated Manchester United 1-0 in the 2024-2025 UEFA Europa League final held at San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain, on the 22nd (Korean time). After taking the lead with an own goal from the opponent in the 42nd minute of the first half, they held on to the lead to claim the top spot in the European competition.
This victory was also a significant moment in Tottenham's club history. After 17 years without a trophy since the 2007-2008 League Cup, Tottenham ended a long drought and recorded their third EUFA Europa League title (1971-72, 1983-84, 2024-25) on the European stage. At the same time, they secured qualification for the UEFA Champions League for the next season.
The match held special significance for Son Heung-min as well. He started his professional career at Hamburg SV in Germany in 2010 and joined Tottenham in 2015 after passing through Bayer Leverkusen, consistently performing as a key striker for the team. However, he has faced numerous near-misses on major stages, finishing as runner-up in the Premier League (2016-2017), UCL (2018-2019), and League Cup (2020-2021). Despite many challenges, the last step always eluded him.
His only title was the gold medal from the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang. This Europa League victory is the first trophy Son Heung-min has lifted in his club career and he became the second Korean player to win in this competition, including the UEFA Cup era. Former coach Cha Bum-kun previously won the UEFA Cup with Frankfurt in 1980 and 1988.
Before the final, there was significant interest regarding Son Heung-min's participation. Recovering from a recent foot injury, he checked his condition in the matches against Crystal Palace and Aston Villa but ultimately, coach Ange Postecoglou decided to exclude Son Heung-min from the starting lineup and keep him on the bench.
In recent years, Tottenham has been continuing a mural project to honor the club's heroes. There is a strong public sentiment that it is Son Heung-min's turn after the defensive symbol Ledley King and the club's all-time top scorer Harry Kane. Local fan communities and media have been vociferously calling for his face to be engraved on the club's exterior, stating, “Son Heung-min is the only symbol who has directly brought a trophy to Tottenham.”
SpursWeb evaluated, "Those who stayed without leaving Tottenham ultimately lifted the trophy. Son Heung-min has redefined the meaning of a legend."
They added, “Bale was not on the roster for the League Cup final, Kane left without any title, and Modric similarly departed after a period without a trophy. Unlike them, Son Heung-min stayed and engraved his name in history. He is the true icon of Tottenham.”
Riyad Al-Samarrai, a columnist for the Daily Mail, also described Son Heung-min's victory as “a moment of peace.”
He noted, “Son Heung-min has always dedicated himself to the team. Now, he has finally achieved peace for himself.”
Son Heung-min once confessed that "the loss in the UCL final against Liverpool was a pain for me," but that sentiment was changed through this day.
Son Heung-min lifted the Europa League trophy before he lifted the UCL or Premier League trophies. However, the weight of this trophy does not pale in comparison to any big title. He did not leave and finally reached the top with the team.
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