Tottenham Hotspur have secured Son Heung-min’s debut for the club.

Tottenham shared a photo of Son Heung-min on social media on Wednesday (June 13) with the caption, “Today in 2015. Son Heung-min makes his Premier League (PL) debut,” and shared a video of Son making his debut against Sunderland in the fifth round of the 2015-16 PL season. It was the rising star’s official debut in the PL after growing up in Hamburg, Germany, and leaving Leverkusen.

Under Mauricio Pochettino, Tottenham spent €30 million (approximately KRW 42.8 billion) to acquire Son. Not only that, but they also gave him the ace shirt number 7. Son made his PL debut at the age of 23 years, 2 months, and 5 days.

Eight years later. Son Heung-min has become a captain. After the departure of Desk Line and captain Hugo Llorez, who led Tottenham’s golden era. “Son Heung-min has been appointed captain of Tottenham Hotspur. He takes over from Yoris, who has been captain since the 2014-15 season. James Maddison and Christian Romero have been named vice-captains,” the club announced.

Son said: “It’s a great honor to captain such a big club. It’s a very proud moment. I told the players that everyone should act like a captain on and off the field. It’s a new season and a new start. I will give everything for this jersey and armband.”

“Sonny (Son Heung-min) has great leadership on and off the field and is the ideal choice as our new captain,” said head coach Enze Postecoglu. We all know him as a world-class player and he has tremendous respect from everyone in the dressing room. He transcends the group. It’s not just about popularity. It’s what he achieves on the pitch.”

The groups that Postecoglou mentions can be interpreted as friendships within the squad. Normally, they are divided by criteria such as age, origin, nationality, language, race, etc. Sometimes, rumors of cliques within a squad can be quite damaging.

Son Heung-min transcends all of the aforementioned criteria. One of the most notable is the “WKM” (Wales Korea Mafia) he formed with Ben Davies, Joe Roden, and Gareth Bale. The image of Son Heung-min hanging out with the Welshmen during Bale’s loan spell at Tottenham was hilarious. They were so close that they even had a group chat room.

The same goes for their careers. During pre-season, photos were shared of Romero and Emerson Royal. Emerson, who has been by Son’s side since joining the club, commented on the photo, “Mis hermanos” (My brothers). Maddison, who joined the team this summer, also shared a photo with Son, calling them Maddison+Son.

Young prospects. At the end of the final match against Leeds United in the 38th round of the EPL in the 2022-23 season. “The moment Son Heung-min showed class with his Tottenham teammate,” the UK’s Football London wrote, “Son Heung-min showed once again how popular he is at Tottenham. He always has a smile on his face and welcomes and encourages all the academy players. He can often be seen sitting at the entrance to the training ground high-fiving the youth.”

“Fans will have seen the special moment between Son and the youth players at the end of the game against Leeds. It featured Matthew Craig, who was making his debut for acting manager Ryan Mason. As the Tottenham players thanked the fans, Son walked over to Craig and gave him a deep hug. “I can feel the desire to take care of the youngsters,” he praised.

In this way, Son Heung-min’s leadership spans all groups in the squad. He’s a moral compass that everyone feels comfortable approaching and leaning on. It’s not just because he’s been at Tottenham for a long time and in a good position. It’s because of his dedication on and off the field.

This is something that Postecoglou appreciates. It”s not a decision based on popularity alone. Tottenham have been in the doldrums for a long time, and their winning mentality has diminished. Last season, Antonio Conte also criticized the team”s mentality. The captain, Son Heung-min, has been given the armband with the responsibility of fixing that.

And so the new season began. From the opening game against Brentford, captain Son Heung-min was special. Before kickoff, Spurs gathered in front of the Tottenham fans, led by Heung-min. Maddison, who assists Son as vice-captain, said, “Sonny sent a message that he had an idea. The idea was to go to the stands instead of the center of the pitch. I think he was happy to show that we were all together. I think the fans would have appreciated that.”

Tottenham went on to beat powerhouse Manchester United in the second round and Bournemouth in the third. They were knocked out of the English Football League Cup (EFL Cup) by Fulham, but bounced back behind the brilliance of Son Heung-min. Scored a hat trick against Burnley in the fourth round. He scored the equalizer and first goal in the 16th minute of the first half, the wedge and multi-goaler in the 9th minute of the second half, and culminated with the hat trick in the 21st minute of the second half. The captain has stepped up as a striker in the absence of Heung-min.

“It’s not easy to score a hat-trick in the EPL,” said Son Heung-min. That’s why it’s a really special moment. I’m really happy to get the three points against a difficult Burnley team. We conceded after 10 minutes, but our response was fantastic. Everyone is moving in the right direction. We are creating space, which seems like a lot. I’m the captain, but I have great players around me. They give me a lot of work, so it’s easy,” he said, basking in his victory 바카라.

“Playing in the EPL is a lot of pressure. But players sometimes forget how important it is to be happy and enjoy playing soccer. I try to lead by example, smile and feel responsible on and off the field. We have to keep going and try to improve,” he said in an interview that will hopefully inspire his teammates.

The youngster who burst onto the scene at White Hart Lane (Tottenham’s former home) eight years ago is now the captain of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Fans responded to the post by liking it to celebrate Son’s debut. “Best captain Sonny,” “Sonaldo (Son+Ronaldo),” and “Now a hero of the club, country, Asia, and the world,” they wrote in congratulatory messages. Son is expected to return to Tottenham after completing an A-League match with the South Korean national team.