Commentary: South Korea’s Son Heung-min shows Asians can be top footballers

LONDON: On Monday (May 23), South Korean footballer Son Heung-min scored two fine goals and entered the history books.

The Tottenham Hotspur star became the first Asian to earn the English Premier League’s Golden Boot, the prize given to the player who scored the most goals that season. His 23 goals were matched only by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, who has won the prize twice before, but football fans will be quick to point out a subtle difference between the two.

All of Son’s goals came from open play. The Egyptian scored five times from the penalty spot – no less valued to the scoreline but generally considered to be easier. Put in this perspective, Son’s achievement is truly impressive.

It isn’t the first time Son has made waves. Back in 2015, he joined Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen in Germany for a record transfer fee paid for an Asian player, of about £22 million (S$38 million).

Since then, he has gone from strength to strength. Son has scored at least 18 goals in each of the last six seasons, across all competitions, including cups.

And he looks set to make history again. Son needs to score just seven more times to reach 100 Premier League goals and join an elite club of 33 players in the league’s history. which includes legends like Alan Shearer and Ryan Giggs. He would also become the first Asian player to achieve this.

Could Son Heung-min be the best Asian footballer ever? Many seem to think so.

I met Son in London in May to hand him the “Best Footballer in Asia” award on behalf of Chinese media company Titan Sports, an award decided by journalists all over Asia. It was the seventh time he had received the trophy since its inception in 2013, but still, he called the honour something he had “always dreamt of”.

Son was