Emerson Royal has revealed that Son Heung-min is a huge fan of Brazilian superstar Neymar, even admitting that the South Korean was keen to know whether the Paris Saint-Germain superstar knows of him.
Son is arguably up there with the best left-sided forwards in world football at the moment but according to Emerson, the 29-year-old still looks up to Neymar.
The right-back revealed the South Korean superstar wishes he was Brazilian so that he could play alongside the PSG winger.
Emerson told ESPN: “He (Son) keeps joking and says: ‘Imagine if I were Brazilian? Me, Neymar and I don’t know who else playing’.
“He is a big fan of Neymar and has great affection. He tells me directly about Ney and asks: ‘Does he know me?’ I reply: ‘Hey Son, of course, he knows you, man. Just as you admire him, he can admire you too. You’re a star, you play a lot of ball’.”
Son will get a chance to go up against the player he idolises when South Korea take on Brazil in Seoul today, and the Spurs right-back revealed that he informed Neymar the 29-year-old is a fan.
He added: “I even sent a message to Neymar and asked him to change shirts with Son in the Korea game because he is a big fan.”
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Emerson also waxed lyrical about the former Bayern Leverkusen man’s personality, admitting that the forward made a big attempt to make him feel at home when he arrived at Spurs.
The 23-year-old insisted that Son’s personality was more Brazilian than Korean, and added that every Tottenham player was desperate for him to win the Golden Boot.
Emerson added: “He is an inexplicable figure, he has a giant heart and he is a cheerful guy. I tell him: ‘You’re Brazilian, you’re not Korean’.
“When I arrived at Tottenham, I didn’t speak English and he tried to talk to me in Spanish and Portuguese to make me feel good. In training, he is dedicated, but he is cheerful and plays with everyone.
“We were trying everything we could to get him to score. At the end of the game, the coach was looking to see if Salah was scoring goals. We were saying: ‘Son, you need to score one more goal’.
“Everyone is rooting for his success because he is a spectacular player and a sensational person. This energy he transmitted to the group we transmitted back. He’s a guy who only deserves good things.”
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What sets Son apart from other players is his humility. One could argue that the 29-year-old is up there with the best forwards in the world, alongside Neymar. The South Korean could quite easily score just as many goals in Ligue 1 as the Brazilian superstar does.
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