Heung-min Son has opened up on his decision to leave Tottenham in the summer and has explained why he did not join another Premier League club.
The South Korean called time on his decade-long stay at Tottenham in the summer and decided to sign for LAFC in the MLS.
Son got a rousing reception at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when he returned to North London last week for the first time since departing the club.
The 33-year-old’s legacy at Spurs has been honoured with a mural on the Tottenham High Road, and there is no doubt that he will be associated with the Lilywhites for life.
Heung-min Son never considered playing for another Premier League club apart from Tottenham
The forward has now admitted to the club’s media that calling time on his career at N17 was a very difficult decision.
Son confessed that playing for another Premier League club apart from Spurs was never an option for him.
He said on the SpursPlay documentary: “It was very hard to leave this club, because I love the club, but, in the end, I was thinking, if I stay, that will not be good, either for the club or from my point of view.”
“I definitely don’t want to go to another Premier League team, because I respect the club so much. I never want to face Spurs again. I’m only going to play for Spurs, I’m not going to play against Spurs.”
Son left Spurs at the right time
The infamous line from the movie Dark Knight: ‘You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain’ is extremely applicable to top-level sport.
We have seen recently in the case of Mohamed Salah and Liverpool that players often outstay their peak and see a section of the fan base turning against them.
One’s legendary status at a club is not just defined by what they achieve but also by leaving at the right time.
Even while deciding on the timing of his exit, Son showed that he is the ultimate team man by putting the needs of the club above his own individual career, and for that reason, he will arguably go down as Tottenham’s biggest modern-day legend.