Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min has announced he will leave the club this summer, after a decade of dazzling North London.
The 33-year-old South Korean forward, who joined Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, departs with a legacy of 173 goals in 454 appearances.
I came to north London as a kid… a young boy who didn’t even speak English, Son said on Saturday, speaking alongside new Spurs boss Thomas Frank. “Leaving this club as a grown man is a very, very proud moment.
Son’s exit comes just two months after captaining Tottenham to their first trophy in 17 years, a Europa League final victory over Manchester United in May. The moment was widely seen as the perfect bookend to a career marked by loyalty, consistency and flair.
Though under contract until 2026, Son is now in advanced talks to join Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC. Should the deal go through in the coming days, Sunday’s friendly against Newcastle in Seoul, his hometown, will serve as a storybook farewell on home soil.
If that is the last game for Sonny, what a place to do it here in front of his home fans, Frank said. It could be a beautiful ending.
But Tottenham also face Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup on August 13, a fixture that could yet complicate the timeline.
I need a new environment to push myself
Explaining the emotional decision to leave, Son admitted it was the toughest call of his career.
I need a new environment to push myself. I need a little bit of change 10 years is a long time, he said. Winning a title with Spurs in Europe felt like I had achieved everything I possibly could.
And he’s not wrong.
Since his debut in September 2015, Son has lit up the Premier League, scoring 127 goals in 333 league appearances, tying Chelsea legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and ranking above the likes of Gerrard, Yorke and Ian Wright on the all-time chart.
He also recorded 101 assists across all competitions, including a club-record 71 in the league. Only five players in Spurs history have played more games than Son.
