Tottenham captain Son Heung-min burst into tears during a press conference as he announced that he would be leaving the club this summer. The South Korean forward is reportedly in advanced talks with MLS side Los Angeles FC and said that he “felt like I had achieved everything I possibly could” after their Europa League win over Manchester United last season.
The 33-year-old made his Spurs debut in 2015 and went on to make 333 Premier League appearances, scoring 127 times as the league’s 16th all-time top scorer. He became the first Asian player to win the Golden Boot, sharing the award with Mohamed Salah in 2022/23.
After 10 years in north London, Son halted the media briefing before it got underway to share: “Before we start the press conference, I wanted to say I have decided to leave the club this summer. Respectfully the club is helping me with this decision.
“It was the most difficult decision I have made in my career. Such amazing memories. It was so hard to make the decision. I need a new environment to push myself. I need a little bit of change – 10 years is a long time. I came to north London as a kid, 23 years old, such a young age. I leave this club as a grown man, a very proud man.
“I want to say thank you to all the Spurs fans for giving me so much love. I hope the goodbye is also good timing and this is the right time to make that decision. I hope everyone can accept that and respect that.”
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Asked for his reaction to the decision, new head coach Thomas Frank added: “For me, personally, I would have loved to have worked with this fantastic person and player.
“He is a true Spurs legend in every aspect, one of the greatest players to play in the Premier League. It is never easy to find the perfect timing and me coming in from the side, it makes it a bit easier to end on a high.”
Son is set to start and captain Spurs in their pre-season friendly with Newcastle on Sunday in Seoul, which could be his final appearance for the club before leaving for a new challenge in the United States.
“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.”
Son described his announcement as “the most difficult one I have made in my career” as he spoke to media.
He then added: “I came to north London as a kid – a very young age, a young boy came to London who even didn’t speak English. Leaving this club as a grown man is a very, very proud moment.”