Tottenham forward Son Heung-min arrives in Madrid for UCL final

Dubbed the “war of stars,” the final stage of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) is a single round game. Arriving in Madrid, where the brutal battle will take place to decide the ultimate champions of European football, Son Heung-min, the South Korean footballer of the Tottenham Hotspur F.C., was wearing a smile on his face. This is the footage titled “March to Madrid” where Son appeared as he arrived in Madrid, was uploaded on Facebook on Thursday.

The 27-year-old South Korean winger is aiming to make history at the final round of the UCL, which will take place at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday morning (Korean time) against Liverpool. If Son manages to find the net on Sunday, he will become the first South Korean player to score at the UCL final. Park Ji-sung, the legendary midfielder of the Manchester United, made it to the final twice but has no record of scoring on the big stage. If Son, who has scored 20 goals this season, nets two more goals, the scoring record by a Korean in a European league (currently at 21 goals) will be rewritten as well.

Known for their world-class agility, Son Heung-min and Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian forward of Liverpool, usually spearhead the counterattacks of their team. The British Daily Mail reported in February Son’s top speed was 34.3 km/h, the best record from Tottenham. Other records show that Salah, who boasts an explosive speed, is slightly faster than Son. According to Opta Sports, Salah’s top speed reached the mark of 34.9 km/h.

Many experts point to Liverpool as their favorites considering the number of UCL titles and the EPL records this season. But Son Heung-min made it clear that he will face the challenge without any fear. “We’ve gained much confidence when we defeated Manchester City (winners of the EPL this season) in the quarterfinals. And we’ve made it to the finals based on our confidence. Tottenham is a strong team,” said Son in an interview posted on Facebook on Thursday.


Yun-Cheol Jeong trigger@donga.com