Son Heung-min finishes the 2019-20 Premier League season

Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min has finished the 2019-20 Premier League, an eventful year where he both set a historic record and suffered a painful injury.

Son played 79 minutes in the final round of Premier League against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park Stadium in London on Sunday local time. The game ended in a 1:1 draw with Son failing to add another attacking point.

Tottenham, which stood at seventh position before Sunday’s match, finished sixth in the league, earning a ticket to next season’s Europa League. Both Tottenham and Wolverhampton ended the season on 59 points but Tottenham got ahead of Wolverhampton on goal difference. (Tottenham +14, Wolverhampton +11).

The South Korean footballer has emerged as a star player of the Premier League beyond the team’s ace by reaching 30 points of attack this season (18 goals and 12 assists). Son is currently valued at 57.6 million pounds, which is 14th among Premier League players, according to Transfermarkt.

Son has written a history not only in his home country but also in the U.K., the birthplace of modern soccer. In November 2019, Son became an all-time South Korean scoring leader with 134 goals in Europe by netting two goals against Crvena Zvezda in the UEFA Champions League, breaking a record previously set by former South Korean football star Cha Bum-kun (121 goals). A month later, Son’s sensational solo goal against Burnley, where he dribbled 73 meters past eight defenders, was voted Best Premier League Goal of All Time by Sky Sports voters.


Yun-Cheol Jeong trigger@donga.com