Son becomes first Asian to be named ‘EPL Team of the Year’

Son Heung-min (29) of the Tottenham Hotspur, who has spent a successful season in the English Premier League, has made the list of “EPL Team of the Year” picked by the Professional Footballers Association. In the “Team of the Year” released by the organization through its social media channels on Saturday, Son has been selected in the striker category.

It is the first time that Son has been named to the “Team of the Year” since his move to England. As the first Asian to be selected, Son scored 17 goals, the most goals an individual player scored during the regular season, with 10 assists while playing in 37 matches in the 2020-2021 EPL season. He tied for fourth overall in both goals and assists in the league. Tottenham ranked seventh in the league, but Son achieved the 10-goal, 10-assist milestone during the two consecutive seasons for the first time in his team, displaying best performance.

Son failed to make the list of candidates for the “Player of the Year.” Nevertheless, it is significant that he has won recognition from his own teammates and players of other teams. His partner Harry Kane, who is the league’s top scorer with 23 goals, and Mohamed Salah (Liverpool FC) were included in the striker category. Manchester City, which were crowned the 2020/21 English Premier League Champions, had six of its players including Kevin De Bruyne in the “Team of the Year.”


Jae-Yeong Yoo elegant@donga.com