Son Hits 100 Premier League Goals

On April 8, in a game against Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. on Matchday 30, Tottenham Hotspur F.C.(Spurs) winger Son Heung-Min became the first South Korean player to score 100 career premier league goals. Son became the 34th member of the English Premier League’s “hundred club”, putting his name in the same breath as the most decorated players in history.

Son’s career in the Premier League has cemented his reputation as the greatest South Korean player of all time. After his €15 million transfer from Bayer 04 Leverkusen in 2015, Son has consistently scored double-digit goals in all competitions for Tottenham, with the 2019-20 season being a landmark year where Son took his game to new heights and emerged as one of the greatest wingers in the world. That same year Son won the Puskas award—the award for the best goal in a given season—with an impressive solo goal against Burnley F.C.; dribbling 73 meters before scoring. 

In the 2020-21 season, Son scored four goals against Southampton F.C. within 73 minutes, breaking down the defense with his speed and clinical finishing ability. According to transfermarket.com, Son was the fourth most valuable left winger in the world with a value of  €90 million in December 2020. Lastly, in the 2021-22 season, Son became the first South Korean player to win the Premier League’s Golden Boot, with a single season career-high 23 goals. 

This season, however, the South Korean International has struggled, scoring only eight league goals so far. This is a far cry from his six successive seasons with double digits in the league. The 2022-23 season began with Son’s longest goal drought in recent years. Many have criticized Son’s performance this season, with some forums mentioning Son’s age and his conflict with teammate Ivan Perisic as reasons for his lackluster play this season. In his recent interviews, Son has expressed his frustration claiming not to be the perfect player and needing to "look at [his] weaknesses."

Yet that bitterness seemingly vanished into thin air when Son hit the century mark with a 10th-minute outside-of-the-box strike. The match ended 2-1 after Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane struck a 79-minute game-winner to put Tottenham in fifth place in the table with 53 points.  With only two wins in their last six games, the 3 points they gained on Matchday 30 helped Spurs in the race for qualification into next year’s Champions League. Son was nominated for the Man of the Match award, with many critics having noted Son’s revitalized form and praising his presence on the pitch. To Son, scoring his 100th goal was an emotional accomplishment as he dedicated the goal to his grandfather who passed away early in April. 

Son also mentioned his hopes to inspire young Asian talents around the world. While a bias towards European players means Asian players’ transfer values are often lower than that of European talents, Son’s accomplishments have broken thresholds for Asian players. Son said, “It’s a good thing for Asia and me to take a big responsibility to be a good example to help the young guys. I want them to believe an Asian player can do amazing things in the Premier League.” 

Son’s form continued into Matchday 31 against Bournemouth, as he gave Spurs a 14th-minute lead. But Tottenham failed to seize fourth place from Manchester United after continuous mistakes made on the back line led to a 3-2 loss against their relegation-threatened opponents. While Son’s individual performance seemed to shine in the past two games, Tottenham is still under severe fragility; There have been continuous rumors of Tottenham’s all-time top goal scorer Harry Kane joining other English sides such as Manchester United or Manchester City, and the defense still requires reinforcement despite years worth of searching. 

Despite his exceptional performance for the club, Son’s future with Tottenham is in doubt. The Korean International is in desperate need of a trophy and is on the wrong side of 30. Many analysts have claimed that Son’s prime years have ended, citing this season as evidence. Son’s current contract with Tottenham is set until 2025, and the player currently values at €60 million according to transfermarket.com. For such a legendary player, it is imperative that Son continues to chase for trophies, even if that chase happens at a different club.