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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Barry Glendenning

Tears for Mr Tottenham as Son and his trademark smile head for pastures new

Son Heung-min
Son’s up. Photograph: Ahn Young-joon/AP

CHEERS, SON’S CRYING

Due in no small part to their peerless work in the field of curing the ills of struggling and out-of-sorts opponents in need of a fillip, few Spurs fans would be sorry to see the back of Dr Tottenham if he ever decides to leave their club. But on Sunday in Seoul, during a pre-season friendly between the Bigger Vase champions and Newcastle, there was scarcely a dry eye in the house as Tottenham and their South Korean supporters’ branch bade an emotional farewell to a player who, over the past decade, has to all intents and purposes become Mr Tottenham. Substituted after 65 minutes of the 1-1 draw, an emotional Son Heung-min received warm hugs and a guard of honour from both his teammates and the players of Newcastle before retiring to the substitutes’ bench for a little weep. After 10 years of service, one of the most popular, high-performance and low-maintenance players to ever grace the Premier League is off to ply his trade in MLS with LAFC and an English football landscape so often synonymous with spittle-flecked and snarling rage will be considerably poorer for the absence of his trademark beatific beam.

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