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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.
“I didn’t think I was going to cry at first but after hearing a few words from my teammates, leaving the club I’ve spent so much time with felt really tough,” he sobbed. “I felt really, really happy playing this match. Thanks to my fans, my teammates and also my opponents, I’ve had an unforgettable day. My career is not over yet, and I want to continue to bring joy. I know I have more things I want to accomplish as a football player.” In his 454 appearances for Spurs, the man they call Son accomplished plenty. He scored 173 goals and provided 101 assists but such metrics don’t come even close to measuring his contribution to the club’s cause. On the pitch a graceful, lightning fast predator with the cold eye of an assassin, Son lifted Tottenham’s first trophy in 16 years last season and at other points during his time in north London, won a Puskás Award and shared a golden boot.
