Madrid: Son Heung-min is set to play in the most important club match of his career when Tottenham Hotspur take on Liverpool in Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final, and the Korea Republic icon has revealed that the legendary Park Ji-sung was the source of his inspiration.
In his fourth season with the Spurs, Son has put out an incredible performance over the past six months, from competing with the Taeguk Warriors in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 in January, to scoring vital goals for his club en route to the UEFA Champions League final.
Son vividly remembers Manchester United legend Park playing in the 2009 UEFA Champions League final, where the English club lost 2-0 to Barcelona.
Now, 10 years later, Son has helped make club history by helping Spurs to their first UEFA Champions League final, and while his focus is on winning the trophy, the 26-year-old wants to also give a good impression of a Korea Republic footballer.
“I got up and watched because Park was playing for United and he was playing in the final as well. This was so big in Korea Republic," said Son to English media.
“He was unbelievable,” said Son of Park. “I respect him. I respect the players who started playing in Europe because they opened the door and gave us the opportunity to play in Europe. This was what I wanted to do – to play in Europe.
“And now I want to give a good image of Korea Republic players and open the door even wider than it was a few years ago.
“This is my target. This is what I’m aiming for. Of course it’s not that easy. I try to be like him (Park) because he did an unbelievable job for us and for our country and that’s why I respect him so much.”