Son Heung-min bids farewell to Tottenham in Seoul friendly against Newcastle

Son Heung-min produced an emotional farewell as he made his final appearance for Tottenham Hotspur in a 1-1 friendly draw with Newcastle United at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

The 31-year-old handed over the captain's armband to Ben Davies and was honoured by teammates and opponents before leaving the field in the 65th minute, visibly moved while bowing to the stands.

Key moments in Seoul friendly

Brennan Johnson opened the scoring in the fourth minute and celebrated by mimicking Son's trademark photo gesture. Harvey Barnes levelled before half-time, beating goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky at his near post. Midfielder James Maddison was carried off on a stretcher early in the second half, raising concerns for new manager Thomas Frank.

Legacy at Tottenham

Since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 for a then-record £22m, Son has scored 173 goals and provided 101 assists in 454 appearances. His 127 Premier League strikes rank joint 16th all-time, while his 71 assists remain a club record. In 2021-22, he became the first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot.

Spurs won 42% of league games he started last season, compared to just 7% without him, highlighting his impact on the team’s performance.

Next steps

Son is in advanced talks with Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC. Spurs will face Bayern Munich on Thursday and contest the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain next week.

Son Heung-min’s emotional farewell in Seoul marks the end of a decade-defining chapter at Spurs, leaving a legacy of record-breaking goals and assists as he prepares for a new challenge in MLS.

This topic was reported by BBC Sport.

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