(Xportsnews Incheon Airport, Kim Jung-hyun) Son Heung-min, 30, who arrived in South Korea in the summer of 2022 with the shiny Golden Boot (Premier League goalscorer’s trophy), returned home empty-handed this year.
Son Heung-min returned to South Korea through Incheon International Airport at 4:30 p.m. on the 30th.
Son Heung-min wore a Burberry checked polo shirt and a clean airport look. He waved to his fans as he slowly entered the airport.
More than 200 people, including fans, gathered at the arrival hall to welcome him home.
The crowd was still there, but instead of the Premier League top scorer’s trophy that made his arrival so special last season, Heung-min arrived empty-handed.
Unlike the 2021/22 season, when he became the first Asian to win the Premier League’s top scorer award with 23 Premier League goals, Son had a disappointing 2022/23 season.
He fell into a goal-less slump in the first eight games of the season, before finally scoring his first league goal with a hat-trick in the ninth round against Leicester City.
Under Antonio Conte, Son has primarily played as a left-sided attacking midfielder, spending more time defending than attacking.
Add to that the orbital fracture he suffered in 스포츠토토 the final UEFA Champions League group stage match against Marseille last November, just before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and he had to undergo surgery. He went scoreless at the World Cup.
Son was given a change of scenery when Conte was sacked after the Southampton game on March 18. After scoring just six goals in about eight months, Son returned to form with four goals in two months.
In the process, he scored 10 league goals, marking his seventh consecutive season of double-digit Premier League goals.
He also became a Premier League legend during the season, becoming the first Asian player to reach the 100-goal mark in the Premier League and the 16th of his career.
After an eventful season, Son will take a break and join the Paju National Training Center (NFC) on June 12 to prepare for the June A match.
Jürgen Klinsmann’s men’s national team will face Peru on June 16 at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium and El Salvador on June 20 at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium.