‘SORRY TO BE LEAVING MY TEAMMATES’
Son apologises to Tottenham for giving preference to Asian Games in a bid to avoid national service
SON Heung-min has apologised for his forthcoming Tottenham absence as he attempts to win at the Asian Games with South Korea — and avoid national service in the process.
The 26-year-old will be available for Spurs' first game of the season at Newcastle but will then jet off to Indonesia to play for his country.
In the Asian Games, South Korea are drawn in the same group with Malaysia, UAE, Kyrgyzstan and Bahrain.
South Korean law dictates that all males must be called up for military service before the age of 28. However, exemptions are made for high-profile sports stars who achieve success for the nation.
A gold medal at the tournament is likely to ensure that Son, who signed a contract until 2023 earlier this summer, would not need to serve.
It is a tricky situation for which the diplomatic player, who faces missing three top-flight matches, is apologetic.
“I feel sorry because Tottenham is my team and I feel very sorry to be leaving my teammates,” he said. “I am playing for my country and that is also important, but honestly I feel very sorry about that. That is what I feel.”
Son, who joined Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, has often been reluctant to speak about the looming issue of National Service, and, speaking from the club’s US tour, that trend continued.
“We can talk about this afterwards,” he said. “We haven’t won it already. We are going there to win something and winning trophies for my country is always good. I don’t travel there for nothing.”
Son, who played in 43 of Tottenham’s 45 games last term, has scored 47 goals for the club, making him the highest-scoring Asian player in Premier League history.
He returned for pre-season camp after a disappointing World Cup with South Korea.
“It was disappointing but we finished well against Germany,” he said. “Our country was happy because they were No 1 in the FIFA rankings and the defending World Cup champions.
“For me the tournament was disappointing because I always expect more than the group stage. I wanted to stay longer than we did. But it was a good experience to play at the World Cup and I look forward to playing in another in four years.”
Son is looking forward to reuniting with Harry Kane — and believes the England man can continue to excel.
“Harry Kane is one of the best strikers in the world,” he said. “That is why he has won the Golden Boot twice in the Premier League and once at his first World Cup.”