KOREA UP EARLY TO SEE SON RISE

SHORTLY before 4am on Sunday, the South Korean nation will rise and turn on their television sets. The Champions League final between Tottenham and Liverpool has global reach and nobody epitomises the breadth of interest like Son Heung-min. Robbie Kruse, his former teammate at Bayer Leverkusen, remembers how more than 30,000 supporters descended upon a shopping mall in Seoul to see Son during a pre-season tour. ‘It was like being with a rock star,’ Kruse said. By modern metrics Son is the most popular sporting star of the Far East, with 2.6million Instagram followers compared to 900,000 for Japan’s two-time tennis Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka. When he returns home, he wears a disguise of sunglasses and a cap to stop fans becoming injured in an ensuing mob. On Saturday evening in Madrid, he will break new ground as only the second South Korean to play in a Champions League final. ‘Everyone is going to watch the game so I’m really, really excited to play,’ he said. ‘It’s a late kickoff time, or rather an early time in the morning back at home. ‘It’s not that easy. I did it a few times when I was a child. You go to sleep early and you wake up at four o’clock or whatever. Some people have to go to work. That’s why I always give 100 per cent.’ Growing up, Son watched with awe as compatriot Park Ji-sung reached four Champions League semi-finals and two finals during a career with PSV Eindhoven and Manchester United. Son said: ‘This was so big in South Korea. Of course I was dreaming about doing the same. Park was unbelievable. ‘I respect players who started playing in Europe because they opened the door and gave us the opportunity. Now I want to give a good image of South Korean players and open the door even wider.’