‘I just couldn’t risk infecting other players’

TOTTENHAM star Heung-min Son felt a responsibility to his fellow professionals to get himself doublevaccinated against coronavirus.

While 81 percent of Premier League players received one dose of the vaccine, according to the last set of figures released by the top flight in October, only 68 per cent took up a second dose.

And the alarming rise in positive cases among players in the past fortnight is thought in no small part to be a result of the large number of antivaxxers in dressing rooms.

Infect

Son said: “I’ve vaccinated twice. To be honest, I felt I needed it because I didn’t want to infect other players or other people if I had Covid.

“It doesn’t mean that if I get vaccinated I won’t get Covid but the percentages would be a bit lower, so I don’t want to infect other people.

“Also, the rules and the travelling – because I’m not only here in England, I travel to the national team – that is why it was the best option to have it. I have not regretted having it and was happy to have my second vaccination.”

In South Korea, Son’s homeland, vaccination take-up has been high, with 81 percent of the eligible population having received both doses, according to researchers at Our World in Data.

Son added: “It is a personal issue and I respect any decision they make because it is personal.

“In South Korea, they had a lot of people vaccinated but also some people didn’t want it.

“But we should listen to how they feel because if we don’t talk we don’t get any answers.

“We should respect any personal issue and people’s minds over the decision.”