"Son Heungmin, stop!" There's not a lot of opposition, but...Son Heung-min is likely to start the Europa final → "If you win, you will be Tottenham's best player."
"Son Heungmin, stop!" There's not a lot of opposition, but...Son Heung-min is likely to start the Europa final → "If you win, you will be Tottenham's best player."
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English Premier League Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min successfully returned after a long absence to check his physical condition for the UEFA Europa League final.
Despite an injury hiatus of about a month, he demonstrated his unique agility and activity, demonstrating his strong will to win the championship, saying, "I'm in good shape."
Of course, there are not a few objections to whether Son Heung-min should be a starter unconditionally, but coach Anji Postecoglou's trust is strong.
Son Heung-min started against Aston Villa in the 37th round of the Premier League in the 2024-2025 season at Birmingham Villa Park in England on the 17th (Korea Standard Time) and spent 74 minutes on the ground.
This was his first start since the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt on April 10. He was replaced by a foot injury at the time, but he has not played officially for a month since then, and his only return was to play as a substitute for about 30 minutes against Crystal Palace in early May.
This Villa match was an important opportunity for Son Heung-min to start ahead of the Europa League final and check his sense of play.
In fact, he showed his presence with sharp breakthroughs and effective shots from the first half. Although he did not score an attack point, he proved his recovery by playing 74 minutes without physical difficulty.
Tottenham manager Anji Postecoglou gave a positive review of Son's return after the match.
"It was very important for Son Heung-min to regain his sense of play by playing 70 to 75 minutes today," he said. "I've created a few sharp scenes, and I think I'm gradually regaining my rhythm."
"Even in the second half of the season, when his performance was poor, he showed a posture to play with pain," he said, adding, "It is very good news for our team to play almost full-time like today."
Son Heung-min also expressed confidence ahead of the final in an interview with Tottenham's official channel shortly after the game.
Appearing on Tottenham's official review show, he said, "I'm in good shape and ready. I was a little tired because it was my return match, but I'm satisfied that I was able to secure time for the game. I played for about 30 minutes against Crystal Palace last week, and this time I played for more than 70 minutes. I feel like I'm getting more and more involved in the game."
He continued, "The Europa League final is a very important game for all of us. Now is the time for all the players to regain their stamina and play at their best. I will also thoroughly prepare for the day," he said, expressing his strong determination.
Finally, Son Heung-min said, "I am really proud of the moment when the players worked together to reach the final. However, it is not over yet. We have the most important task ahead of us, and we have the belief that we can pull it off."
In particular, Son considers the Europa League final the most important moment of his life. Entering his 10th year in the Tottenham uniform, Son has played in 453 matches and recorded 70 matches in the European tournament.
However, he has yet to win the European Champions League trophy. Having suffered pain after losing to Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final, he expressed his ambition, saying, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Coach Postecoglou also paid attention to the positive effects of Son Heung-min's participation in the finals on the team.
"He is the leader of the team. We have lost key resources such as James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergbal to injury in recent weeks. Under such circumstances, his return greatly contributes to both tactical and mental aspects," he said.
He also stressed Son's presence, saying, "In recent games, our average age was 3-4 years younger than the opponent. The presence of experienced players is more important."
In fact, Son Heung-min is expected to play in the Europa League final.
Although Son Heung-min has performed poorly this season, most say that his participation in the finals is natural considering his continued contribution to offense in recent seasons.
He has led his team to the Champions League final even though Harry Kane was out due to injury in the past, and the experience is expected to be a great asset in this final.
Tottenham newsletter SpursWeb said in a report on the 17th, "Son Heung-min can establish himself as a 'legendary presence of Tottenham' through this final."
"Son Heung-min is already considered one of the greatest players in club history, but if he lifts the trophy as a captain, he will remain the best player for Tottenham in the Premier League era," the media said.
In the expected starting lineup released by the media, Son Heung-min was naturally deployed as a left wing forward.
The media expected Son Heung-min to start the Europa League and explained, "After returning from the injury, I played 30 minutes and 74 minutes to prepare for the final."
Meanwhile, Tottenham has been sluggish in the Premier League this season and is currently 17th in the league. Although it has already succeeded in escaping the relegation zone, it has recorded the most league losses (21 losses) in the club's history, which is considered a de facto failure of the season.
As a result, the Europa League final is expected to be the only opportunity to restore the honor of the entire team and a stage for Postecoglou to prove his leadership. 토토사이트
The final match will be held at 4 a.m. on the 22nd in San Mames, Bilbao, Spain. The opponent is Manchester United, and the situation is similar because both teams have poor league performance.
However, it is Tottenham's first major trophy challenge in about 17 years since the 2008 League Cup, and Son Heung-min has a golden opportunity to lift his first European trophy as a captain.
Son Heung-min and Tottenham's final run to the Europa League trophy is now just one game away.