Tottenham Hotspur player Son Heung-min has revealed he has been through racism as a teenager while playing football in Germany. However, he had his fair share of revenge when South Korea knocked the German side out of the 2018 World Cup.
The 29 year old became the first Asian footballer to win the Golden Boot being the joint top scorer in the EPL (English Premier League) with 23 goals last season with Liverpool star Mohammed Salah also scoring the same number.
“I moved to Germany when I was young, and went through so many really difficult, unimaginable moments,” said Son, who left Hamburg in 2013 for Bayer Leverkusen.
However, Son said his most memorable moment was his nations 2 – 0 win over Germany four years ago, because of the racism he has faced.
“I faced a lot of racism. And while going through such a really difficult time, I had a lot of thoughts on my mind I should get my revenge one day.” the South Korean star added while opening out in public for the first time.
The player also faced racism during his Premier League stint with Spurs in England from 2015. In 2021, eight people suspected of tweeting racist abuse at Son were arrested at addresses across England and Wales.
“When people cry, I’d want to comfort them and give them a hug. But watching German people cry, I was able to take revenge by doing something I like” said Son on their victory over Germany at the World Cup in 2018.
