Tottenham Hotspur forward Heung-min Son has shed new light on an underwhelming 2022/23 Premier League campaign.
Only a year after hoisting the Golden Boot award, he endured his least prolific season in north London but refused to break his silence until now despite facing constant criticism.
Son spent most of last season playing in pain as he kept his injury hidden from the public, gritted his teeth and continued to perform despite desperately needing hernia surgery.
He finally underwent surgery last month. But after being subjected to heavy scrutiny in 2022/23, the 31-year-old felt obliged to offer his truth to those who care to listen.
“The whole season in pain,” Son said, as quoted by the Daily Mail.
“In normal life, it felt fine, but on the pitch, I was in pain for every single moment, literally. Every action, turning, passing, kicking, everything,”
“Probably people are thinking why didn’t I do the surgery as early as possible, but for me, it felt like every single moment was a difficult moment for the club during the season.
“I didn’t want to let the people down, players, staff, fans.
“I take the responsibility whether I played good or bad, with pain or not. One thing was clear. I didn’t want to let people down by going away in a tough moment because of the pain.”
Son’s injury-troubled campaign was probably one of the main reasons behind Tottenham’s woeful eighth-place finish in the Premier League, as they missed out on European qualification for the first time since 2010.
Tormented by a niggling fitness problem, the former Leverkusen man could only net ten league goals last season compared to his Golden Boot-winning tally of 23 in the previous campaign.
Hopefully, it’s all behind Son now, especially because Tottenham may need him at his best more than ever to become genuine European contenders in England’s top flight again.
Free of the excruciating pain that derailed his performances last term, Son is now looking to revive his career under his fifth permanent Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou.
