The 25-year-old South Korean arrived from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 and has become an integral member of Mauricio Pochettino’s team. His 14 goals and six assists helped the Lilywhites secure second place in the Premier League last time out – the club’s highest league finish since 1962/63.
In your dreams you can do what you want. In Korea, they say that you should dream bigger than big. All football players want to win awards like the Ballon d’Or, and that is one of my dreams
Son has had a hand in 12 more goals this campaign to keep Tottenham in contention for Champions League qualification. And having already been crowned king of FFT’s 50 Best Asian Players (in 2015), the Chuncheon-born attacker reveals that he’s got one eye on winning the game’s greatest individual honour.
Speaking exclusively in the March 2018 issue of FFT, he says: “In your dreams you can do what you want. In Korea, they say that you should dream bigger than big. All football players want to win awards like the Ballon d’Or, and that is one of my dreams.”
Having coasted through a Champions League group featuring holders Real Madrid and former winners Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham will take on another behemoth, Juventus, in the last 16. With a World Cup finals on the horizon too, Son says 2018 could be his biggest year yet.
“The next 12 months are maybe the most important of my career so far,” he says. “I enjoy it here at Tottenham and I already have so many memories. I want to get better and better and better.
“That’s why I keep working hard in training. The gaffer and the team have helped me to go maybe one or two steps further than before, and I’m so thankful for that. I’m confident I can play better.
The next 12 months are maybe the most important of my career so far. I want to get better
“It’s the same with the World Cup – we want to do better. We have a tough group [South Korea will face Germany, Sweden and Mexico], but every group is tough. I think we’re the weakest team, so if we want to get to the second round, we need to be fitter and better prepared than the other teams. It’s important to finish the season well with Spurs and be high on confidence.”
READ THIS NEXT Son: "I'm too scared to try a special handshake with Pochettino. I just say, 'Hello!'"
Read the full interview with Heung-min Son in the March 2018 issue of FourFourTwo magazine, which features exclusive chats with Liverpool's new King of the Kop Mo Salah, Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson and Real Madrid schemer Luka Modric. Plus, we preview all eight Champions League last 16 ties and experience Man v Fat football, where losing weight is the secret to winning matches. We also spend a week with former Leicester manager Nigel Pearson in Belgium, learn first-hand how Gennaro Gattuso made a career from harnessing his inner rage, go One-on-One with ex-England boss Steve McClaren and hear from Michael Laudrup about life in Qatar. Order a copy now, and then subscribe!
'David Beckham was desperate to play in my squad, but I didn't want to bring him along and waste the FA’s money: I had to pick the strongest players': Great Britain coach reflects on Becks snub as 'one of the toughest decisions' of his career
‘Big Sam gets a bad rap as a bit of a dinosaur, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He was ahead of the curve on many things – I loved playing for him’: Ex-Bolton star sets record straight on Allardyce
