Tottenham captain Son Heung-min has a weird contract clause – that BANS him from taking photos with fans

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min celebrates after scoring the team's fifth goal and his hat-trick during the Premier League match between Burnley FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor on September 02, 2023 in Burnley, England.
(Image credit: Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Tottenham star Son Heung-min is one of the most popular and beloved footballers on the planet – but if you ask him to take a photo, you might be disappointed.

Don't worry, though: he's not secretly a diva who refuses to be photographed with supporters. The perma-grinning South Korea forward is still more than happy to take a picture… provided it's a specific brand of tech. 

It's been revealed via a viral TikTok video that super Sonny isn't allowed to take a photo with an iPhone, a Pixel or even your old Motorola Razr (Google it, kids – they were so cool back in the day), as part of his deal with South Korean technology giant Samsung. 

Son Heung-min

Son Heung-min refusing to hold a fan's phone (Image credit: TikTok)

In the video, a fan approaches him and asks for a photo with him. The Spurs star explains that he can't be seen holding her phone… since it's an iPhone.

Later in the same video, Son – who's currently on international duty with the Taegeuk Warriors – is more than happy to take a snap with a fan who's brought her Tottenham shirt along… given that she has a Samsung Galaxy model.

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We've heard of strange clauses in football before, of course. Stefan Schwartz infamously had a clause in one deal to prevent him going to space, while Ronaldinho once stipulated that he wanted to go partying at least twice a week in a previous contract. 

Exclusivity seems fairly standard, though. Ironically for Son, however, he's on a different wavelength in terms of boots and kits, though. 

Son Heung-min gestures during Tottenham's Premier League game against Crystal Palace in May 2023.

Son Heung-min wears Nike kits at club and international level (Image credit: Getty Images)

Son is an Adidas athlete but wears Nike kits for both club and country. It's strangely common, really, with Adidas's biggest client, Lionel Messi, donning Nike for so many years (at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain) and Nike's biggest, Cristiano Ronaldo, wearing Adidas for so long (at Real Madrid, Juventus and his return to Manchester United).

If only those two brands could find a way to prevent their major stars from touching rival products like Samsung have…

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It's been revealed, meanwhile, that Son Heung-min is a year younger than he previously thought due to changes in South Korean law. 

Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.