Ange Postecoglou has given his tribute to Heung-min Son after the forward’s departure from Tottenham, with the Australian revealing what he told the rest of the Spurs squad about the South Korean’s legacy.
Heung-min Son played under Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, and Nuno Espirito Santo, and none of them have had a bad word to say about him.
However, it is Ange Postecoglou who proved the most defining for the 33-year-old’s legacy at Spurs, making him the club captain and guiding them to the Europa League title.
That means that forward will always have the distinction of just being the fourth captain in Tottenham’s long history to lift a European trophy, and Son proudly announced after the Europa League win that he can call himself a Spurs legend.
Ange Postecoglou made Heung-min Son the focus of Tottenham’s European run
Several of Son’s former teammates have paid tribute to the forward over the last 24 hours, and Postecoglou has now joined the party.
The Australian revealed that he motivated the Tottenham squad last season by saying that they could be part of Son’s amazing legacy at Spurs if they win silverware.
Postecoglou told The Athletic: “I made him a big focus of our Europa run, because I thought he was symbolic of where people saw the club. Obviously, he’s an outstanding player, but was missing that key piece of success.
“[I told them] If we can elevate Sonny to a level above some of the best players that have ever played for this club by winning something and having him lift a trophy, we’re all going to be part of something special. We’re going to be part of his legacy.”
When asked about his decision to make Son captain, Postecoglou said: “I thought the key thing in looking for a leader was a unifier. And this is who Sonny is. He could literally sit at any table in the lunch room, whether it was staff or players, and get a conversation going. That was going to be important for us.
“His demeanour at the training ground, and the way he trained, was almost like he was a first-year player every time he was out there. If your leaders are not engaged or lack enthusiasm at any stage, that filters through to the whole group. But he would not allow that to happen.”
What you see is what you get with Son
Many Spurs players have paid tribute to Son’s qualities as a person rather than just his legacy as a player.
That is something that Postecoglou has done too, with the former Spurs head coach revealing that the Tottenham legend is the same in private as he is in public.
When asked about Son as a person, the Australian said: “He is exactly as you see him. Sometimes, the public perception of a person is a lot different to how they actually are. But with Sonny, there was no difference in the way the public perceived him and how he was in private.
“The one thing about Sonny that people don’t understand is that he’s lived in a goldfish bowl for pretty much the entirety of his career; he’s always had eyes on him. To live in that sort of cauldron for as long as he has, and I doubt you could find one person to say something negative about him, is just incredible.”
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