Tottenham Hotspur’s captain, Son Heung-min has announced on Saturday that he has decided to leave the club after ten years at Spurs.

At a press conference in Seoul, Son explained that choosing to part ways with the Premier League team was the toughest choice of his career, emphasizing that Tottenham, where he has played for the last ten years, supports his decision to move on.

“This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. But I feel that now is the right moment to take this step. I hope everyone can understand and respect my choice,” the South Korean star said.

“I came to North London as a young boy at 23, not able to speak English, and now I am leaving this club as a grown man, which makes me very proud.”
When asked in Korean about his future playing plans, he replied, ‘I don’t think I have an answer yet.’

New Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank confirmed that Son will start and captain the team in Sunday’s friendly against Newcastle at Seoul’s World Cup Stadium.

This could possibly be Son’s last match for Spurs, especially with the UEFA Super Cup game against Paris St Germain in Udine on August 13 coming up.

“It’s very clear that Sonny will start and lead the team as captain. If this ends up being his final game, what a perfect place to do it in front of his home fans. It could be a wonderful ending,” Frank commented.

Tottenham’s victory in the Europa League final against Manchester United gave Son his only trophy with the team, making him the seventh player to hit 450 games for Spurs — where he scored 198 goals in the Premier League — since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 for £22 million ($29.8m).

“Winning the Europa League title made me feel like I have accomplished everything I could here. Now, I am seeking a new place to take on a new challenge,” Son said.