As ESPN Brasil work on their big coverage of the Premier League clash between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, they feature today an interesting piece on the love for Son Heung-min in South Korea.
To talk about that, they invited Ulsan Hyundai striker Júnior Negrão, who’s been playing in the Asian country for a few years, and has interesting stories about the Spurs star.
“They are passionate about Tottenham here. You see a lot of people in pubs, in restaurants, addicted to Tottenham through Son,” Júnior Negrão told ESPN Brasil.
Last year, Liverpool played Flamengo in the Club World Cup. And according to Júnior Negrão, people in South Korea started rooting for the Brazilian side just so they could beat Tottenham’s rivals.
They were probably left gutted as the Reds ended up winning 1-0 in extra time.
“I remember, last year, some players on my team said they were rooting for Flamengo, because they would face Liverpool, who are Tottenham’s rival. You see how much they are fascinated by Tottenham.
“When they saw that Flamengo were going to face Liverpool, they started asking. Some already knew, because there are some players on my team who have played there. But many younger people asked: ‘Are Flamengo good? Very good? Can they beat Liverpool?’ Because they wanted Flamengo to be champion.”
Júnior Negrão has also claimed that Son’s success in South Korea could be compared to that of Pelé in Brazil, as the Spurs star has a huge influence in the growth of football’s popularity in his home country.
“Obviously, the proportions have to be weighed, but Son is for them what Pelé is for us. A guy who managed to break this paradigm of a South Korean leaving and being able to have a worldwide prominence. Without a doubt, he’s an inspiration for many players here.
“Because, really, it’s not like Brazil where every boy dreams of being a player, but with the rise of Son, many players have this ambition now to be able to get where he arrived. This passion for football became more evident here, which is not the first sport, but has grown a lot, all due to Son.”
