He is also the club's fifth-highest goalscorer and all-time leader in assists. Son has also represented South Korea at the Asian Games , where the team won gold, and the , , , and editions of the AFC Asian Cup ; Korea was the runner-up in Outside of football, Son is viewed as a symbol of national pride in South Korea for his achievements, and has been listed in Forbes Korea Power Celebrity 40 since , where he ranked second in Son Heung-min was born in Chuncheon , Gangwon.
He was impressive in the —11 pre-season, leading the team with nine goals, and signed his first professional contract on his 18th birthday. He returned on 30 October to score his first league goal, against 1. The goal made Son the youngest Hamburg player to score a goal in the Bundesliga at 18, breaking the record held by Manfred Kaltz. Son signed a new deal with Hamburg through Pundits said he had what it took to become the next Cha Bum-kun , a legendary Bundesliga forward and fellow South Korean.
During the —12 pre-season, Son was explosive, scoring 18 times in only nine matches. Over the course of the —12 season , he made 30 appearances for Hamburg and scored five goals, [ 43 ] including crucial goals against Hannover 96 and 1.
The —13 season was a breakthrough season for Son as he scored two goals in an away fixture against Borussia Dortmund on 9 February , helping his team to a 4—1 victory. Son was chosen Mann des Tages Man of the Match by kicker. He finished the season with 12 goals, becoming the fifth South Korean footballer to achieve double digits in goals in Europe. He agreed to a five-year deal with the team. Son scored a hat-trick against VfL Wolfsburg on 14 February , in a 4—5 defeat, scoring when they were losing 0—3.
Son started the —16 season with Bayer Leverkusen. He made a league appearance [ 55 ] and a Champions League qualifying match. Son made his debut on 13 September away to Sunderland , being replaced by Andros Townsend in the 62nd minute of a 1—0 win. Chelsea equalised in the second half, however, handing over the title to Leicester City. Before the season, he reportedly asked Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino for permission to leave Tottenham in an attempt to get more playing time, but was instead given a chance to fight for his place at Spurs.
