WHEN Son Heung-min – one of the top stars of Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League (EPL) and the captain of South Korea’s national football team – turned up for a recent press conference, even the journalists in the room, many of whom had been waiting for over an hour, could not help but whip out their mobile phones to capture the moment when he walked in.

“Thank you very much for coming, let’s have fun,” said the 30-year-old forward as he settled down into his seat, in anticipation of the questions about to come his way.

He was wearing his club’s famous white home jersey, dark pants, a pair of spotless Adidas shoes that looked like they came straight out of the box, and a megawatt smile that immediately put everyone at ease.

Son had just arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first of a series of interviews with the international media, not long after completing yet another gruelling training session under the watchful gaze of his Italian manager Antonio Conte.

It was roughly 48 hours before Son and his teammates took to the field to face their bitter North London rivals and runaway EPL leaders Arsenal, a match that Spurs would eventually go on to lose 0-2 in front of 61,870 fans.

On Thursday night (Jan 19), Tottenham lost 2-4 to the EPL’s defending champions Manchester City, a result that keeps them in fifth in the table, five points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United.

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International star

It’s not difficult to see why Son – with his K-pop idol looks and an extremely friendly disposition – is so adored around the world. At each of Spurs’ home fixtures at their impressive 62,850-seater stadium, there are dozens – perhaps even hundreds – of South Koreans who have made the long 9,000 km journey from Seoul to watch their countryman in the flesh.

Son, after all, is no ordinary footballer. The accolades that he has accumulated in the last 15 years of playing the sport are too many to count.

He is a seven-time Asian Footballer of the Year and the winner of Tottenham’s Player of the Season award on three occasions. When he left German club Bayer Leverkusen to join Tottenham in 2015, the £22 million (S$36 million) transfer fee made him the most expensive Asian player in history.

In his eight seasons at Spurs, Son’s goal-scoring exploits led him to become the top Asian goalscorer in both the EPL and Champions League. Last season, his 23 league goals were enough to make him the first Asian to win the coveted Golden Boot.

Earlier this month, he became the first Asian to make 200 starts in England’s top division, and he celebrated that milestone in the best way he could, by scoring the fourth goal in a 4-0 drubbing of Crystal Palace. 

On the international stage, Son has played 108 times for his country, including four games at the Fifa World Cup last month. While he didn’t get on the scoresheet in Qatar, against Portugal he went on a mesmerising run deep into injury time before passing to Hwang Hee-chan to blast home the winning goal that sent the South Koreans into the Round of 16 for the first time since 2010.

Away from the pitch, Son has hands full with his commitments to numerous global brands like Calvin Klein and Burberry.

Last week, in the lead-up to Tottenham’s match with Arsenal, Son was unveiled by AIA Singapore as its first brand ambassador for Singapore. AIA has been the global principal partner of Tottenham since 2013, and the insurer’s signature red logo is emblazoned across the front of Tottenham’s jerseys.

Son’s appointment is part of the AIA One Billion movement that aims to engage a billion people across the region to live healthier, longer and better lives by 2030. In his new role, AIA said Son will “inspire Singaporeans to live better every day by promoting holistic wellness in three key aspects – physical health, motivation and mental health, as well as financial health”.

The following is an edited transcript of the 15-minute interview where Son gave his assessment of Tottenham’s season so far, how he juggles his many responsibilities for club and country, and stated his desire to visit Singapore soon.

What did winning the EPL Golden Boot mean to you, and what’s the next goal or target that you’re aiming for?

It meant a lot to me. It’s massive. When I was a kid, I had dreams to have a big achievement such as this, so when I finally got it, I couldn’t believe it. Obviously, it’s amazing but I will say the Golden Boot is now in the past already. We could talk about this for the whole day, but I prefer to look to the future.

I don’t have a specific target in mind like winning another Golden Boot. I’m the sort of guy who always wants to keep on improving and achieving even more – that’s my goal, to be honest. I hope that my winning the Golden Boot can also help inspire young footballers in South Korea and Asia, and have them believe that they can achieve big things too.

The 2022/23 EPL season is now at the halfway mark. What’s your assessment of Tottenham’s season so far, and what are your ambitions for the rest of the campaign?

I’m not the type of person who is always happy with the results. When you see the last few games, we could have won more points, so it’s a bit disappointing, but I feel we can do so much better in the second half of the season.

We have many amazing and talented players, and it’s a positive group. I feel the second part of the season could change everything. We should all believe that, and everyone should start to get ready to throw their bodies (on the line) to get the club in a better position.

You returned from a first-ever World Cup held in the middle of the European season, straight back to playing for Tottenham at a very important time in the league. How do you cope with this?

It was a bit tough because I was really focused on Spurs first before the World Cup and I had to turn around mentally. Physically, I tihnk it’s OK because we are used to playing at this time (in December), many games during the Boxing Day period. But mentally, playing for your club and country is different, so I think this made things a little bit difficult.

Thankfully, after the World Cup we were given a short break of about a week, and this helped us to refresh and recharge. I was able to go back to my hometown and see my family and friends.

How do you balance your physical and mental wellbeing to ensure you’re always at your peak?

It’s really hard. For me, I try to achieve a good balance by eating and sleeping well. I’ve been a professional footballer for nearly 15 years, and this is very important to me as an athlete to stay really focused. I eat well, and I also ty to sleep nine or 10 hours a day.

As for mental health, it’s important to have good people around you at all times that you trust and love, like your family and friends. You can tell them if you have any issues, and they can help you. My parents are always with me, and they give me lots of advice on how to live and enjoy life.

What does being AIA Singapore’s first brand ambassador mean to you?

I will try and help in the best way I can with my skills and awareness (of physical health, motivation and mental health, as well as financial health). In our busy lives, we can forget many things such as how important it is to live healthier, stronger and better lives. Making small changes to your lives can mean a lot. In my role as an ambassador, I will set a good example for everyone.

My message to the fans in Singapore is that I’m very grateful that you guys love and support me. I will do my best all the time. I’m not the guy who always takes things, but I like to give back too. I will try to give you the same level of happiness that I have. I hope to see all of you in Singapore as soon as possible.