Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min answers if muted celebration vs Leicester was for The Queen
Son Heung-min did not celebrate after he scored his first goal for Tottenham Hotspur this season, leading some to wonder if it was because of Her Majesty The Queen.
Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the graceful age of 96 on Thursday, September 8 at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland. As a result, the entire Premier League gameweek 7 fixtures were postponed for a later date.
This weekend, two games – Manchester United against Leeds United and Chelsea vs Liverpool were also postponed as a direct result of the scheduled state funeral on Monday, September 19.
The South Korea international was benched for the game against Leicester City at N17. But he came on and scored a hat-trick within 14 minutes. The first came via a stunning long-distance strike that beat a poorly-positioned Danny Ward.
After that, Son seemed blank when it was his turn to celebrate. Asked after the 6-2 win for the Lilywhites if it was in respect for the Queen, the former Bayer Leverkusen winger said (h/t Football.London):
“To the Queen? No I didn’t think about her, so I am really sorry,” he said. “Coming outside of the UK, but when I heard the Queen news it was really, really sad news. I thought she would be there forever because she was here so long.”
His celebration was telling. And it was a weight off his shoulders. A player as brilliant as him, having won the Premier League Golden Boot last season, one can imagine what such a goal drought can do for his confidence.
But he stayed strong. Where people would have taken a tap-in, he scored successive long-range beauties. Son continued:
“Talking about the celebration, look I couldn’t move. It has been emotional for myself and I didn’t know what to do. I just stand still, look at the sky, look at the crowd. Just in my head, all the family came to my mind, all the staff, my teammates and all the supporters. That is why I just stood there and had a think.”
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Son now has the task to face Costa Rica and Cameroon later this month as he has been named in manager Paulo Bento’s South Korea squad for the upcoming friendlies this month. The next squad that Bento names will be for the World Cup, and Son is a shoo-in to make the cut.
