Champions League final: Son Heung-min leads Spurs and Asian football to the brink of history

When Son Heung-min takes to the field for the Uefa Champions League final, the South Korean could make history. If he can lead his Tottenham Hotspur side to victory then he will become the first Asian player to win the trophy after playing in the final. Manchester United’s Park Ji-sung was given a winner’s medal after the last all-English Premier League final in 2008 but the midfielder did not play a part in the game. Champions League final: how to watch the big game in Hong Kong Son’s countryman also played the following year in Rome but Alex Ferguson’s side were well beaten by Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona and then again in 2011 where Barcelona bested them at Wembley. Son is expected to start in Madrid on Saturday night to cap a remarkable 12 months that has seen him represent his nation at the Asian Games, Asian Cup and Fifa World Cup. The 26-year-old led his team to a gold medal in Indonesia and with it he also avoided military service, ensuring his availability for more nights like this in the years to come. This season he has also become the go-to man for his club. He is now a crucial player for Mauricio Pochettino’s side and that was proved with three goals over two legs in the quarter-final victory over Guardiola’s Manchester City. In the absence of captain Harry Kane – who may return to the side for the final after an extended period out with injury – the South Korean might have even become his team’s talisman. His growing popularity is borne out by him leading a poll for who should be on the cover of the next Fifa video game and having the 15th most popular selling shirt in Britain this year, according to Sports Direct. Son also won Footballer of the Year at the London Footballer Awards. View this post on Instagram What a wonderful night! London football award, Premier league player of the year 2019! Thank for your vote and support!/2019년 런던 풋볼 어워드 올해의 선수를 수상하게 되어 너무 기쁘고 영광스럽습니다.많은 팬들의 응원에 감사드리며 더욱 멋진 선수가 되도록 노력하겠습니다#COYS A post shared by Son HeungMin(손흥민) (@hm_son7) on Feb 28, 2019 at 2:35pm PST That is all helped by performing on the pitch. He has scored 12 goals and racked up seven assists in 31 games in the English Premier League this season and he also has four goals and an assist in the Champions League. Another of either would be welcomed across the world this weekend – Son is a superstar back home in South Korea and millions will tune in, even with kick-off at 4am. There will be more braving the late night or early morning to catch how Son plays against Liverpool. He is Asia’s first genuine football superstar and that means there will be an interest in the wider region to see if he makes history. Son Heung-min offers reminder for media to mind our language That regional interest is replicated the world over. Brazilian fans will want to see how Liverpool’s Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino get on, while African football fans expect goals from Reds strike pair Sadio Mane and Mo Salah. The nature of the global game and the diversity in both sets of dressing rooms means that there is interest worldwide and the game will be broadcast in over 200 countries. Add into the mix that this all-Premier League tie is between two of the best supported teams in the game – and all the narratives in play – and it means we might also be in store for the most watched final yet. Son Heung-min’s success with Tottenham a game-changer for perception of Asian footballers Uefa have offered a figure of 380 million viewers for its showpiece game in each of the last few seasons but even without Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo in this one, there is an argument that it could see more tune in. The two teams taking part are only here because of dramatic second-leg comebacks. Liverpool beat Messi’s Barcelona 4-0 at Anfield to go through 4-3 on aggregate. The following night Spurs mounted an even more audacious escape: after going down 2-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate, Lucas Moura scored a second half hat-trick, capped off in the sixth minute of injury time, to take them through on away goals. Espanyol’s Wu Lei can learn from Son Heung-min’s early struggles in English Premier League with Spurs At 26, there should be more of these nights in store for Son. A bigger club might even beckon. But before that he has to go out and play the biggest game of his club career. He showed at the Asian Games, where he led a younger team as an overage player, that he can handle the pressure. He did it again when he knocked out Manchester City. There will be plenty hoping that this 42nd career game in the Champions League proper ends with him lifting the biggest prize in club football.