Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min has been named to the English Premier League team of 2020 to cap off a fine year for the footballer, while the South Korean government announced that his financial effect is worth some US$1.8 billion to the country. Son was listed in the team made by Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville, who picked him ahead of Liverpool’s Sadio Mane. “You cannot criticise Son or Mane, there’s no negative about them,” former Manchester United and England player Neville said on Monday Night Football . “Every club in the world would want them. Just on goals and assists, Son has done better in a team that isn’t as good,” he continued. Gary "Every club in the world would want Son or Mane playing for them" Carra "Son this season has just edged the others" @GNev2 & @Carra23 explain why they chose Son over Sadio Mane in their TOTY pic.twitter.com/v4nLoJp30K — Football Daily (@footballdaily) December 21, 2020 Former Liverpool and England defender Carragher agreed: “Son has been off the charts and Mane is going through a tough spell at the moment,” Carragher said. “Mane and Sterling have been as good as anyone in the world at that position. But Rashford and Son have jumped up now.” ‘I’ve seen better’ – Arsenal legend surprised at Son’s Puskas Award win It has been a fine year for the South Korea skipper, who won the Puskas Award at The Best Fifa Awards last week, with his effort against Burnley in December 2019 being named the best goal of the last 12 months. Son completed his mandatory military service in May, even being awarded a medal for his marksmanship. He has been as deadly on the pitch, becoming the first Asian player to reach 50 goals in the English Premier League and forming a deadly partnership with teammate Harry Kane, who also made the cut for Carragher and Neville, #FIFAFootballAwards ⚪️ #TheBest pic.twitter.com/ivmI6JgNch — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) December 17, 2020 Son has scored 11 times in 14 games this season, with Kane assisting him on four goals in one game against Southampton in September, matching his total for last season. He is now on 99 goals for the club, but his value extends well beyond the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Elsewhere on Monday, the South Korean government announced that the Spurs star is a massive boon to the economy, with his economic ripple worth some 2 trillion won (US$1.8 billion), as reported by the country’s Yonhap News Agency. Son shrugs off South Korea squad Covid-19 to send Spurs top “As a result of analysing the economic ripple effect of the Korea Academy of Sports Policy and Science and Son Heung-min, the scale was estimated to reach 1.98885 trillion won,” the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on Monday. The estimate “was analysed by the Korea Institute of Sports Policy and Science based on the Korea Customs Service’s import and export trade statistics, the Bank of Korea’s industry relations table and domestic and foreign surveys,” Yonhap reported. Aside from retail, exports and production, Yonhap reported on “the intangible value that Son Heung-min induces in Korea, such as inspiring emotion and self-esteem, and motivating youth” which was valued at US$658 million, while advertising was valued at US$16.2 million. Son’s financial effect is expected to be expanded, according to the ministry: “The player value continues to increase according to Son Heung-min’s performance, and the current estimate is analysed as the minimum value in that it is a player in its heyday. The economic ripple effect is expected to increase further in the future.” Son was praised by minister Park Yang-woo for winning the Puskas Award and cheering his compatriots as the country battles the Covid-19 pandemic. For more great stories on Korean entertainment, artist profiles and the latest news, visit K-post, SCMP's K-pop hub .
