On August 3, 2025, high above the pitch at Seoul World Cup Stadium, Captain Son Heung‑min played his final game in a Tottenham Hotspur shirt before 65,000 South Korean fans in what was billed as a farewell friendly to Newcastle United. The 1–1 draw—with Brennan Johnson’s early goal cancelled out by Harvey Barnes—provided a dramatic backdrop to the emotional send-off of Spurs’ greatest-ever Asian player. Tottenham and Newcastle players lined up in a guard of honour as Son walked off in the 65th minute, his face wet with tears and the Champions League hymn echoing in his memory.
It was not just any substitution; Son’s removal marked the end of a 10-year chapter at Tottenham. In that time, he scored 173 goals in 454 matches, earned multiple Golden Boots, captained the club to its first trophy in 17 years (the Europa League), and became a symbol of pride for millions in Asia. Spurs’ new manager Thomas Frank summed up the moment well: “something both beautiful and brutal,” capturing the tension as farewell met fear in the same breath.
Following the match, Son described the farewell as “a perfect moment,” stating that “10 years went fast” and expressing gratitude for the love received “from the fans, the players and also the gaffer.” He insisted his decision to leave in pursuit of fresh challenges—rumoured to be with MLS side Los Angeles FC—was one of the hardest of his career but a necessary next step.
On social media platforms like Reddit, fans called the scene “incredibly emotional,” with Son described as the “heart and soul of this team since Kane left.” One user commented:
“That was an incredibly emotional send off for him, the team, and fans. Son has been the heart and soul of this team since Kane left.”
Tottenham now faces the challenge of sustaining the mark Son left behind in South Korea—still Spurs’ most passionate overseas fan base. According to recent surveys, nearly 40% of South Korean football fans support Tottenham, a phenomenon largely attributed to Son’s decade-long presence at the club.
Maddison suffers knee injury—potentially season‑ending
In the closing stages of the same match, James Maddison entered as a second-half substitute and limped off just 11 minutes later, grabbing at his right knee and collapsing in agony. Medical staff rushed on, Pramedics administered treatment on the field, and the midfielder was eventually carried off on a stretcher in tears.
Manager Thomas Frank, watching from the sideline, described the moment as “brutal,” admitting that “it looks like a bad injury” and confirmed that it’s the same knee Maddison injured at the closing stages of last season, where he missed more than a month of action including the Europa League final.
Sports Mole’s reporting suggests the worst-case diagnosis: a ruptured ACL that could rule Maddison out for the entire 2025–26 season. Given how Maddison has emerged as Spurs’ creative linchpin—especially after Son’s apparent exit—this is a catastrophic blow to the new manager’s plans.
Spurs’ attacking options have already been depleted by Son’s departure, and earlier absences—such as Dejan Kulusevski—had been managed with new signings like Mohammed Kudus and Mathys Tel. But these reinforcements could be rendered insufficient without Maddison’s vision and goal-threat from midfield.
What this means for Tottenham’s season ahead
Frank admitted that the day had left him with “mixed emotions”; celebration for Son’s legacy but grave concern for squad depth. The timing is far from ideal: Spartans face a fast-approaching Premier League opener and UEFA Super Cup commitments with limited creativity available.
Treble-linked fallouts like Spurs missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze earlier in the transfer window now look more severe, pushing Tottenham to ramp up their pursuit of players like Harvey Elliott or additional midfield reinforcements to cover for Maddison.
But beyond personnel, the club might also face a pivotal branding inflection. With Son gone, Spurs lose their most commercially valuable asset in Asia. Keeping momentum in markets like South Korea, as well as appeasing a home fan base that packed the Seoul Stadium, will depend on new personalities—notably Kudus and Tel—quickly stepping into Son’s shadow, a task far trickier than it sounds.
A chapter closes—uncertainty looms
- For Son, the farewell in Seoul felt like the end of a household name in London, with a stadium full of Korean fans reminding the world that his influence transcended the Premier League.
- For Spurs, the day exposed football’s duality: the gratitude of legacy and the harshness of injury. If Maddison’s injury is as serious as feared, Spurs may spend the season struggling to replicate the creativity that propelled them to a Europa League title.
With Son expected to join LAFC in the coming days—as widely reported—and Maddison’s return date uncertain at best, Thomas Frank now has both a void and a deadline in front of him. The success of Tottenham’s new era hinges on response: managing grief, replacing creators, and finding new ways to keep the club competitive on and off the pitch.
Bottom line: In Seoul, what began as a celebration of a legendary Spurs figure turned into a gloom of possible long-term loss. Werner once said that football is not the most important thing in the world—today, at Tottenham, it felt painfully real that sometimes, it is.
