"Official Apology to SON" UEFA "Lack of quantity, sincerely sorry"…Son Heung-min won his first medal in the locker room to receive it
"Official Apology to SON" UEFA "Lack of quantity, sincerely sorry"…Son Heung-min won his first medal in the locker room to receive it
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Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham Hotspur) only had a sore throat. Due to an absurd mistake made by the UEFA, the award ceremony was held without a medal.
Son Heung-min enjoyed his long-awaited first victory through the 2024-25 UEFA Europa League final, which ended at San Mames Stadium in Bilbao, Spain on the 22nd. He entered as a substitute in the second half and secured Tottenham's 1-0 victory, beating Manchester United to the top. It is the first time in 17 years that Tottenham won a major tournament since the 2007-08 English League Cup.
Son Heung-min has also escaped from the jinx of no spectatorship, which he had been tired of. Since his debut in the pro league through Hamburg in 2010, Son has never won a championship throughout his career with Bayer Leverkusen and Tottenham. Notably, he was the runner-up three times only at Tottenham, only to see his team win no title at all.바카라사이트
In fact, it was almost his last attempt to win the title. Soon, Son has turned 33 and his contract with Tottenham ends next summer. As 17th place in the English Premier League suggests, given Tottenham's performance this season, it seemed that if they miss this opportunity, they will never have a chance again.
Son Heung-min also saw it as the last moment to complete the puzzle. Ahead of the final match, he said, "I spent 10 years searching for the last piece. Now I want to find the last piece and complete the puzzle," adding, "The final match will be the most important day in my life. I want to make my dream of winning a championship a reality."
Though Son was not a starter, he was still not free from foot injuries. After concentrating on rehabilitation for about a month, he returned to the team a week before the final match, but failed to regain his normal condition. Eventually, Son committed himself as a substitute. He may have been looking forward to starting the final match, but for the moment, winning the team came first. Son, who substituted himself for Hisharlisson at the 21st minute in the second half, showed more dedication to defense in order to maintain his 1-0 lead.
It was Son Heung-min's time after the final whistle, when Tottenham's victory was decided. Everyone welcomed Son Heung-min's escape from the military. In the case of Rodrigo Bentancourt, Tottenham players looked forward to completing the captain's puzzle more than anyone else to the extent that they ran to Son Heung-min as soon as it was over.
Immediately after winning the trophy, Son hugged his staff and colleagues with the Korean national flag on his shoulder and shed tears of joy. As the captain, he was the first to lift the trophy. At the ceremony, Son Heung-min celebrated with a 15-kg trophy.
However, Son's neck was empty as he lifted the trophy above his head and smiled broadly. He contrasted himself with other players who had medals around their necks at the medal ceremony just before the trophy ceremony.
According to the Associated Press, UEFA prepared only 30 medals at the award ceremony. However, a larger number appeared to hang the medals around his neck. Son Heung-min, the captain, was at the forefront of the team as he needed to lift the trophy. As the 30 medals were eventually sold out, some including Son, Bentancourt and Christian Romero had to perform the trophy ceremony with their empty necks.
UEFA made an official apology. President Alexander Cheperin, who was handing out the medals, also said in a statement, "Unfortunately, the ceremony lacked medals. As more athletes than expected, especially the injured, came to the ceremony and the rest of the medals were delivered to the locker room of the winning team. I sincerely apologize for this mistake."
Still, it is an unforgettable moment for Son Heung-min. After the game, Son Heung-min met with SPOTV and said, "It is my philosophy to always choose a difficult path and find a path that no one can do. It is what I want to do the most. I am so happy to have done what no one has done for 10 years at Tottenham today."
In particular, to numerous Korean soccer fans who had longed for Son Heung-min's victory in the early morning hours, he said, "I would like to say that I am sorry that the victory took too long for those who like me. I hope that those who hate me can feel the feeling that they like me even a little because of this," and added, "I am proud of my fans who were born as Koreans and played the biggest role in solving the perfect puzzle, and I will do my best to give you the pleasure as much as I can."