September is Captain Heung-min’s month, with the Premier League leading the nominations for the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month. He’s up against some stiff competition for the award, and he’ll be in contention against Luton Town.
“Six players have been nominated for the PFA Premier League Fans’ Player of the Month for September,” the PFA announced on its official website on Monday (September 6), referring to Son Heung-min. “A hat-trick against Burnley and a multi-goal performance against Arsenal (North London derby) with an assist from James Maddison,” the PFA announced.
He was also nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month shortly before the PFA’s announcement. The Premier League announced the nominees for the September Player of the Month on its official page on Friday. Son is up against Mohamed Salah, Kieran Trippier, Olly Watkins, Julian Alvarez, Jared Bowen, and Pedro Neto.스포츠토토
Holland, who was expected to compete for the September Player of the Month award, was nowhere to be seen. Holland is still the Premier League’s top scorer so far this season with eight goals in seven games, but he was left out of the running for September’s award.
On current form, Son Heung-min is the favorite. All of the September nominees are strong, but Son has been on a tear. In terms of goals, Salah and Alvarez both have three, while Heung-min is second in the Premier League with six goals in seven games.
He also scored the opening goal against Liverpool. It was his sixth Premier League goal of the season and 200th in Europe. After sharing the goal with Roberto Firmino, Son was all smiles and cheers in front of the home fans.
If he wins the September Player of the Month award, he will join the ranks of legends. Son has won the award three times (September 2016, April 2017, and October 2020). Players who have won the award four times include Thierry Henry, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, and Mohamed Salah. Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane are the all-time winners (seven times each). Cristiano Ronaldo and Steven Gerrard are next with six, followed by Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie with five.
Since joining Tottenham in 2015, Son Heung-min has been a first-team regular in all but his debut season. He became the first Asian to win the Golden Boot (top scorer) in Europe’s top five leagues, but he was not satisfied with his performance in the 2022-23 season. However, after the season, it was reported that he suffered a sports hernia. That’s why his market value dropped from around 100 billion won to around 70 billion won.
It’s likely that he’ll regain his market value in 2023-24. Tottenham announced their new captain ahead of the start of the 2023-24 Premier League season. “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Son Heung-min as the club’s new captain. He takes over the captain’s armband from Yoris. Maddison and Romero have been named vice-captains,” the club announced.
“We needed to create a new atmosphere in the locker room,” said head coach Enzo Postecoglou. “We needed a new atmosphere in the locker room, and we decided that Son Heung-min should be the captain next season,” he said in a team meeting. “He’s already shown great leadership on and off the field,” he said as he handed the captain’s armband to Son. He was the ideal choice for our team captain. He has great influence in the locker room. It’s not just popularity. He has a lot of experience as captain of Tottenham and the South Korean national team.”
“If you look back at the past, we’ve always had fantastic captains. I learned a lot from them on and off the field. Joris and Kane are Tottenham legends. They fought for the players and dedicated themselves to the team. I’ve learned so much from them and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
“It’s a great honor to captain such a big club. It’s amazing, I’m proud, it’s a new season. I will give my all for the Tottenham shirt and armband. I will do my best for Tottenham as a captain and as a player.”
After being applauded by his teammates, Son stepped forward and gave a speech as captain. “I think this season is really important. As a captain, I think we all have to take responsibility and show good behavior. It’s also important to have good training, and this space is the most important,” he said.
“We all know it’s important to be organized. It’s a really important season, and we need to be united, with the same goals and the same steps. Let’s move forward for a very important season for us.”
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During the interview with Tottenham, a Korean flag was draped over his chair. “It’s a huge honor. It means a lot. But it doesn’t matter who is the captain now. Of course, only one person wears the captain’s armband, but every player has to take responsibility. I also told the players. I told them that I will give my all while wearing the Tottenham shirt and wearing the armband.”
Son added: “I will never let them down. When I was preparing for the season in pre-season, I tried to take responsibility as a veteran, having been with the club for nine years. We have a new group of young players, so I thought I should lead them. I’m really happy to be captain. The most important thing is the three points.”
Son had previously worn the captain’s armband in pre-season under Jose Mourinho. If Kane were to leave Tottenham, he would likely captain the club for an entire Premier League season this time around. If you follow the European transfer market this summer, it was looking increasingly likely that Son Heung-min would be the next “Tottenham captain” after the national team, and Kane’s departure to Bayern Munich confirmed it. The Spurs captain ushered in a new era by leading the team to victory in front of their home fans.
He is the second Korean to win the captain’s armband in the Premier League after Park Ji-Sung wore it during his playing days at Queens Park Rangers (QPR). Speaking to the club’s official channel, Son said: “Looking back, there have always been fantastic captains. I learned so much from them on and off the pitch. Joris and Kane are Tottenham legends. They fought for the players and dedicated themselves to the team. I’ve learned so much from them and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
He has made a full recovery from sports hernia surgery and has been outstanding in the Tottenham captain’s armband. Against Burnley, Son was a one-man show. He started the 2023-24 English Premier League season at Turf Moor in Burnley, England, and partnered his teammates up front. Heung-min was active from the start of the game. On offense, he dropped down to midfield and joined the Tottenham attack. Whether it was playing one-two passes with his teammates or getting into space behind the opposition, he was constantly harassing Burnley. He pressed forward aggressively to force mistakes.
He even found the back of the net. Tottenham had conceded an early goal to Burnley and were trailing when Son Heung-min equalized in the 16th minute. He linked up with Manor Solomon and found himself in the box. He got on the end of Solomon’s cross and scored his first goal of the season with an exquisite chip shot. The goalkeeper and defender were fooled by Son’s big move. He was expecting a strong ball, but his shot sailed between the defenders and the goalkeeper and found the back of the net.
With the captain’s goal, Tottenham gained momentum. The captains dominated the game. Just before halftime, vice-captain Christian Romero gave Spurs the lead with a mid-range shot. Nine minutes into the second half, James Maddison made it a two-goal game with a curling right-footed kick.
Son Heung-min practically put the game away. He scored back-to-back goals in the 18th and 21st minutes of the second half to complete his hat trick. His partnership with Solomon shone again. Solomon’s cut-back was met with a powerful right-footed strike from Son Heung-min to make it a multi-goal game. Three minutes later, he slotted home a through ball from Pedro Foro with an exquisite left foot.
With the game tied, Ange Postecoglou rested Son Heung-min. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang took the field in his place. Tottenham then pulled one back for Burnley, but Son’s hat-trick gave them a 5-2 victory.
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After the game, Postecoglou said, “We have very good players in this team. We can play the way we need to play. In particular, Son Heung-min is competitive whether he plays in the center or on the flanks. He is the ideal player for the way we play. He doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk. He’s a fantastic player. He takes responsibility and prepares every day, not just on match days. It’s really inspiring.”
He has also received top ratings from soccer statistics outlets. Couch Score gave Son a 9.2 rating for his 72 minutes of play. In addition to his three goals, Son had 27 touches, an 82% passing success rate (14 of 17), one key pass, and one cross (one attempt).
It was a day to make history in the Premier League. “It is the first time in 28 years since 1995 that three players have scored a hat-trick on the same day in the Premier League,” said global football statistics company Opta. “It was a truly dramatic moment. It is only the second time in Premier League history that three players have scored a hat-trick on the same day since 28 years ago. It’s the first time since Robbie Fowler, Alan Shearer and Tony Yeboah scored simultaneous hat-tricks in 1995.”
British publication Football London gave it a thumbs up out of 10. “He exchanged passes with Solomon and scored his first goal of the season. It was a beautiful goal. Then he got a hat-trick. It was really impressive. Coach Postecoglou’s tactical system worked fantastically.”
On April 24, the team drew 2-2 with Arsenal in the North London derby of the sixth round of the 2023-24 English Premier League at the Emirates Stadium in London, England. In a tightly contested match, the two sides shared a point, and Tottenham hasn’t lost since the start of the season.
Speaking to The Times ahead of the game, Son said, “Arsenal won’t want to face us now. We are playing for each other, fighting for each other. If someone goes down, we give them a hand and everyone is happy. That makes us stronger as a team,” he said, sending a strong warning to his rivals.
Son has faced Arsenal 18 times since joining Tottenham in 2015. Premier League to North London derby
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