13.09.2015 | Stadium of Light | The start of Son-thing special
Wed 08 April 2026, 15:00|
Tottenham Hotspur
Ten years, 454 appearances, 173 goals, captaining the team to UEFA Europa League glory, first goal at the new stadium, the FIFA Puskas award, the Golden Boot... and it all started at Sunderland's Stadium of Light on 13 September, 2015.
That was the first time Heung-Min Son stepped out in Lilywhite - or purple/lilac as it turned out - for his debut against the Black Cats after signing from Bayer Leverkusen.
Sonny played 62 minutes of a typically tough test in the Premier League on Wearside as Ryan Mason's goal, finishing a great team move, secured a 1-0 victory. That was our first Premier League win of 2015/16, although part of a 14-match unbeaten run - we didn't lose again until December.
Sonny was typically humble talking to us afterwards, a trait that never changed as his legend grew in N17. "It was an amazing Premier League debut – it’s a dream for me. I am not happy because I can play better but this is a dream for me. This is only my first game – I haven’t done a pre-match with the team before. Now I want more, I’m not sure how we press, I just need a bit of time to settle in with the team. The players were very good. We can play much better which we’ll see over the next few weeks."
Within a week, Sonny was up and running - his first goals against Qarabag in the UEFA Europa League at the Lane and a few days later, his first Premier League strike to beat Palace. The team would go on to finish third, runners-up, third and then fourth in his first four seasons, reaching the Champions League final in 2019.
Approaching a year since announcing his departure and his final competitive appearance - aptly, going out in a blaze of glory by lifting the UEL trophy in Bilbao - Sonny is established as one of our all-time greats. His 173 goals is the fifth highest tally in the club's history and he's one of only seven players to surpass 450 appearances.
Sonny is now lighting up the MLS at LAFC and South Korea's captain, record cap and goalscorer is counting down to his fourth World Cup finals this summer.
