The disastrous season of Korean superstars

Son Heung Min is having his worst season at Tottenham - Photo: REUTERS

Son Heung Min's final season?

Playing against Crystal Palace, Son Heung Min entered the field in the last 30 minutes of the match. It was the return of the Korean superstar after a full month of being sidelined due to injury.

Son Heung Min failed to make any impression, and Tottenham eventually lost 0-2. A bland performance like the past few months from the 32-year-old striker.

It was also Son Heung Min's sixth goalless match in all competitions. He has scored just one goal in his last 16 matches.

This is also Son Heung Min's second worst season in 10 years playing for Tottenham. He has only scored 11 goals in 44 matches in all competitions for the "roosters". There has only been one season when Son Heung Min scored fewer goals - that was in his first year at Tottenham (8 goals in the 2015-2016 season).

It is worth mentioning that Son Heung Min is getting closer to... winning his first title with Tottenham, when the home team reached the Europa League final.

But Son Heung Min's contribution to Tottenham in the continental arena was very limited. He only scored 3 goals in the group stage, mainly against teams far below his ability, and also failed to score in the entire knockout stage.

That just shows one thing, Son Heung Min is no longer too important at Tottenham. The Korean superstar will likely leave the team this summer.

Regression from last season

Son Heung Min is not the only Korean star to have struggled this season. His teammate Hwang Hee Chan has also suffered a serious loss of form for Wolverhampton.

Hwang Hee Chan struggles with injuries this season - Photo: REUTERS

From being a mainstay of the "Wolves", Hwang was only allowed to start 5 times in the Premier League this season, besides 15 appearances from the bench. As a result, Hwang Hee Chan only scored 2 goals.

Meanwhile, the most expensive Korean star at the moment, Kim Min Jae, has had a relatively stable season at Bayern Munich.

Kim has made 42 appearances (all starts) for Bayern Munich in all competitions, being the team's second-best centre-back after Upamecano.

However, Kim Min Jae is often criticized by local fans for making mistakes. Overall, the Korean midfielder has not shown himself worthy of the 50 million euros Bayern Munich spent to buy him from Napoli.

Another star who promised to explode this season, but then disappointed, was Lee Kang In. The young Korean midfielder was brought in by PSG after parting ways with Messi and Neymar.

Of course, expecting a Korean player to replace Messi is unreasonable. In his first season, Lee Kang In scored 5 goals in 36 appearances.

In the second season, the Korean player promises to have more room to perform when Mbappe also leaves the team.

But then PSG brought in Doue and Kvaratskhelia - players who were stronger, faster and more skillful than Lee Kang In. As a result, the Korean star played the role of super sub.

In the Champions League, Lee Kang In only started 4 matches, all in the group stage. He even "disappeared", not playing a single official minute in the knockout stage.

Lee Kang In is not good enough to get a starting position at PSG - Photo: REUTERS

The last time Lee Kang In scored a goal for PSG was in November. In the whole season, he only scored 6 goals, all in unimportant matches.

In Lee Kang In's case, he simply wasn't good enough. As for the other three stars, their decline stemmed from injuries.

Hwang Hee Chan has suffered two serious injuries this season, forcing him to sit out for two months and miss at least 11 games for Wolverhampton. After each injury, the Korean striker has lost his form.

Similarly, Son Heung Min suffered 4 injuries, and this is the season he has suffered the most injuries in his career.

Meanwhile, Kim Min Jae, although playing as a center back, has suffered 5 injuries since joining Bayern Munich, including 2 relatively serious injuries this season.

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mua-giai-tham-hoa-cua-cac-sieu-sao-han-quoc-20250512120123659.htm