Spurs: Heung-Min Son is no longer football’s “nice guy”

Once thought of as football’s “nice guy”, Heung-Min Son’s ridiculous accrual of red cards in 2019 has tarnished his reputation in world football.

‘The smiling assassin’, ‘the friendliest man in football’, ‘the player that nobody can hate’ – these were once nicknames for Spurs forward Heung-Min Son, who has seen a rapid rise to relevancy over the last few years, becoming one of the best wingers in world football. However, these nicknames are fading now, with multiple on-the-pitch incidents masking his off-the-pitch personality and lifestyle.

Of course, one of the more publicized incidents in the Premier League this year was the injury Andre Gomes suffered when Spurs met Everton in early November, where Son’s malicious attempted challenge from behind sent the Portuguese international stumbling into Serge Aurier, which caused a horrific injury. Son received a red card for that challenge, and while the card was rescinded and he was clearly distraught by what had just happened, the Spurs forward was unnecessarily let off the hook by football fans.

His challenge was still malicious and didn’t have any sort of intent to get the ball, yet because he technically wasn’t the one to break Gomes’ leg, football fans sympathized with the Korean, maybe even more than they did with Gomes.

While that incident did put a few people off when it comes to Son’s character and how likeable he actually is, what occurred during Spurs’ match against Chelsea on Sunday put everything in doubt, as Son received yet another red card, this time for aiming a kick at Antonio Rudiger’s chest while stumbling onto the ground.

One malicious incident on its own can be forgotten, but 2 red-card worthy offences in the span of 2 months put question marks over Son’s character, and pretty much eradicates the “nicest guy in football” tags that he has been given over the last few years. He has now been red-carded 3 times this calendar year, the first player to earn that feat since Lee Cattermole in 2010.

Ultimately, your true character comes out when engaged in the pressure and heat of a sporting clash, and Son’s character over the last calendar year has been disgraceful on the pitch – he can no longer be considered the nicest man in football.