‘Captain’ Son Heung-min (31-Tottenham)’s leadership is no longer about goals and assists. He’s about to make Tottenham history with an assist, too.
On Nov. 11, Son started and scored in Tottenham’s 4-1 home win over Newcastle United in the 16th round of the English Premier League (EPL) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.
Playing on the left wing, Son was the star of the show with three attacking points (one goal and two assists).
He’s known for being a fixer, but he was also a helper. Local media also praised Son for his all-around game.
Sky Sports in the U.K. highlighted that Son has recorded a goal and an assist in 25 games since debuting in a Tottenham shirt in the EPL in the 2015-2016 season, second only to fellow South Korean Muhammad Salah (Liverpool-27 games) in that category.
Son’s ability to keep his teammates alive is now reflected in his cumulative EPL record. He has 56 assists (113 goals) in 284 games, tied for 29th on the list with living legend Eric Cantona. He needs just eight more assists to break into the top 20.
Along with Son’s stellar performance, there was some lightheartedness on social media. It was claimed that Son had overtaken his former teammate Christian Eriksen (Manchester United) to become Tottenham’s all-time leader in assists, but unfortunately, this was not the case.
Transfermarkt, a frequently cited source for records, got it wrong this time. The outlet listed Son as having 84 career assists for Tottenham, while Eriksen’s total was 82.
It turns out that TransferMarkt overcounted Son’s EPL assists with 62, six more than the official site (56). This happened because the German site added indirect help, which is not recognized by the EPL.
It’s not uncommon for different companies to have different thresholds for recording assists. Opta, a sports statistics company, also differed, listing Son as having 79 career assists for Tottenham. Eriksen has 82 assists, according to both companies.
However, it is clear that Son will surpass Eriksen’s record in the near future and become Tottenham’s all-time assist leader. While Son (78) continues to make history at Tottenham, Eriksen’s Tottenham record (82) has already stood still. With the departure of his best friend Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, the Spurs captain’s place in the club’s history is increasingly secure.