Emotional Son Heung-min farewell topped off by 7’2″ MMA legend
Son Heung-min’s last outing in a Tottenham shirt had all of the emotion you’d count on – nevertheless it additionally featured a hilarious second that solely Korea might ship.
The Spurs legend performed 65 minutes in a 1–1 draw with Newcastle United in a pre-season pleasant in Seoul, marking the top of a glittering 10-year profession with the membership. As he left the sphere, Son was given a touching guard of honour by each units of gamers and was visibly moved, wiping away tears in entrance of an adoring residence crowd.
After greater than 450 appearances, numerous targets, and a long-awaited European trophy, the 33-year-old is now set to affix MLS facet Los Angeles FC.
However earlier than the intense farewells got here the surreal.
A day previous to the match, Son and his Spurs teammates had been handled to a cultural welcome within the South Korean capital, the place they met native superstar – and literal large – Choi Hong-man. The previous MMA fighter, generally known as the “Korean Colossus,” stands 7’2″ and weighs in at 160kg.
Naturally, he put that hulking body to work by choosing up Son and cradling him like a toddler, a lot to the ahead’s amusement. Choi later play-fought with different Spurs gamers, locking Pape Matar Sarr in a bearhug and leaving Richarlison visibly surprised by his sheer dimension.
A staple of the Ok-1 and MMA scene within the 2000s, Choi famously fought heavyweight icons Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko Cro Cop, and was even briefly lined as much as face Brock Lesnar earlier than a medical challenge scrapped the bout.
Together with his towering body and wrestling background, it’s tempting to think about Choi Hong-man giving soccer a go himself. He won’t have the finesse of Son, however at 7’2″, he’d be unstoppable within the air – simply think about attempting to mark him at a nook.
Peter Crouch, eat your coronary heart out.
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