Son Heung-min named Tottenham's captain

Son Heung-min has been named the captain of Tottenham Hotspur.

The Premier League club made the announcement on their website Saturday (London time), as Son, 31, takes over from goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who had first captained Spurs in the 2014-2015 season and then was named the skipper for the start of the 2015-2016 campaign. Son began his Spurs tenure in that same season after arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.

Sonny, as he's affectionately called, won the Premier League Golden Boot in the 2021-2022 season with a career-high 23 goals, becoming the first Asian player to lead the top English league in scoring. Last season, Son became the first Asian to reach 100 career goals in the Premier League.

Son is also a longtime captain of the South Korean national team.

"It's such a big honor to captain this huge club," Son told the team. "It was a big surprise and a very proud moment. I've already said to the players that everyone should feel like a captain, on and off the pitch. It's a new season, a fresh start, and I will give everything for this shirt and this armband."

Spurs will open their first season under new head coach Ange Postecoglou on Sunday against Brentford.

"Sonny has great leadership qualities, both on and off the pitch, and is the ideal choice to become our new captain," Postecoglou said. "Everyone knows he is a world-class player, and he has enormous respect from everyone in the dressing room. He transcends groups within the squad. That's not just because he's popular -- it's because of what he has achieved in the game, both here and as captain of South Korea." (Yonhap)