A casual football fan might not be aware of the other side of Son Heung-min. He is the famous son of Son Woong-jung, a retired footballer turned manager who once played for the South Korea national B team. Like many football celebrities of today, Son began his journey as a ball boy, always picking up loose balls for FC Seoul at home games as far back as 2008. One man who contributed significantly to his success in professional football is his agent, Thies Bliemeister. So determined to make Son a success in Europe, Bliemeister learned German by watching episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants.
In this article, you’ll learn about Son Heung-min’s service to his country, even as a professional footballer. During the suspension of football due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Son used the time to complete South Korea’s mandatory military service. Although he was exempted from full military service after winning his first gold medal at the memorable Asian Games, he still had to undergo basic military training. Did you know that he completed his basic training with the Armed Forces of his country -the Republic of South Korea Marine Corps in Jeju from April to May 2020, finishing in the top five out of 157 trainees? Additionally, Son is dedicated to giving back to humanity. He, along with his father and brother, opened the Son Soccer Academy in his South Korean hometown of Chuncheon. This academy, built at a cost of £11 million, was primarily funded by Son himself.
This article on Son Heung-min’s biography goes beyond his career stats, delving into notable events from his childhood years, when he first fell in love with football. It explores the role of his parents in nurturing his career, his close-knit family background, love life, lifestyle, and personality. Now, let’s dive into the heart of his story.
Hidden Side of Son Heung-min: Upbringing, Military Service & More
Preamble:
This life story of Son Heung-min takes you from his boyhood days to his rise to fame in the world of football. To spark your interest in his journey, we’ve created a gallery showcasing his childhood to adulthood, providing the perfect introduction to our version of Son Heung-min’s biography. Son Heung-min’s life journey is truly remarkable.
The Biography of Son Heung-min. – Behold his Early Life and Rise.
Yes, fans are aware of the winger’s versatility and his ability to use both feet equally well. However, not many soccer enthusiasts have read a detailed version of Son Heung-min’s biography that provides a complete picture of him. Without further ado, let’s begin.
Son Heung-min Childhood Story:
For Biography starters, Son Heung-min was born on the 8th day of July 1992 in Chuncheon, the capital city of South Korea’s Gangwon. Son is the second of two children born to his mother, Eun Ja Kil and his father, Son Woong-Jung.
One of Son Heung-min’s earliest known childhood photos.
Young Son grew up at his birthplace in Chuncheon. It was in the city that he had a sporty childhood and productive teenage years alongside his only sibling & older brother – Heung-Yun Son.
Growing-up years:
Spending his childhood at Chuncheon, Son began playing football as soon as he learnt how to walk. Thanks to the sport, Son had no interest in playing computer games or having toys around him.
Son Heung-min Family background:
At some point in the football prodigy’s childhood, his dad – Son Woong-Jung did ask whether he really had sights set on having a career in football. Son’s reply was “yes” and his dad was glad to train him.
Training the youngster was not hard for Son Woong-Jung. This was largely due to the fact that he was a one-time professional footballer.
As such, he drew on his past experiences in training Son alongside his older brother. On her part, Son’s mom was happy to watch and take care of her boys after each tiring training session.
How Career Football Started for Son Heung-min:
Speaking of the tiring training sessions, did you know that Son and his older brother were diligently made to practice the basics of football for no fewer than 6 hours every day of the week?
In addition, the youngsters were given 4 hours of non-stop Keepy Uppies (also known as Juggling).
In fact, they often saw three balls through tired red bloodshot eyes after about three hours of the activity. Apparently, Son Heung-min’s dad (an athlete) was the brain behind pushing his children.
Son Heung-min Biography – Early Years in Football:
By the time Son was 14 years old, his dad had given him the freedom to begin playing matches.
In other words, Son was not free to play competitive games until he was 14 years old because his dad had the belief that the activity does ruin the potential of young athletes by overworking their muscles.
Thanks to being a fast learner – in addition to having a good foundation of football basics, Son had no problems fitting into the youth systems of Hamburger SV’s youth academy after joining the German side in November 2009.
Road To Fame Story:
Thereafter, Son’s career began recording progress in leaps and bounds, especially after Hamburger SV gave him his first professional contract on the day of his birthday in July 2010.
The ambitious lad went on to spend two more years with Hamburger before clinching a record move to Bayer Leverkusen in 2013. It was at the club that Son left eye-catching marks just within two years.
This drew interest from many clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur, to which Son lent his signature to.
He was ‘Son-sational’ at Bayer Leverkusen.
Son Heung-min Bio – Rise To Fame Story:
When Son officially set foot on good old White Hart Lane in September 2015, he had just one famous feat to his credit.
It was none other than for being the most expensive Asian player in football history at the time.
Riding on the wave of fans’ expectations and personal ambition, the winger put up an excellent run that helped him make a good impression in his first two seasons for the English Side.
Son went on to become the top Asian goalscorer in Premier League history in his third season.
Not long after, he became the highest-scoring Asian player in the history of the Champions League during his fourth season.
Fast forward to the time of writing this Sonny’s Biography, he is seen as one of Tottenham’s valuable assets as well as the greatest South Korean to have played the game in Europe. Whichever way fortune tilts for him, the rest, as they say, would always be history.
He ranks among the best Asian players who have played the game in Europe.
Son is indeed a role model to Asian footballers who came to taste premier league football in England years after he did.
They include the likes of Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal), Hwang hee Chan (Wolves) amongst others. The rest of Son’s Bio is about history.
Love Life:
Records made available to us show that Son is single at the time of writing but has two women in his dating history.
They include Korean pop stars Bang Min-ah and Yoo So-young. However, it is certain that the winger and Bang Min-ah are history.
The same cannot be said of his relationship with Yoo So-young because the duo are masters of the art of keeping their relationship private.
The women who made it to Son Heung-min’s love life. Bang Min-ah (top left) and Yoo So-young (bottom right).
Above all, it would take a while before Son makes a wife out of any of his known or unknown love interests. Son did once reveal that he is following his dad’s advice to fulfil his football dreams.
According to Son, his dad did advise him to focus entirely on his career and avoid having a wife or kids because they would not be in his best interest until retirement.
Son Heung-min Family Facts:
Heung-min’s childhood story will always be of great inspiration to aspiring footballers, all thanks to his family, who made it possible. We bring you facts about Son Heung-min’s family members, beginning with his parents.
About Son Heung-min’s father:
Son Woong-Jung is a father, coach, and friend to the football genius. He was born on the 10th of June 1962.
The father of two had a significant career playing professional football in South Korea before his career was cut short by an injury when he was only 28.
He has ever since taught aspiring football players in eastern Gangwon Province and has what it takes to join the Tottenham football club coaching staff in the near future.
Son Heung Min with his father.
About Son Heung-min’s mother:
Eun Ja Kil is the parent from whom Son got 75% of his cute looks. Like most supportive moms, Eun Ja Kil has always been there for her children.
She is proud of how far Son has come in professional football and wishes him the very best in his endeavours.
Son Heung-min with his mother.
About Son Heung-min’s sibling:
Son has no sisters but an older brother who goes by the name Heung-Yun Son. Like Son, Heung-Yun had an extensive career building (basics of football) under the tutelage of his dad before he began featuring in competitive games.
He was last known to be at the German side – SV Halstenbek in 2013. Since then, not much is known about his less illustrious career in football.
Son Heung-min with his older brother.
About Son Heung-min’s relatives:
Moving on to Son Heung-min’s ancestry and family roots, there aren’t records of his grandparents. Similarly, details of his ethnicity are quite sketchy.
In addition, the winger’s uncles, aunts and cousins are not known, and he is yet to reveal his nieces and nephews.
Son Heung-min Personal Life:
Away from Son Heung-min’s family life and his on-pitch persona for tormenting opposition defences, opinions and facts regarding Son’s off-pitch persona paint him as a likeable individual who is caring, resilient, ambitious, emotionally intelligent and ambitious.
The versatile winger, whose Zodiac Sign is Cancer, regularly engages in a number of activities that many have come to regard as his interests and hobbies.
They include travelling, working out, playing video games, watching movies and having a good time with his family and friends.
Playing video games, especially COD, is one of Son’s hobbies.
Lifestyle:
When it comes to Son Heung-min’s finances, did you know he had an estimated net worth of $55.8 million as of 2024?
Most of Son’s wealth comes from his salaries, wages, and bonuses from playing first-team football. However, many people are unaware that he also earns a significant income from endorsements. This additional income allows him to acquire assets like cars and houses.
Despite choosing to live with his parents in a three-bedroom apartment in Hampstead, Son’s garage is filled with numerous exotic rides he uses to navigate the streets of London.
The football genius is like many top footballers who have collections of fancy rides.
Son Heung-min Facts:
To wrap up our Son Heung-min’s childhood story and biography, here are little-known or lesser-known facts about him.
Did you know?… The average South Korean citizen who earns around 9,800,000 KRW would need to work for about seven years and eight months to make what Son Heung-min earns in a month.
Military exemption:
Like his South Korean national teammate (Kim Min-jae), including Mo Salah, Son was able to earn an exemption from participating in South Korea’s compulsory 21 months of military service by leading South Korea to win gold at the Asian Games in 2018.
However, he did complete a mandatory four-week basic military training course in May 2020. The short basic service is meant for young Koreans who have earned an exemption from the nearly two-year service.
Photo of Son Heung Min on completion of his Military training.
Did we mention that he was an award-winning trainee? Yes, he was.
Influence:
Son’s rise to prominence has done well to inspire the rise of a number of South Korean football talents to compete professionally in European Football. Notable among them is Lee Kang-in, who plies his trade as a midfielder for Valencia.
Fifa Rating:
The big names we know in football (like Argentine Lionel Messi, French Kylian Mbappe, Belgian Kevin De Bruyne, etc) have excellent ratings that justify why they are seen as big. Son is no exception, with his excellent overall FIFA rating of 87 points.
However, fans do believe that he deserves an extra point to level up with Raheem Sterling who boasts of 88 points. Son’s FIFA stats show an above-average attacking prowess – as seen in that of Hwang Ui-jo and Hwang Hee-chan, his international teammates.
EndNote:
Thank you for reading this insightful biography of Son Heung-min. We strive for accuracy and fairness in our daily efforts to deliver the biographies and childhood stories of South Korean footballers.
Stay tuned for more biographies of South Korean footballers; the life history of Cho Gue-sung is sure to excite you. If you notice anything that seems off in this article, please contact us. Otherwise, we welcome your comments on our write-up and your thoughts on the South Korean footballer.
