The wait is over.
Tottenham captain Son Heung-Min can finally call himself a legend, even if it's only for a day. After a decade with Spurs, he has led the club to long-awaited glory, lifting their first European trophy in over four decades.
On Thursday morning in Bilbao, Tottenham Hotspur claimed an historic 1–0 victory over Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League final, thanks to a first-half goal from Brennan Johnson. This marks the club’s first major title since 2008, and their second European trophy, following their 1984 UEFA Cup triumph.
For Son, it’s a personal milestone too, as it's his first piece of silverware since winning the Asian Games with South Korea in 2018.
When asked if he now considers himself a legend, Son smiled and said:
“Let’s just say I’m a legend, just for today.
“Today feels amazing. It’s a dream come true. I’m the happiest man in the world.
"The last seven days I was dreaming about this game every single day. It finally happened and I can sleep easy now and I can enjoy it."
When asked about how he felt about the criticisms towards the team and manager Ange Postecoglou during the bumpy domestic season. Son responded that he "does not care".
"I don’t care what people say. They’ll always criticise us," he said.
Reflecting on his relationship with Postecoglou, Son shared a full-circle moment of him and the Australian manager.
"Ten years ago, he beat me in the Asian Cup. Now, we’ve won this together. What can I say? I’m grateful to have this manager."
He went on to highlight the team’s unity through down times.
"When you look at the whole season, there were always some situations where you're having a tough time, but we as players always stuck together," he said.
"The young players always stepped up. I always tried to give them good advice, speak positively. I'm very lucky I have such an amazing group of players with me."
When asked about what the fans could expect from the team in the future, the Spurs captain answered.
"This [the Europa League] is a big one to change the environment and mentality," he added.
"Next season will be an even bigger competition.
"So we will just got to be ready for big challenges and we all will be ready."