SON HEUNG-MIN fought back the tears as he bid an emotional goodbye to Tottenham.
The South Korean superstar’s contract with north Londoners is set to expire next summer.
REUTERSSon Heung-Min has left Tottenham after ten years[/caption]
The South Korean superstar announced his departure at a press conference in SeoulAFP
Son broke down in tears after being hit by a wave of emotionAFP
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But the 33-year-old, with the blessing of Daniel Levy, has opted to move on to pastures new – just over two months after helping end the club’s 17-year trophy drought.
An emotional Son said at the start of a press conference:” I’ve decided to leave the club in the summer.
“And respectfully, the club is helping me with my decision.
“So I just want to share this information before we start the press conference.”
Fan favourite Son joined Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2015 in a deal worth £22million.
The forward has loved every minute of his time with the club, but believes now is the right time for a new challenge.
He said: “It was the most difficult decision of my football career.
“I’ve been here ten years at a beautiful club with beautiful fans and having such amazing memories.
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GETTYSon Heung-Min leaves Spurs just over two months after lifting the Europa League[/caption]
“And after all that, it was so hard to make this decision. But as I said, I feel like I need a new environment and to push myself.
“And to get more of me, I feel like I need a little bit of change. Ten years is a lot of time when you’re thinking about it.
He added: “I came to London as a kid. 23 years old, a very young age, [and] a young boy came to London who even didn’t speak English.
“And [I’m] leaving this club as a grown man. This is a very, very proud moment.
“So I just wanna say thank you to all of the Spurs fans that gave me so much love.
“I felt like it was my home. But yeah, it was, it was one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever made.”
Son leaves the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium having skippered the club to Europa League glory in May.
And he admits now is the perfect time to bring the curtain down on the Tottenham chapter of his career.
It was the most difficult decision of my football career.”
Son Heung-Min on leaving Tottenham
“The goodbye is always also in a good timing,” he said. “But I think it’s the right time to make this decision.
“I hope that everybody understands my decision and I hope that everybody respects that.”
Son – who is understood to be on the radar of Los Angeles FC – leaves Spurs as the club’s fourth all-time leading goalscorer with 173 goals and 454 appearances.
New Spurs boss Thomas Frank said of his departure: “I would have loved to have worked with this fantastic person and player.
“He is a true Spurs legend in every aspect, one of the greatest players to play in the Premier League.
“It is never easy to find the perfect timing and me coming in from the side, it makes it a bit easier to end on a high.”
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