Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min has opened up about a memorable "telling off" from former manager Jose Mourinho that left him "so upset" in front of his teammates.
The South Korean forward, a key figure for Tottenham since 2015, shared the incident during an interview with EAFC.
Son, who was named club captain after Hugo Lloris's move to LAFC last summer, recalled how Mourinho's outburst during a game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium affected him deeply.
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The shocking outburst of Jose Mourinho
Son explained that Mourinho criticized him harshly in front of the whole squad during a match. "One time Mourinho told me off during the game.
[He said] 'I don't think you want to be in a game with a team like Burnley or Stoke (rough game)' in front of all the players and I was so upset about it, I'm not even an 18-19-year-old to be treated like that," Son said.
Despite being shaken by the incident, Son later received an apology from Mourinho via text.
The message read, "I know you understand that it wasn't my intention to target and hurt you. But I need to make sure that other players are not being lazy, and I need to show them by telling off the best player in the team, and for me, that player is you." This explanation helped Son understand the situation and feel better.
Son has been a standout player for Spurs, scoring 162 goals in 408 matches. He will next be seen in action on August 10 in a pre-season friendly against Bayern Munich, under the guidance of new coach Ange Postecoglou. Tottenham’s 2024-25 season kicks off on August 19 against newly promoted Leicester City.
