Chuncheon ( South Korea ) ( AFP ) –

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The south korean headliner leading Tottenham Hotspur ‘s charge for a place in the Champions League concluding had a unique football breeding. But that was only one component of his achiever, his brother told AFP. Striker Son Heung-min, 26, has been instrumental in Spurs ‘ run to the semi-finals of Europe ‘s top club contest, scoring three times over two legs against Manchester City to reach the last four. But he was suspended for the first gear stage of the trailer truck, a 1-0 dwelling frustration to Ajax, and will be all-important to their efforts in the Netherlands on Wednesday, despite picking up a cranky Premier League red card at the weekend. Around 8,500 kilometres ( 5,300 miles ) off, his elder buddy and boyfriend hitter Son Heung-yun — three years his senior — will be watching closely. For years, the two boys were trained by their founder, Son Woong-jung, a early professional football player who aimed to take his sons to the top with a stern and discipline regimen. “ Everything we did revolved around football, ” said Heung-yun. “ Our don told us we had to go to bed early to play football and that we had to eat well to play football. “ He constantly said that liveliness was brusque and we should do things we liked and when we did, we should pursue it to the degree of going a short bit crazy about it. ” Renowned for concentrating on ball skills and not allowing them to shoot or join a team — where they might be distracted by trying besides hard to win games — their father laid a foundation for the rising Son. The brothers would exchange glances as they endured the hood day by day sessions. Heung-yun remembers training one New Year ‘s Day on a snow-clad draw in bitter cold as a 13-year-old. Before he knew it, he covered his ears with his hands, alone for his father — who was showing his sons how to dribble — to turn rear and immediately berate him, as he much did when he felt they were not trying their best. “ We were raised identical ruffianly, ” said Heung-yun, who as a player merely reached the fifth grade of german club rival but nowadays coaches at the SON Football Academy run by his father. “ Some of our neighbours even doubted he was our real church father. ” – Fermented cabbage – Both boys looked astir to their father — who spent hours picking up the tiniest pebbles on a soil fortune before his sons came for exercise — and took his words as “ jurisprudence ”.

But the older brother frequently clashed with their father, taking after his hot temper, while Heung-min accepted everything that was thrown at him. “ even when he was reprimanded by our father, Heung-min was able to shake it off and smile, ” Heung-yun told AFP. Son ‘s transformation from korean hopeful to European leading was catalysed by the youth academy at Hamburg SV, which he joined aged 16, leaving school to do indeed in a highly strange decisiveness backed by his father. But it started inauspiciously. soon after Heung-min arrived in Germany, he called his syndicate to say he was missing them and even kimchi, the ferment pilfer serve that is a pillar of the Korean table. “ He never very like kimchi but he was crying and said he wanted to eat kimchi and missed our class, ” Heung-yun said, noting his brother besides had to face linguistic process barriers and racism. He told Heung-min he had to overcome the difficulties — and in the consequence the entire family moved to Hamburg to support the youngest son. – ‘Desire to win ‘ – In elementary school Heung-min snacked on junk food and was quite chubby, his brother said, but was constantly determined to make it as a football player. “ He had a strong sense of aim, ” added Kwon Soon-young, Son ‘s home room teacher in middle school. “ He tried to learn English and kept a journal where he wrote that he will achieve his dream as a football player. ” Son was bright and friendly and known as a happy kid, says his brother, but adds that he was always identical competitive. “ When we were young, we played video recording games a lot and Heung-min is quite good and we both hated misplace so we would exercise television games on our own, ” he said. But ultimately, he added : “ Both Heung-min and I shared the finish of joining the national team, and in that sense I did not succeed while Heung-min did. ”

Heung-min was seen in floods of tears after the Taeguk Warriors lost to Mexico at last year ‘s World Cup, paving the way for their first-round elimination. His brother had been “ crying from anger ”, his brother said. “ I think you need to have that much desire to win. ”
? 2019 AFP