Son Heung-min has been awarded South Korea’s highest sporting honour after the Tottenham forward became the first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot.
The 29-year-old was given the Cheongnyong Medal by President Yoon Suk-yeol before South Korea’s friendly against Brazil at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Thursday.
Son, dressed in a dark suit, walked into the packed stadium as the crowd cheered, with a banner reading: “We are living in the era of world-class Son Heung-min.”
Spectators roared as the President clipped the medal on Son’s chest. Previous recipients of the medal include two-time Olympic gold medallist figure skater Yuna Kim and golfer Pak Se-ri.
Son last month shared the Golden Boot with Mohamed Salah of Liverpool after both scored 23 Premier League goals in the recently concluded season.
