There was a child who was the envy of Korean soccer fans. Son Heung-min (Tottenham) was the center of attention on social media.
Son posted a message on his social media after the 14th round of the 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) match between Manchester City and Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, on Wednesday afternoon (local time). Son had a goal and an assist in the 3-3 draw. Tottenham snapped a three-game losing streak. Son was named the game's official Man of the Match. Tottenham, in particular, showed great heart and determination to pull off a dramatic draw despite being down and out.
Heung-min said on social media, "We are a team of fighters. In today's game, we showed ourselves by fighting together until the final whistle. This is the most important point in a tough game," and posted several photos. Heung-min shared his joy with his teammates and even did his signature 'click' gesture. The last photo caught our eye. A young South Korean fan was wearing a headband that read "I can only see you, Son Heung-min" and mimicking his signature gesture. He winked as he mimicked the 'click' gesture with his fern-like hands. Interest in the child fan poured in. Social media users and fans expressed envy and admiration, saying, "He should have a KakaoTalk profile picture for the rest of his life," "He's a successful dork," and "He's a family honor." They called him "Son Heung-min's click pose kid fan." Who is this kid?
After the game, we searched on social media to find out who this kid was. Many users offered their help. And we got in touch. They arranged to meet through social media. On the afternoon of the fifth day at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, we met the young fan at the stadium cafe after the stadium tour.
▶Hwang Yong-woon loves Son Heung-min and Korean soccer
The main character was Mr. Hwang Yong-woon, a fourth grader at Jamshin Elementary School in Seoul. Born in 2013 and now 10 years old, he was on a soccer trip with his father, Mr. Hwang Sung-jin. They arrived in Manchester, England on the 2nd, the day before the Man City game. Hwang and his father are well-known soccer fans. In particular, Hwang is known as "Dr. Soccer" at school and at home. He is an avid soccer fan who watches not only the EPL but also K League and national team soccer. When his father travels abroad on business, he asks for the jerseys of famous players from the team. She even knows the names of players her father doesn't recognize. For this winter's soccer trip, he got a passport in October and flew to England in the cold of December. He attended two EPL matches and toured stadiums of famous teams. To document his travels, he created a YouTube channel (Son Heung-min's Chalk Pose Little Fan) and social media accounts. He's gathered a following.
The photo of Mr. Huang was a "press photo" taken by a photographer in the stadium. When asked how he was captured, Mr. Huang's wit shone through.
"I was lucky enough to get a seat for Tottenham's away fans, which was in the front row. I got there early and was taking pictures. I was wearing a headband that my mom made for me that said, 'Only you can see Son Heung-min,' and when the photographers saw that, they suddenly started taking pictures of me, so I did the Son Heung-min player 'snapshot serenade,' and I think that's what got me in the picture."
The game against Man City was a classic. It was also Hwang's first 'intuition'.
"It was my first Premier League intuition. We scored the first goal, we conceded the equalizer, we came back, and I thought we were going to lose again. I was despairing that we were going to lose four games in a row. I was so happy to see Kluczewski score the header, and I was expecting a comeback. It ended 3-3, but I think it was a great game. It was very good." 안전토토사이트
▶Waking up to a buzz
After the game, Huang and his father headed back to Sokso, washed up, and went to sleep. At this point, they didn't realize it would be an issue, but the next day, at dawn, Huang and his father woke up early. They hadn't adjusted to the time difference yet. There was a fire on KakaoTalk. Acquaintances posted "urgent news.
"I woke up to my wife, relatives, coworkers, and other acquaintances sending me KakaoTalk messages. When I checked, there were articles and congratulatory messages everywhere," says his father, Hwang Sung-jin, laughing.
Hwang's son, Gun, got the news soon after.
"I was looking at social media and my dad suddenly showed it to me, saying, 'Awesome!' I didn't think it was going to be on the news when I took the picture, but it happened, and I'm very nervous because it's the first time I've ever done something like this."
He's also gotten a lot of calls from friends. "I've gotten a lot of messages from friends saying, 'You're so famous. How do you feel about it?" he says.
Hwang and his father will fly back on the night of the 10th. They had originally planned to watch the West Ham and Newcastle games, but the Newcastle game was rescheduled from the 9th to the 10th. They will only have to watch the West Ham game on the 7th. It was the finale of Mr. Huang's soccer trip.
Before the final game, Huang was determined. He called for Son Heung-min's propaganda.
"Son Heung-min. Don't be nervous and do your best like a captain. I'm rooting for you in the Asian Cup."
He added one more thing.
"When I heard you were going to be interviewed, my friend asked me to tell you that he is my best friend. My best friend is Kim Haram."
The innocence of a 10-year-old made my dad smile.
