In 2008, the year he turned 16, he went to Germany through the Korea Football Association’s overseas study program and joined Hamburg’s youth academy. In 2009, he scored three goals at the FIFA U-17 World Cup and reached the quarterfinals.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 18, he made his first-team debut for Hamburg and scored in his Bundesliga debut two days later. In December he also made his international debut against Syria.
In 2011, he scored his first international goal against India at the Asian Cup. He scored 12 Bundesliga goals in the 2012-13 season, which began that August.
In 2013, he moved to Bayer Leverkusen, and that November he scored his first hat-trick against his former club Hamburg. In 2014, he played in his first World Cup and scored against Algeria. In 2015, he transferred to Tottenham Hotspur.
In 2016, he went to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics as a wild card, and the team stopped at the quarterfinals. In 2017, a goal against Leicester City passed Cha Bum-kun’s record for goals in a European season after 31 years. In 2018, he scored in the World Cup win over Germany, and in September he captained the team to Asian Games gold, which exempted him from military service.
In 2019, he reached the Champions League final but lost to Liverpool, and in December he ran about 70m alone to score against Burnley. In 2020, he finished Marine Corps basic training in first place, and in December he won the FIFA Puskas Award for the Burnley goal. In January 2021, he reached 100 goals for Tottenham.
The year he turned 30, he became the first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot. In November he had eye socket surgery and still played at the World Cup in a mask, reaching the round of 16. In 2023, he passed 100 Premier League goals and became Tottenham captain. In 2024, he captained South Korea at the Asian Cup, which ended in the semifinals.
In 2025, he won his first trophy as a professional with the Europa League and moved to LAFC in the summer. In October, his 137th international match set the record for a Korean player. In 2026, he captained South Korea at his fourth World Cup, which ended in the group stage.
Son Heung-min (born Jul 8, 1992) made his Hamburg first-team debut on Oct 28, 2010, the year he turned 18, and became known two days later by scoring in his Bundesliga debut. In 2022, the year he turned 30, he became the first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.