Tottenham’s in-form star endured a tough start at former club, Hamburg.
In-form Tottenham Hotspur star Heung-min Son has explained via the Telegraph how a former White Hart Lane favourite helped him through a difficult spell at Hamburg.
Son, who was tipped to leave Tottenham during the summer transfer window, has overcome his early Spurs struggles to score five goals in seven outings this season.
Before then, Son impressed at Tuesday’s Champions League opponents Bayer Leverkusen, having initially moved to German football with Hamburg at the age of 16.
At the start of his Volksparkstadion career, the South Korean found himself afflicted by homesickness, but described how a conversation with former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy gave him the confidence he needed to find success with the Red Shorts.
Van Nistelrooy wasn’t the only Dutchman with advice for Son, however, after Rafael van der Vaart returned to Hamburg, with whom he had spent three seasons before leaving for Real Madrid, following a two-year spell at White Hart Lane.
“He came and helped me,” Son said, as quoted by the Telegraph. “He told me more about English football and how tough it was. I was only young. I listened to him and tried to learn from what he was saying.”
Van der Vaart proved a popular figure at Tottenham, and was a key member of the last Spurs side to appear in the Champions League before this one.
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