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'National treasure': S Korea cheers Son Heung-min after Tottenham win

Joel Guinto
BBC News
Getty Images Tottenham captain Son Heung-min holds the Europa League trophy after his team's win against Manchester United in SpainGetty Images
Son has won the first silverware of his senior career

South Koreans are celebrating Tottenham captain Son Heung-min after he led the Spurs to its first trophy in 17 years.

Many said they felt a deep sense of pride when they saw Korea's flag draped around the 32-year-old, shortly after Tottenham won the Europa League championship in Spain on Wednesday, with one online saying they "almost burst into tears" and another calling him a "national treasure".

Son has said the win made him feel like a "legend" and the "happiest man in the world".

It was also the first piece of silverware of Son's senior career. He has never won anything in with Hamburg or Bayer Leverkusen, nor with South Korea's international team.

"The scene of you holding the trophy while wearing the Taegeukgi (flag) was deeply moving," read one comment on Naver News, South Korea's largest news aggregate website.

"It was obviously a team effort abut I'm so proud of him achieving these results. He worked so hard for it," said another comment.

Son thanked South Korean fans who stayed up late to watch the game live from Spain, which is behind South Korea by seven hours.

He apologised for "taking so long" to finally win a trophy.

"I hope those who don't like me will come to like me more because of this trophy," he told South Korean television.

Son recently filed a criminal complaint with the South Korean police against a woman who claimed she was pregnant with his child and allegedly tried to blackmail him.

Many referenced the fact that he had managed to set his personal drama aside on the field, saying he "didn't let it affect him".

Son's win comes as South Korea is weeks away from a snap election to replace its former president, Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached for declaring martial law in December. That plunged the country deep in political uncertainty.

The country also recently saw unprecedented wildfires destroy ancient temples and kill over two dozen people.

One commenter summed it up by saying: "These days, politics, economy... everything has been frustrating, but Son Heung-min is a breath of fresh air."