THE ANSWERS WITH...SON HEUNG-MIN

The affable South Korean football star on positive thinking and seeking happiness.

- Alvin Wong

IT IS HARD not to be charmed by Son Heung-min. Cheekily referred to by the media as “the world’s second most dangerous Korean” for his goal-scoring abilities, the 30-year-old appears to be the complete package.

A seven-time Asian Footballer of the Year, Son is one of the continent’s most successful sporting exports. Besides captaining the South Korean football team, he also enjoys onpitch success with English Premier League club, Tottenham Hotspur. In the league’s 2021/2022 season, he took home the Golden Boot award as the competition’s joint-top goal scorer—the first Asian to do so. This year, he became the first Asian (again) in the same league to score 100 goals.

Stellar track record aside, Son is endowed with boyish good looks, a ripped physique and celebrity stature—all wrapped up in humility and geniality. All these naturally make Son a marketing dream; a highly sought-after figure for ambassadorships from fashion brands like Burberry and Calvin Klein as well as corporates like AIA Singapore. And from the moment Son addressed the media at the unveiling of his appointment as AIA Singapore’s spokesperson in London in January—“Thank you all for flying 14 hours to come see me,” he smiled and bowed—he had the press on his side.