In the English Premier League, the world’s premier soccer league, South Korean strikers are among the top scorers.
Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers) are making Korean soccer proud. They have shocked the world this season by scoring nine and eight goals in the Premier League, respectively, to rank among the top five individual scorers.
On June 6 (KST), British media outlet Squawka said, “Korea is a country with frightening performances,” highlighting Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan.
Son has been dominating the Premier League for a long time. Son joined Tottenham in 2015. He had an up-and-down debut season, but gradually became a key player. Now, he’s the captain of Spurs and their signature player. His goalscoring prowess speaks volumes about his value. In nine seasons in the Premier League alone, he has scored 112 goals. In the 2021-22 season, he became the first Asian player to score 23 goals.
He has been in contention for the top scoring spot this season. Since switching to a frontline role for Tottenham, he’s been decisive. Two nights ago, he rattled defending champions Manchester City’s net. Son’s long run into the back of the net allowed him to break through and score the ninth goal of the game.
After watching Son’s perfect goal, former Manchester United legend Roy Keane was full of praise. Speaking on the Sky Sports panel, Keane said: “When you see him play, it’s unbelievable. He’s setting the standard for all strikers to follow,” he said.
Hwang Hee-chan has also kept up his pace. He has become Wolverhampton’s leading scorer this season and scored his eighth goal of the league against Burnley on the same day. Hwang calmly slotted home a pass from Cunha in the 42nd minute. It was the culmination of a counterattack that began after Sarabia cleared the ball out of their own half. What stood out was Hwang’s calmness as he slowed down in front of the goal as the opposing defender tried to block with his body.
The goal was Hwang’s eighth in the league, putting him firmly in the top scorer’s race. He is now tied for fourth on the Premier League’s individual goals list with Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) and Jared Bowen (West Ham United). He’s only one goal behind Son Heung-min (9 goals – Tottenham Hotspur), who is right above him.
Media reviews are also excellent. The Daily Mirror says: “Hwang may not yet be getting the same attention as the top stars, but he’s outperforming the big boys. He has twice as many goals as Darwin Núñez (Liverpool) and three more than Raheem Sterling (Chelsea).”
Her scoring record is impressive. “Hwang Hee-chan scored six of his eight goals at home,” said The Sun. ‘BBC’ noted Hwang’s ascending form, while ‘Sky Sports’ said, “Hwang calmly scored the winning goal. The Telegraph called him “Wolverhampton’s new hero” and the BBC said “Hwang Hee-chan is Wolverhampton’s new hero”.
As Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan took the Premier League by storm, Squawka was surprised to highlight the firepower of the Korean strikers. The duo are also a regular feature in the Klinsmann Cup. If they can maintain their current pace until January next year, they will have a chance to win the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar for the first time in 64 years..