Son Heung-min was groomed by his father, Son Woong-jung, to become a professional soccer player. Son Woong-jung was a former professional player in South Korea.

Son was given advice by his father not to marry until after he retires as a player so he can focus on his career.

“My father says this and I agree, as well,” Son said. “When you marry, the number one will be family, wife and kids – and then football. I want to make sure that while I play at the top level, football can be number one. You don’t know how long you can play at the top level. When you retire, or when you are 33, 34, you can still have a long life with your family.”

Son has previously dated Korean pop stars Bang Min-ah and Yoo So-young, but is currently single.

Most European managers prefer their players to marry and settle down. “Yeah, because there are many opportunities to do things off the pitch, like drinking or something like this,” he replies. “But I am not the type that likes doing this stuff.

“I just want to make sure that I make everyone happy by playing at the top level. For example, when I play for Spurs at Wembley, how many Korean flags do you see? I want to keep my level as high as possible for as long as I can, to pay back to them. This is very important for me.

“Do I feel like an ambassador for my country? Of course, I have to be. Another example: when we play at 3pm, it’s midnight in Korea. When we play Champions League at 8pm, it’s five in the morning and they still watch on TV. I have to pay back; I take a lot of responsibility. This is what I am enjoying.”