Son Heung-min named to the league’s ‘Best 11’ by PL Legends
Son Heung-min has consistently been named to the Premier League (PL)’s Best 11 for the first half of the season.
Sky Sports in the U.K. unveiled its Best 11 for the first half of the 2023-24 PL season today, as selected by pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville.
Caragher’s team of the season includes Guglielmo Vicario, Trent Alexander-Arnold, William Saliba, Virgil van Dijk, Destiny Udogie, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Bernardo Silva, Mohamed Salah, Jerrod Bowen, and Son Heung-min.
Neville’s team also included Son Heung-min. Neville selected Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Saliba, Van Dijk, Udogie, Rice, Rodri, Salah, Bowen, Elling Holland, and Son.
Son has been named in the best 11 of the first half of the PL by various publications. Earlier in the day, soccer stats site FútbolScore.com named Son Heung-min one of the 11 best players of the first half. Son was one of the top two players alongside Elling Holland in the 4-4-2 formation. His rating was 7.38. The Tottenham Hotspur captain, who was named captain this season, was joined on the list by vice-captains James Maddison and Christian Romero.
He was also named in the top 11 by global media outlet Goal.com. “Son’s status as a Premier League legend has long been cemented: he is arguably the greatest Asian player of all time, and has reached 10 goals in all but one of his nine seasons in England. By his own admission, the 2022-23 season was a massive disappointment. As Tottenham dropped to eighth place, Son’s form dropped as well, and it looked like he needed a fresh start.”
“The arrival of Postecoglou, coupled with the departure of his longtime strike partner Kane, has allowed Son to rediscover his best form in the number nine role. He is already chasing his second Golden Boot (top scorer). With Tottenham at the top of the table and still awaiting the return of a number of key players, they could be dreaming of the possibility of winning the Premier League title for the first time.”
“His finishing skills are unparalleled. He saves his best for the most important games. Despite his tender age of 31, Tottenham couldn’t ask for a better player in the center of the park.”
Even supercomputers have recognized Son Heung-min. Football statistics company Opta said of Son, “After the departure of Harry Kane and the departure of Hugo Lloris from the first team, Son was set to inherit a lot of responsibility at Tottenham last summer. Heung-min, who had to shoulder the burden of scoring goals in the wake of Kane’s departure, was even named club captain to replace Yoris. He was named as a frontline striker in the first half of the season in his top 11, saying he “handled the pressure impressively”.
The media’s combined player rating for Son was 84.2, higher than players like Elling Holland and Mohamed Salah in the same position. Out of 11 players, he was second only to Rodri, who had an 87.2 rating.
Son’s performance in the first half was outstanding. Since his conversion to striker, he’s been a consistent scorer. In September, he won the Player of the Month award for the fourth time in his career. With his new role as captain, he’s also been playing with great dedication for his teammates. Since his return, he has been helping with playmaking on the left wing, his usual position. He scored his 12th goal of the season against Bournemouth and is now tied for second in the PL with Bowen.