Departing Spurs Captain Son in Tears on Emotional Evening

Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur applauds to spectators after the pre-season friendly match between Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur at the Sangam World Cup stadium in Seoul, South Korea, 03 August 2025. (EPA/Yonhap)
Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur applauds to spectators after the pre-season friendly match between Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur at the Sangam World Cup stadium in Seoul, South Korea, 03 August 2025. (EPA/Yonhap)
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Departing Spurs Captain Son in Tears on Emotional Evening

Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur applauds to spectators after the pre-season friendly match between Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur at the Sangam World Cup stadium in Seoul, South Korea, 03 August 2025. (EPA/Yonhap)
Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur applauds to spectators after the pre-season friendly match between Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur at the Sangam World Cup stadium in Seoul, South Korea, 03 August 2025. (EPA/Yonhap)

Departing Tottenham captain Son Heung-min was in tears and his teammates threw him in the air on an emotional evening in his native South Korea on Sunday.

Spurs drew 1-1 with Newcastle in a pre-season friendly in Seoul but that was secondary to the farewell for the 33-year-old attacker.

In what could have been his final game for the north Londoners, Son played 65 minutes but did not score at Seoul World Cup Stadium, a day after announcing his decision to leave Tottenham this summer after a decade.

He left the pitch to a thunderous ovation from nearly 65,000 fans, hugging his teammates and even his opponents.

The South Korean captain was caught offside twice in the early going, as his teammates tried to create opportunities for him, but didn’t really assert himself on the match otherwise.

Son was replaced in the 65th minute by Mohammed Kudus and he walked off in tears as thousands of fans chanted his name.

"I didn’t think I was going to cry at first," Son said.

"But after hearing a few words from my teammates, leaving the club I’ve spent so much time with felt really tough.

"I felt really, really happy playing this match. Thanks to my fans, my teammates and also my opponents, I've had an unforgettable day.”

Son, who has been linked with LAFC in Major League Soccer, declined to reveal his next destination, saying: "Nothing has been finalized."

Tottenham coach Thomas Frank said he enjoyed the "unbelievable, beautiful scenes" Son had with players from both sides on his way off the pitch.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said his players’ reaction to the end of Son’s night had not been planned ahead.

"I think it was very instinctive from the players,” Howe said.

"I think that speaks volumes for him as a person and him as a footballer that both teams recognize the way he's played the game."

Brennan Johnson’s right-footed strike opened the scoring for Tottenham in the fourth minute, and the Welsh forward paid homage to Son by mimicking the South Korean star’s camera celebration.

Harvey Barnes levelled in the 38th minute, beating Antonin Kinsky with a right-footed shot that went in off the post.



De la Fuente: Spain's Carvajal in Race to Make World Cup Squad

FILE - Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal plays the ball during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Real Madrid in Pamplona, Spain, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses, File)
FILE - Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal plays the ball during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Real Madrid in Pamplona, Spain, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses, File)
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De la Fuente: Spain's Carvajal in Race to Make World Cup Squad

FILE - Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal plays the ball during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Real Madrid in Pamplona, Spain, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses, File)
FILE - Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal plays the ball during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Real Madrid in Pamplona, Spain, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses, File)

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has not ruled Dani Carvajal out of his World Cup squad but said the right back must prove his fitness and form after the Real Madrid captain suffered a right foot injury in training last week.

"Carvajal is a very important figure in our dressing room," De la Fuente told reporters on ⁠Wednesday.

"I actually spoke ⁠with him yesterday, so I’m aware of what’s going on. He doesn’t have a specific injury, nothing serious, but he needs time to get back to his usual level.

"We’ll ⁠see in the remaining matches whether he truly gets the opportunity and delivers the performances."

According to Reuters, De la Fuente added that Carvajal, who made just one appearance for Spain in 2025, would understand if he was left out of the squad for the World Cup, which is being held in the United ⁠States, ⁠Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

Carvajal, 34, is approaching the final weeks of his contract with Real and has struggled for game-time this season amid competition from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Spain begin their World Cup campaign against Cape Verde on June 15 and also face Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group H.


Dortmund Defender Suele to Retire at End of Season

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Quarter Final - Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, US - July 5, 2025 Borussia Dortmund's Niklas Sule during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Quarter Final - Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, US - July 5, 2025 Borussia Dortmund's Niklas Sule during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo
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Dortmund Defender Suele to Retire at End of Season

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Quarter Final - Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, US - July 5, 2025 Borussia Dortmund's Niklas Sule during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Quarter Final - Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, US - July 5, 2025 Borussia Dortmund's Niklas Sule during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo

Borussia Dortmund defender Niklas Suele will retire at the end of the season, the 30-year-old said on Thursday.

Suele, capped 49 times by Germany, began his career at TSG Hoffenheim before joining Bayern Munich in 2017, where he won five league titles as well as the Champions League in 2020. He moved ⁠to Dortmund in 2022.

In ⁠an appearance on the Spielmacher podcast on Thursday, Suele said he made the decision to hang up his boots after injuring his knee during a ⁠match against Hoffenheim last month.

“When I went for an MRI the next day and received the good news (that it wasn’t a cruciate ligament tear after all), it was 1,000% clear to me that it was over," Reuters quoted Suele as saying.

"I couldn’t imagine anything worse than looking forward to ⁠life – ⁠being independent, going on holiday, spending time with my children – only to then have to come to terms with my third cruciate ligament tear."

Dortmund, second in the standings, host Eintracht Frankfurt on Friday before finishing their league campaign with a trip to Werder Bremen on May 16.


Roma's Champions League Return Back on as Milan, Juve Wobble

Donyell Malen has scored 12 times for Roma since signing from Aston Villa. Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP/File
Donyell Malen has scored 12 times for Roma since signing from Aston Villa. Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP/File
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Roma's Champions League Return Back on as Milan, Juve Wobble

Donyell Malen has scored 12 times for Roma since signing from Aston Villa. Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP/File
Donyell Malen has scored 12 times for Roma since signing from Aston Villa. Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP/File

Roma have a return to the Champions League firmly within their sights ahead of Sunday's trip to Parma as both Juventus and AC Milan's hope's of finishing in Serie A's top four are threatened by the resurgent capital club.

A hammering by new champions Inter Milan a month ago seemed to signal the end of Roma's hopes of ending a long absence from Europe's top club competition.

But 10 points from their subsequent four matches have taken Roma to within one point of fourth-placed Juventus, with Milan only two further points ahead in third, said AFP.

"We're going well, but we know that we cannot make any mistakes if we're going to have any chance of making the Champions League," coach Gian Piero Gasperini said after last weekend's thumping of Fiorentina.

"We've got three matches that we have to get right and hope that others don't."

Roma have found form at just the right time, and Gasperini has solidified his position at the helm after a battle with Claudio Ranieri seemed to have put his job at risk.

Ranieri was dismissed from his role as senior advisor to Roma's billionaire American owners a fortnight ago, after a spat between him and Gasperini boiled over in public just before the 3-0 thumping of Pisa which began this recent hot run of form.

The Friedkin family has decided to put their faith in Gasperini, who is liked by fans even after his row with local boy and lifelong Roma fan Ranieri, in the hope he can break the club back into the Champions League.

Roma haven't played in Europe's top club competition since being knocked out by Porto in the last 16 seven years ago but their prospects of doing so are looking up with three matches remaining this season.

Also playing into Roma's hands is how Milan's form has fallen off a cliff, Massimiliano Allegri's team picking up just seven points since beating Inter two months ago.

That derby win looked to have reopened the league title race but Milan have scored just once in five matches and are now looking over their shoulders at Roma, with Como also only three points off the top four.

Making things worse for Milan, who have Atalanta at the San Siro on Sunday night, is midfield lynchpin Luka Modric missing the rest of the season with a cheekbone fracture, and his absence was keenly felt at Sassuolo last weekend.

Parma have nothing to play for and Roma's final opponents Verona are already relegated, but sandwiched between those two fixtures is the Rome derby, with Lazio always keen to give their neighbors a bloody nose.

Player to watch: Donyell Malen

With 12 goals since arriving on loan from Aston Villa in January, Malen has been the star of Gasperini's Roma team in the second half of the season.

The Netherlands striker has become a key player and has provided cut and thrust to Roma's attacking in a similar way to some of the best players of Gasperini's nine hugely successful years at Atalanta, like Ademola Lookman or Alejandro Gomez.