I think he is, Park is unquestionably the more decorated, and not even close on that count, but if you have the choice between peak Son or peak Park in your team, I dare say most people would opt for the former. His output since moving to Spurs as an attacker has been nothing short of impressive.
Son Heung-min | Spurs
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Depends on what squad we have. For 2007-08 squad I will take Park. For 2009-today, would take Son.
Talent wise Son all day every day, achievement wise not even close, Park.
I've been a fan of him, unfortunately we blew a lot of money on Hazard and were saving up for Mbappe but since Ronaldo left I thought Son could be a good replacement or someone worth considering.
As long as Kane is at Spurs, Son will stay.
I didn't know that he is nearly 30. I thought he was younger. He will probably have one more season of prolific scoring. Too bad he won't have any trophies to show for his career. He has literally won nothing so far.
Park was unbelievable as a player, he is definitely very underrated, Son is a different sort of player, a fantastic goalscoring player no doubt, but as an overall player, give me Park, people seem to be downplaying just how good a player he was.
How we could do with a peak Park right now.
How we could do with a peak Park right now.
Park is not even close to Son, Son is one of the 5 best players in this league, Park never come close to even the top 10.
Son could easily go down as the greatest Asian player of all time when all said and done.
Nostalgia is a crazy drug.
Are we including Aussies in this Asian debate??
He’s so so good.
Park is not close to Son as a player. Son is a clear-cut world class player with numerous world class qualities.
If we for example did what Australian player comes close?
Tim Cahil for example....he did sooo much for Everton and Australia.
But Australia is a continent in its own right?
Yes, but they compete in the Asian section of football, hence the question.
Basically the Eastern World. The lack of mainstream Football superstars from these continents means grouping it together would be more convenient in these conversations about the greatest players.
Son has had much longer longevity than Park imo.
We're talking 4-5 seasons of high level football not just in prem but he was decisive in plenty of CL matches if you remember them taking out Man. City in the quarters.
Now Park was a vital cog at times in SAF but he wasn't a regular starter for Man. United in many seasons but obviously could come in and do an excellent job for ties like Barca but then didn't even make the bench for the actual final.
And then went to QPR and completely flopped.
Spurs have done very well to keep Son through the years but I suspect he's happy living in London and probably prefers being a key player at 4th-6th side than a Grealish/Mahrez type at say Man. City where he'd be rotated regularly.
He is certainly good enough to play for a CL favourite though, surprised likes of PSG or Bayern Munich have never seemingly bid for him.
We're talking 4-5 seasons of high level football not just in prem but he was decisive in plenty of CL matches if you remember them taking out Man. City in the quarters.
Now Park was a vital cog at times in SAF but he wasn't a regular starter for Man. United in many seasons but obviously could come in and do an excellent job for ties like Barca but then didn't even make the bench for the actual final.
And then went to QPR and completely flopped.
Spurs have done very well to keep Son through the years but I suspect he's happy living in London and probably prefers being a key player at 4th-6th side than a Grealish/Mahrez type at say Man. City where he'd be rotated regularly.
He is certainly good enough to play for a CL favourite though, surprised likes of PSG or Bayern Munich have never seemingly bid for him.
Kewell won a CL and was a very good player in his early 20s before the injuries hit.
Because nobody wanted to risk a heavy transfer fee for a player that might have to take 2 years off for his national service in the midst of his peak.
By the time Korea won the Asia Cup and got the exemption, he had already re-signed a new contract and nobody was going to pay what Spurs wanted for him when they were trying to save money for Mbappa/Haaland.
He is one helluva player......no doubt about it!
Tim Cahill quite clearly was never as good as Son, surely that isn't up for debate?
Cahil was an excellent player, and I say that, even as flashbacks of his goals for Everton pop up in my mind.
He always had this habit of scoring crucial goals at crucial moments, both at club level and international level.
I would definitely say he has achieved much more and done more internationally than Son.
There’s this idea that current footballers can’t possibly be as good as someone who played 10 years ago, any comparison is met with outrage. Son is so clearly the best Asian footballer ever and it’s not even close.
If anything it is the complete opposite, recency bias means people over estimate current players.
That isn't to say that Son isn't a fabulous player, because he is.
Disagree. Recency bias is nowhere near as common as nostalgia.
Son is the best Asian forward to ever play the game in my opinion.
I'd argue Hidetoshi Nakata was the best Asian player of all time but its hard to compare when they all play different positions.
I'd argue Hidetoshi Nakata was the best Asian player of all time but its hard to compare when they all play different positions.
Son isn't even that old yet it feels like he has been around forever. Remember him at HSV in 2012/13.
Son is a fantastic player, one of the best in the league and would walk into every team's first XI barring Liverpool. If he hadn't hit his current levels at Spurs under Levy and thereby rendered himself unattainable, he'd probably be at one of the top European clubs now with a fair whack of silverware to his name.
Cahill was at his level at a middling Everton side. Son could easily play for any club in the world and be one of the most dangerous and effective players in the team.
I already said it in an another that he must be the greatest Asian player by now.
Son is good but I'm told by the north korean government that Kim Jong Un is even better.
Son vs Park! These discussions really bring out the sports nerd in me. It's a really interesting case, because Son is clearly the better player individually, but he hasn't won a major trophy. Park on the other hand is very decorated.
If Son had one or two major trophies under his belt then we wouldn't be discussing this right now, as the answer would be obvious. But unless he can change this(I doubt he will win the PL or CL with Spurs), then we might be looking at a debate among Asian football fans for many years to come. It might possibly become as annoying as Ronaldo vs Messi
Whatever happens, I hope that the debate doesn't get dumbed down to Park being remembered as mediocre player who was lucky to play for United in our most successful period. While he might be overly decorated relative to his skills, he was still a very good player.
Back on topic: right now I can't decide who I rate higher among the two. As a United fan I'm biased, but I think it's very even. Had you asked me one year ago then my answer would be Park. Right now I'm leaning slightly towards Son.
If Son had one or two major trophies under his belt then we wouldn't be discussing this right now, as the answer would be obvious. But unless he can change this(I doubt he will win the PL or CL with Spurs), then we might be looking at a debate among Asian football fans for many years to come. It might possibly become as annoying as Ronaldo vs Messi
Whatever happens, I hope that the debate doesn't get dumbed down to Park being remembered as mediocre player who was lucky to play for United in our most successful period. While he might be overly decorated relative to his skills, he was still a very good player.
Back on topic: right now I can't decide who I rate higher among the two. As a United fan I'm biased, but I think it's very even. Had you asked me one year ago then my answer would be Park. Right now I'm leaning slightly towards Son.
Surely that’s all there is to it? I’m not sure why it matters that Park won more trophies if Son is obviously the better footballer. If you swapped Son and Park in their teams it’d be Park who was trophyless and Son with loads of medals.
Rating individual players by how many trophies they won with their team - when football is a team sport - seems a bit ridiculous to me. If you are asking, which Asian player played in the best team then fine, fill your boots. If you are asking who is the better player then that is a very different question and for me (and I'd suggest almost all of the football world) the answer is blindingly obvious.
Football is a team sport and big trophies matter. At the end of the day, one player has proven that he can play a part in achieving truly great things and the other hasn't. Park has dealt with the highest expectations and consistently proved that he can deliver, even when faced with fierce competition.
I'm not saying that Son couldn't have done the same thing(he probably could), but there is also no clear evidence for it. That is the problem with being a big fish in a relatively small pond.
I'm also not saying that the higher number of major trophies always should be the deciding factor. That would be stupid. But when it's 5-0 in favor of one player, then it becomes a strong argument.
I’m sorry but that is nonsense. What a squad of 23 players achieved should have no bearing on which of 2 footballers was better. That’s absurd. Where does it end? Was, for example, Louis Saha a better striker than Kane because he won loads more trophies?
In terms of individual quality Son is clearly better than Park ever was. Park was a solid squad player whose discipline and workrate made him a great tactical option in certain games and I love him for that. But despite being in his prime years when Ronaldo and Tevez left, he was justifiably never seriously considered as someone who could step up to be a regular starter for us in their absence. At 29 he was getting fewer games for us than a 38-year old Giggs. A 29-year old Son in our team during that period would have been our second best player after Rooney.
Park was a great player, a real fighter, tenacious and put in some hard working performances for United. Son however is clearly the better player by some distance, playing in an inferior team only makes his achievements more impressive IMO.