Jermaine Defoe, who excelled at Tottenham, excluded Son Heung-min (Tottenham) from his list. A player who scored 30 goals was particularly chosen as a replacement for Son Heung-min.

On the 16th (Korea time), Tottenham lost 0-2 to Fulham in the 29th round of the 2024-2025 Premier League season at Craven Cottage in London, England. With this, Tottenham has recorded three consecutive league matches without a win.

Having successfully overturned a deficit against AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) round of 16 second leg, Tottenham seemed to have changed the momentum but continued to struggle.

Starting the match without Son Heung-min, Tottenham displayed poor performance and eventually brought on Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura right after the start of the second half.

Son Heung-min, the captain and star forward, stepped onto the field at the start of the second half for the second consecutive match after the 28th round draw against Bournemouth (2-2). Including his substitution in the second half against Manchester City in the 27th round, he has entered as a joker in the second half for three consecutive matches.

The frustrating flow continued after that. Despite introducing James Maddison and Wilson Odobert to change the attack, it remained the same. In the 78th minute, they fell behind 0-1 as Rodrigo Muniz scored. Former Tottenham player Ryan Sessegnon came on in the 87th minute and, just one minute after stepping onto the field, scored a goal, leaving his former team in despair.

On the 10th against Bournemouth, Son Heung-min caused a penalty kick and successfully converted it, leading to a 2-2 draw despite Tottenham trailing 0-1.

The match against Fulham was different. Son Heung-min was active on the field but did not make a significant contribution.

This season, Son Heung-min has recorded 7 goals and 9 assists in the Premier League.

Adding his records in the UEFA Europa League (3 goals and 2 assists), FA Cup (1 assist), and League Cup (1 goal), he has a total of 11 goals and 12 assists in official matches.

According to the football statistics outlet Footmob, Son Heung-min achieved a passing success rate of 86%, completed 4 crosses, created 3 chances, made 3 recoveries, took 1 shot, succeeded in 1 ground duel, succeeded in 1 aerial duel, and committed 1 foul, among other stats.

However, it is true that he exhibited some uncharacteristic behaviors. At moments during the match, he scolded Destiny Udogie for overlapping movements and could not hide his emotions after the match, raising questions. On the surface, it appeared to reflect the frustrations of a captain who could not prevent the team's defeat.

Jermaine Defoe, a former Tottenham player, did not include Son Heung-min in his Tottenham best eleven.

SpursWeb reported on the 18th, "Defoe made some controversial decisions when he was asked to create a starting lineup of 11 players combining those who played in the 2010-2011 Tottenham team he was part of and the current team."

For Tottenham fans, the 2010-2011 season remains a cherished memory. At that time, Tottenham reached the UEFA Champions League for the first time in club history, advancing to the quarter-finals before being eliminated by Real Madrid.

In contrast, the current Tottenham is having a disastrous season. They have fallen to 14th place in the league and have been eliminated from both the FA Cup and League Cup. In the UEFA Europa League, they barely advanced to the quarter-finals after overcoming Netherlands' AZ Alkmaar in the round of 16, but it is still early to discuss their chances of winning.

SpursWeb stated, "Defoe was asked to compare 2 players at each position. He chose mostly his former teammates for each position, with Micky van der Ven being the only current Tottenham player included in Defoe's best eleven," noting, "The most controversial choice was that Defoe selected Aaron Lennon instead of Tottenham captain Son Heung-min, indicating that Son Heung-min was left out in favor of Lennon.

Lennon was an English winger known for his small stature and quick feet as a dribbler. He played 364 matches for Tottenham, scoring 30 goals and providing 76 assists, establishing himself as a mainstay winger for Tottenham in the 2000s.

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