Storming run, defense neutralized, solo dribble goal. Micky van de Ven (Tottenham) produced an unmistakably spectacular "goal of his life." But the record was merciless. No matter how sensational, he ultimately could not surpass Son Heung-min.
Tottenham beat Copenhagen 4-0 in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage round 4 on the 5th (Korea time). The moment that drew the most attention that day was not the fourth goal or Kane's firepower, but the center back van de Ven's solo dribble goal.
In the 19th minute of the second half, van de Ven intercepted the ball near Tottenham's penalty box. He did not stop after that. Without a single pass, he chose to charge straight through, shrugged off five defenders and finished with his left foot. It was more like a Son Heung-min moment than a defender's goal.
After the match van de Ven said, "When I started dribbling I wanted to see whether they could stop me. I kept seeing space, so I just went for it." Manager Frank laughed off the moment, saying, "If he keeps scoring goals like this, it's OK if he passes me."
But what fans first recalled was Son Heung-min's wonder goal against Burnley in 2019. At the time Son picked up the ball below the halfway line and made a 72.3m solo run to score, earning the Puskás Award. The reason van de Ven's goal looked longer on screen this time is because of that associative effect.
But measurements told a different story. On the 7th Tottenham announced on its official website, "van de Ven's dribble distance was 67.7m. That is the longest dribble goal in Champions League history." The previous record was Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) at 64.4m, and it was newly broken by this goal.
Still, the club explicitly stated, "but van de Ven did not surpass Son Heung-min." Tottenham wrote, "Son Heung-min ran 72.3m to score against Burnley in 2019. That remains the longest solo dribble goal in club history."
In other words, he set a Champions League record, but the club's longest distance and historical impact still belong to Son Heung-min.
Son Heung-min's goal goes beyond a simple distance difference. It won the Puskás Award, drew votes worldwide, led to the nickname "Sonnaudo," and was officially recognized by Tottenham as "the club's greatest individual goal." No matter how dramatic van de Ven's goal was, reactions said, "the moment it is compared to Son Heung-min, the bar is already higher."
As a result, an interesting pattern emerged: van de Ven is the UCL record holder, Son Heung-min is the holder of the longest distance in history. Tottenham's decision to mention Son Heung-min in its official announcement shows that even internally there exists an "unassailable reference."
Meanwhile van de Ven said with a laugh, "I know Son Heung-min's record. That was a really unbelievable goal. I thought I started from farther back, but I didn't." Even he acknowledged the comparison; Son Heung-min remained the benchmark.
The UCL got a new record, but Tottenham's "longest run wonder goal" still belongs to Son Heung-min. And "that goal" still stands unbroken.
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