As captain of the South Korean soccer workforce and a ahead for English Premier League membership Tottenham Hotspur, Son Heung-min is aware of a factor or two about turning into a professional athlete.
In an interview with CNBC, Son shared his high tips about going professional and dealing with the pressures that include it.
“Sleep nicely, eat nicely and do what you want, you understand, like keep within the coaching floor once you want six hours, seven hours, eight hours,” he informed CNBC’s Arabile Gumede in a video interview Friday.
Even when distractions are all over the place, the game ought to all the time be the precedence, Son believes.
“You’ve gotten so many choices, like, I do not know, like video video games, or like, that you simply all the time need to do extra, you understand, like, taking part in with pals,” he stated. “I feel you have to be all the time considering the primary factor is soccer.”
Son left South Korea at age 16 to affix the German soccer membership Hamburger SV, with whom he made his first look in a high European soccer league in 2010. After then spending a while taking part in for Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen, he switched to London-based Tottenham in 2015 for £22 million ($26.9 million).
Son additionally addressed among the greatest classes he has realized from his profession to this point.
“I feel the teachings are, simply do not attempt to chase your happiness,” he informed CNBC. Many individuals consistently seek for happiness, he says — when actually it may well come from issues proper in entrance of you want your loved ones or job, Son believes.
One of many key moments when this turned clear to him was simply earlier than the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when he acquired injured and was undecided if he would have the ability to lead the South Korean soccer workforce into the highest worldwide match. Son had a fracture round his left eye, which pressured him to play with a protecting face masks.
“I used to be there so I used to be taking part in with the masks,” he stated. “I feel it is only a lesson that I learnt as a result of I feel optimistic. […] Happiness is a very powerful factor.”
One other approach Son says he offers with the pressures of being a professional athlete is by falling again on his household and ensuring he talks to them about his psychological well being.
“I am unhappy, they’re unhappy, we’re joyful and we’re all joyful,” he says. “You’ll be able to all the time share the emotions; you possibly can all the time go along with the household.”