The 2023-24 English Premier League (EPL) season has begun with the “Captain Son era” for Tottenham.

New manager Enze Postecoglou wanted to change everything at Tottenham and start afresh, so he changed the entire squad, with Son taking the captain’s armband. Maddison and Romero were named vice-captains.  

It worked, especially with Son Heung-min leading by example. The team rallied around Son Heung-min. The team that had been falling apart last season disappeared. The team that fell apart last season was gone. They went the extra mile for each other and for the team.   

The captain effect translated into results. Aside from the Fulham and Carabao Cup losses, where Son came on as a substitute, they’ve been winning in the EPL. Unbeaten. A 2-2 draw against Brentford in the first round was followed by two straight wins against Manchester United (2-0) and Bournemouth (2-0).

And then Burnley in the fourth round. The captain, who had been committed to the team through the third round, exploded. It’s a sobering thought, but you can’t truly lead as a captain if your performance doesn’t back it up. That’s why it’s a tough job. That’s why not everyone can be a captain. 

The captain hadn’t scored a single offensive point by round three. In the fourth round, he publicly announced that he was the captain and the team’s “ace”.

Son Heung-min scored a ‘hat trick’.

Tottenham conceded a goal to Foster in the fourth minute of the first half, but the tide quickly turned. It was Son Heung-min who made it happen. Heung-min equalized for Spurs in the 16th minute of the first half. The Tottenham offense then exploded, with goals from Romero in first-half stoppage time and Madsen in the ninth minute of the second half.

Son was not to be denied. He scored his second goal in the 18th minute of the second half and completed his hat trick in the 21st minute of the second half. Led by Son’s hat trick, Tottenham ran out 5-2 winners, their third straight league victory, and moved into second place in the league with three wins and one draw.

It was the first hat trick of the captain’s era. It was Son’s first hat trick since last September against Leicester City, his fourth in the EPL, and his 106th goal in 272 EPL games. He surpassed his idols Cristiano Ronaldo with 103 and Chelsea legend Didier Drogba with 104.

Unsurprisingly, the accolades were plentiful. The BBC gave Son the highest rating of 8.71 after the game.

“Tottenham have an inspirational star. Son Heung-min energized Tottenham’s attack. The Tottenham captain scored many goals after stabilizing the team with the equalizer. The Spurs captain scored many goals after stabilizing the team with the equalizer.”

Postecoglou added: “Sonny was outstanding. He shows himself to his teammates every day in training. He is a great leader. He led Tottenham into the spotlight today. He has the quality to create chances and capitalize on them. I’m very happy to have him,” he continued, “and I’m very happy to have him. 바카라사이트

There’s nothing wrong with Son hogging virtually all the spotlight. But the fourth hat trick was different. It was even more significant because it was the first hat trick in the Captain Son era.

Heung-min didn’t take credit for the hat trick. He shared the credit with his teammates. He didn’t take the spotlight for himself. He shared it with his teammates. It was a testament to the captain’s character that individual records are not more important than the team. This is how the best captain enjoys a hat trick in the era of Captain Son Heung-min.