Highlights
Mourinho criticised Son in front of all of his teammates, the 32-year-old revealed in an interview with EAFC.
Son was initially affected by the incident but received an apology that more than made up for the outburst from his manager.
Son's impact at Tottenham is recognized in a record-breaking career with Spurs.
Tottenham legend Son Heung-min has often been branded as one of football's ultimate nice guys. But while this would usually relieve him of reproach, the South Korean international recently recalled a turbulent time in north London when Jose Mourinho belittled him in front of his teammates.
Son, who was named club captain after Hugo Lloris's move to LAFC last summer after having been his side's talisman since joining back in 2015, reflected on how Mourinho's outburst during a game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium affected him deeply in an interview with EAFC.
Since making the switch to the Premier League from Bayer Leverkusen, Son has appeared in 408 matches for the north London side, scoring 162 goals, and was also a talismanic figure during Mourinho's topsy-turvy reign, but they didn't always see eye-to-eye.
Mourinho's Shocking Outburst
The Portuguese manager later apologised over text
Son explained that Mourinho criticised him harshly in front of the whole squad during a match. "One time Mourinho told me off during the game," the 32-year-old said in an interview with EAFC.
"[He said] 'I don't think you want to be in a game with a team like Burnley or Stoke (rough game)' in front of all the players, and I was so upset about it, I'm not even an 18-19-year-old to be treated like that."
Despite being shaken by the incident, Son later received an apology from Mourinho via text. The message read, "I know you understand that it wasn't my intention to target and hurt you.
"But I need to make sure that other players are not being lazy, and I need to show them by telling off the best player in the team, and for me, that player is you."
Son's Tottenham Career
He will go down as one of the club's all-time greats
As briefly mentioned in the introduction, Son is a Tottenham icon. It's fair to say Mourinho wasn't lying when he hailed the Korean as the best player in the team. In a period where the club has struggled to table any silverware, it hasn't been at the mercy of those who have tried, and alongside Harry Kane, nobody has contributed as significantly as the 32-year-old.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Son and Kane are the deadliest attacking duo in Premier League history, having provided goals for each other 47 times during their time in north London together.
In April 2023, Son became the first Asian player to score 100 Premier League goals. He is also the club's fifth-highest goalscorer and all-time leader in assists, while cementing his legacy by becoming the third Tottenham player to make 300 Premier League appearances for the club, after Hugo Lloris and Harry Kane.