Son shines in German preseason

New season brings new aspirations, and for Bundesliga club Hamburg their teenage striker Son Heung-min is a new inspiration.

Thanks to the young South Korean, the Hamburg SV continued their successful preseason campaign by defeating league rivals Bayern Munich 2-1 in Mainz on Tuesday.

Playing against the world’s top footballers, such as Dutch midfielder Arjen Robben and France international Frank Ribery, Son was exemplary on the night.

The 19-year-old striker had opened the scoring with a low strike past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in the opening six minutes.

Again, just before the end of the first half, Son broke down Munich’s defense before latching onto a delightful low cross from the right, and tapping the ball into the net.

Also last week, Son netted five times in a friendly against Austrian side Ziletral. And so far this preseason, he has scored 17 goals in seven games, raising high expectations ahead of new season.

With the impressive pre-season record, Son is now considered as one-to-watch for the upcoming season in Bundesliga.

The Korean international first joined the Hamburg youth team at the age of 16, and he made his first team debut last year.

In the 2010-2011 preseason, Son scored nine goals, becoming the team’s most promising young talent. But he was sidelined for two months in early season due to a foot injury.

Despite the injury, however, he made a successful return, scoring three goals in 13 games in his debut season in Bundesliga.

The rising young striker also made his national team debut during Korea’s Asian Cup campaign in January. Son is under contract with Hamburg until the summer of 2014.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)