Premier League Golden Boot winner Son Heung-min has praised Ben Davies for helping players “wake up” during “difficult” periods at Tottenham and called the centre-back a role model for his career at the club.
In a passionate interview released after Spurs arrived in Tokyo for a pre-season tour of Japan and his native South Korea, Son said Wales international Davies, who signed for the club exactly 10 years before they touched down for the run of friendly matches, had helped him overcome feelings of loneliness and given him the “incredible” honour of being godfather to his son, Ralph.
“Ben invited me into his family in an amazing way,” Son told Spurs’ website. “To be godfather… I’ve never felt like this.
“Even though it’s not my son, I was getting emotional, and I was so grateful that Ben thought of me in that way.
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Son on leaving Korea
“I left Korea at 16 and, when you leave a country at such an early age… you don’t have many friends,” said Son. “Ben is the only one I would say is [helpful] like that.
“He’s a fantastic guy. He’s a guy where, if you need someone to say difficult words, he’s the one who steps up and says those things; words that make you wake up.
“I’m in a position now where if I say something, people will probably say, ‘yes, you’re right’. But Ben is the guy who will step up and say, ‘no, that’s not right’. That’s so impressive.”
Ben Davies stats
Davies is the longest-serving player in Tottenham’s current squad, making 330 appearances for Spurs.
The 31-year-old signed 13 months before Son – now 32 – joined from Hamburg, the forward going on to score 162 goals in 408 appearances, topping the Premier League scoring charts in 2021/22 and winning the club’s Player of the Season award three times.
“For me, he’s a role model,” Son said of Davies. “Everyone will say he’s a bit under-rated. Whenever he’s had to step up, he’s always shone and helped the team in lots of different circumstances.
“Our friendship has grown massively over the years. I’ve been at clubs where I’ve been close to players but Ben has been really special, next level.
“I would say he’s my family member, someone I can really trust. If I’m struggling, if I need some advice, I’ll always ask Ben. He’s someone I’ve always trusted.”
Tottenham play Vissel Kobe at the Japan National Stadium on Saturday (11am BST) before heading to the Seoul World Cup Stadium for matches against a K-League XI on July 31 and Bayern Munich on August 3 (both 12pm).
