‘I might ruin it’: Why Son Heung-min refused to sign a Korean fan's shirt

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min refused to sign a Korean fan’s retro shirt because he was worried about ruining it.

After seeing a fan offering the retro jersey to have his autograph added, Son said, “Oh, I can’t do that because [my signature] might ruin it,” in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The fan’s shirt is a replica of one worn by the football club in the 1990s.  

Sport Bible wrote in its Saturday report that Son might have signed his autograph elsewhere as he was already holding a marker.

Son has a reputation for being one of the Premier League’s most affable stars and is known for his gentle and kind interactions with fans.

He has regularly given his autograph to Korean fans who fly over to the U.K. to watch his games and then wait outside the stadium. Despite his tight schedule, he occasionally takes photos with fans too.  

Last year, Son, who has an endorsement deal with Samsung — Apple’s tech rival — politely refused to hold a fan’s iPhone who was asking for a selfie with him. In the video posted on TikTok, the user added the caption saying fans need to bring a Samsung phone to take a selfie with him.  

BY LEE JI-YOUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]