Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min said he will leave the north London club this summer, ending a decade-long spell that made him one of the Premier League’s most recognisable forwards. The 33-year-old announced his decision at a press conference in Seoul on Saturday, the eve of Spurs’ pre-season friendly against Newcastle United. “I have decided to leave the team this summer,” he told reporters, calling the move “one of the most difficult decisions of my football career.” Since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, Son has scored 173 goals in 454 appearances—fifth on Tottenham’s all-time list—and shared the Premier League Golden Boot in 2021-22 with 23 goals. In May he captained Spurs to a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Europa League final, delivering the club’s first silverware in 17 years and cementing his status as a club icon. Although he remains under contract until 2026, Son said he felt he had accomplished all he could in north London and was seeking “a new environment” to push himself further. Media reports have linked him with Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC, but the forward declined to confirm his next destination. Head coach Thomas Frank praised Son as “a truly Spurs legend,” while the club prepares for life without a player central to its attack for the past decade.