'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Arguably South Korea's most popular athlete, Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min, gained another fan after aespa member Karina shared her admiration for the athlete and his recent Premier League Golden Boot win.
The much coveted Golden Boot award goes to the highest scoring player in a Premier League season. The 2022 iteration of the award was shared between the Korean footballer and the Liverpool forward Mo Salah. Both currently have a total of 23 goals.
aespa's Karina shared her admiration for Son Heung-min on Bubble
On May 23, the aespa member Karina shared the following message on the fan community platform Bubble. She said,
"This is random and I saw the article that Son Heung Min won the Premier League Golden Boot. Wow, 23 goals is really amazing. He's so cool."
Karina then continued to gush about the athlete, despite being sleepy.
"I'm really going to go to sleep. Bye (but can you guys watch Son Heung Min putting in the goals? It's really awesome)."
Karina urged aespa fans to continue watching and supporting for Son Heung-min, Korea's pride..
Incidentally, Karina is not the only idol to congratulate the athlete on his achievement. BTS member J-Hope also shared a congratulatory post on his official Instagram profile, celebrating Son Heung-min’s individual victory at the end of the English Premier League's 2021-22 season.
The popular idol also tagged the footballer in his Instagram story and shared a video of Son Heung-min scoring his last goal of the season.
More about the win
Meanwhile, Son Heung-min's victory makes him the first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot. The South Korean player scored his final goal against Norwich City on Sunday, upping his tally to 23.
His co-awardee, Mo Salah also recorded 23 goals and 14 assists in the 35 Premier League matches he took part in. This will be Mo Salah's third Golden Boot after having won the highest goalscorer award first for the 2017-18 season and again in the following season.
Heung-min and Salah were closely followed by Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, who finished third with 18 goals in his first season back in the Premier League.
While Karina's admiration earned her praise from Koreans across the globe, it wasn't the same for fellow aespa member Ningning. During the 2022 Winter Olympics, the Chinese idol was under public scrutiny after she cheered for her country's short track speed skating team, after they won their first gold medal at the Olympics.
The aespa member is from Harbin, the capital of China’s northernmost province. While the idol’s support of her home nation is not unexpected, the maknae's gesture did not go down well with South Korean netizens, many of whom were left feeling upset amidst claims that the Chinese competitor used unfair tactics to win the prestigious medal, defeating the Korean athlete.
