Getting to know Leverkusen's Son Heung-Min
Monday, March 9, 2015
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Son Heung-Min chatted about being a childhood Manchester United FC fan and dressing-room banter as the Bayer 04 Leverkusen man took your Facebook questions.
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Before Bayer 04 Leverkusen set their sights on repeating their round of 16 first-leg win against last season's runners-up Club Atlético de Madrid, Werkself forward Son Heung-Min sat down with UEFA.com to answer your UEFA Champions League Facebook questions.
Funniest member of the Leverkusen team?
Son Heung-Min: Kyriakos Papadopoulos is really funny, so is Karim Bellarabi. They are full of jokes in the dressing room. 'Papa' is world class!
Best player you've played with?
Heung-Min: Ruud van Nistelrooy and Zé Roberto at Hamburger SV.
Who is your idol?
Heung-Min: It has to be Cristiano Ronaldo – I love the way he plays.
What team did you support as a child?
Heung-Min: I supported Manchester United as Park Ji-Sung and Cristiano Ronaldo were playing there.
Your best moment in football so far?
Heung-Min: When I was 18 – my first Bundesliga match against 1. FC Köln. I scored!
What's your favourite song/singer?
Heung-Min: I like lots of Korean music that most people have probably never heard of. I also enjoy hip hop.
Your best friend at Leverkusen?
Heung-Min: Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Bernd Leno and Karim Bellarabi.
How does it feel playing for your national team?
Heung-Min: There's always a 'goosebumps' moment for me when I play. I always give 100% for my country. It's a great feeling to celebrate with my national team-mates.
What can I do to be a star like you?
Heung-Min: My only advice is that you should never stop having fun playing football. If you stop enjoying it, then stop playing.
Toughest player you've played against?
Heung-Min: There are so many! If I had to choose one it would be Jérôme Boateng or Philipp Lahm. Bayern have a lot of talented players.
Favourite food?
Heung-Min: I love Korean rice and Korean food in general. Korean barbecues are cool – there's a table with a hole in it with fire coming through and we throw meat on it.
Who is the best player in the world?
Heung-Min: Cristiano Ronaldo. He can score by any means – with his head, a free-kick ... everything. He is always a threat during a game.
What was it like playing in the AFC Asian Cup in Australia?
Heung-Min: It was a success even though we didn't win the tournament. It was a great atmosphere and a lot of fun.
Are you confident of beating Atlético and reaching the next round?
Heung-Min: I'm very confident. We have a good advantage after the first leg [1-0]. But we'll have to play our game and have another good day in Madrid to advance.