Inside the final emotional weeks of Son Heung-min's decade at Tottenham as LAFC transfer nears

The moment that sealed Son Heung-min's exit from Tottenham came not in the boardroom but as he sank to his knees on the green turf of the Estadio de San Mamés on the evening of May 21.

The Spurs captain's desire for a fresh challenge had been growing for some time and lifting that trophy in Bilbao felt like the perfect cherry on top of a 10-year-old north London cake. So when Thomas Frank took the helm at Tottenham in June and made a point of phoning all of the senior players in the squad to pick their minds on the club, it soon became apparent that his chat with Son was going to be a different one.

For the South Korean was the only one of that group of experienced stars to pick up the phone and tell the Dane that he wanted to leave the club. Frank was likely expecting it, for there was a feeling inside the club for much of last season that Son had set his mind on a fresh start.

Spurs had taken up the option to extend his contract by another 12 months to ensure they got some recompense this summer for him, but the idea from that point on was that Son had given so much to the club both on and off the pitch that the 33-year-old deserved to lead the direction of what came next.

After a decade of service, Spurs were prepared to be flexible over the price, timing and destination of his exit. There was interest from Saudi Pro League clubs, which would have resulted in more lucrative offers for Tottenham. Son was not as opposed to such a move as he previously had been but the idea that appealed the most to him was joining former captain Hugo Lloris at Los Angeles FC.

LA contains the largest Korean population in the United States, which itself has the most Koreans in one country outside their homeland, and a move to Major League Soccer would bring Son to a league that boasts Lionel Messi at Inter Miami as well as an opportunity to place him in front of the growing American audience.

Talks between LAFC and Spurs progressed around the team's 1-0 win against Arsenal in Hong Kong and continued across the days as the north London club made their way to Seoul. They reached a stage at which Son felt comfortable enough to begin telling other team-mates about his decision.

His close friends already knew what was coming. Son's best friend is Ben Davies - the South Korean is godfather to the Welshman's son Ralph - and the two had discussed the future for months as both were in the same situation. The defender also had his contract option taken up by Spurs to tag an additional year on, but at this moment looks to be remaining in north London.

Son made sure that his friends knew about his decision before he took to the stage in the IFC Mall office building in Seoul on Saturday morning to announce it publicly in a press conference which was meant to be looking ahead to the pre-season game against Newcastle but ended up being anything but.

As proceedings were about to begin, Son took a breath and his trademark polite manner said: "Before we start, I just want to share the information that I have decided to leave this club this summer. Respectfully, this club is helping me to make my decision. I just want to share this before we start."

football.london asked the former Golden Boot winner just how difficult that decision was after 10 years of wonderful memories in N17.

"It was the most difficult decision of my career. I have been here for 10 years. It’s a beautiful club with beautiful fans. I have such amazing memories," he said. "It was so hard to make the decision. I just felt like I needed a new environment to push myself to get more out of me I think I needed a little bit of change. 10 years is a long time.

"I came to north London as a kid. 23 years old, a very young age. A boy who couldn’t speak English. I leave this club as a grown man. Thank you to all the Spurs fans who have given me so much love. It felt like it was my home. It was one of the toughest decisions I ever made. I think it is the right time to leave. I hope that everyone understands that and respects that."

There were times on Saturday morning when he caught himself, teetering on the edge of breaking into tears, but managed to hold them in, never more so than when speaking about his friends within the club.

"I spoke with only a few guys, ones I've spent a long time with. Obviously they're disappointed, as a friendship or as a team-mate you'd be very disappointed if someone decided to leave, but in a respectful way," he said. "Obviously I'm very close with Ben so we've spoken about the future a lot of times.

"He fully respects my decision. So does everyone. What can I say? It's very, very hard to tell my team-mates because I sometimes probably spend more time with them than my family because we're travelling together, spending time together every single day at the training ground, five or six hours every day. I think we know each other so well.

"Everybody was disappointed but also in a way very happy for me. That was my feeling but I don't what they were actually feeling! They seemed happy but disappointed when I told them my decision."

As the press conference wore on, Son smiled more and more. He was the old Sonny, like a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders. The relief of the release of the information was palpable.

Some of his team-mates and the coaching staff within Tottenham sensed months ago what was coming this summer. Son was utterly committed to ensuring his final season was a success, but those closest to him noticed the slightest difference, even if it was just a one percent change in how he viewed things.

Injuries hampered his final campaign and he was often playing through pain, but he continued to drive the team on even if his contribution was not as high as he would have wanted.

There is a misconception that Son is not a vocal captain and instead more of a leader by example like Ledley King was during his years at the club.

In fact Son is a talker and those within the dressing room say his greatest strength as a captain was unifying the squad. The ever-smiling South Korean would be seen with his arm around anyone, whether it was another leader like Cristian Romero or a youngster like Mikey Moore or an even fresher wide-eyed recruit sent from the academy into a first team session for the first time.

Son had time for everyone and he brought people together. Spurs have had some fractured squads over the years with cliques and arguments that ran deep, but it's no coincidence that during Son's time as captain the squad was the closest-knit it had been since the Mauricio Pochettino years.

In previous years the club could occasionally split into groups with the Spanish and French speakers off in their own spaces and the English players doing their own thing. Son though would bounce between the groups, a legend and a friend to all of them, and they naturally gelled together with him as their leader.

There's no way a team that suffered through the injury crisis that hit Tottenham last year and the dreadful league form that followed could have won the Europa League without being tightly-knit as a band of brothers rather than an assembly of individuals. Don't forget how young that Spurs squad was and Son played a huge part in focusing those young minds in those final months when it really mattered, even when he couldn't lead them on the pitch as a foot injury dogged him to the point where he had to retreat to the sidelines.

During one particularly difficult period for Spurs, as negativity threatened to seep into the camp as the media hammered the club for their sub-standard Premier League performances, Son called a meeting with the playing squad at Hotspur Way. During it he made it clear that they had to all stick together.

It was seen as a show of real leadership at an important time and many within the squad saw it as a defining moment last season in his captaincy as it galvanised a beaten, battered and injury-riddled side and set them on the path that would end with a trophy.

While there is disappointment at Son's exit among his friends at Spurs in terms of losing a grinning force of nature in the dressing room as well as a top player, there is a happiness for him to experience something new.

After a decade in one place, a change of scenery will be perfect for him. MLS has been ideal for Messi to remain in the spotlight and his best moments shared around the world with less focus on anything that declines as age catches up with greatness. The same will be the case for Son and he will be refreshed and reenergised for next summer's World Cup.

Sunday's game against Newcastle could well be Son's final match in a Spurs shirt. There is something beautifully poetic about that. He gets a huge send off in front of 66,000 of his country's fans inside the Seoul World Cup Stadium and it means his final competitive game in front of the Tottenham faithful was that night in Bilbao.

As he sank to his knees that evening and wept on that pitch it all hit him in one go. The relief, the pride and the knowledge that he would leave Tottenham Hotspur in a better place than he found it. After 454 appearances, 173 goals and 101 assists, Son Heung-min had led them to a European title, the trophy drought was over. His job was done.