Sonny | The final interview - in his own words... | OneFootball

"It's hard to talk because I don't know where to start...

"I grew up in tough places. I came here… one thing was clear, you know, I wanted to give my all. So, as a kid, when I started football, this was always in my head, because performance-wise, I think it could be ups and downs, ups and downs, but I give it my all. I think you can do it every single time. So, this is me and this is how I train, this is how I learned from my parents.

"I came to north London 10 years ago. I was very nervous, to be honest. Before I joined Spurs, I was very young, and having sessions with some teams in England, and it was quite difficult because I couldn't speak English and it felt like everybody just wasn’t having me, so I didn't have really good memories in the UK, if I'm honest. But when I went to White Hart Lane - obviously it was still White Hart Lane when I joined - when I walked in, everybody just welcomed me to north London. I had a special feeling, but afterwards I had to do the English interview, so I was quite a bit nervous because I couldn’t speak English! I still remember that I just said, ‘I'm happy to be here’, and I was just so excited.

"I made a brave decision because it was the Premier League and Spurs and (hoping) that everything would come together. Obviously, the fear was still there, but I just wanted to make my fear not exist. My dream was to play in the Premier League, you know, and do whatever I could, try to be the best player in the world. That decision was probably one of the best decisions I've ever made.

"Obviously, I was not expecting my first year to be amazing, but after the games go on, I think people, players, trusted me more and more, and fans gave me love, and I just wanted to stay as long as possible. I always wanted to give something back to the fans. From this period until now, I get so much love, I'm so grateful. To get love, it’s just not free, you know, everybody has to make a big, big effort, but as soon as the people understood the way I play, I think they loved me.

"The Spurs family, they will remember my name forever. I scored the first goal in the stadium, won a trophy as captain. To win the Europa League, it was something special and spectacular, I think. The way we handled the situation, the circumstances we faced, it was one of the hardest challenges we've faced, so lifting the trophy as captain of this club, it makes you feel like you are special person, you know. That day I still remember, I feel it. The parade was just incredible, and I never forget those moments… the happiest faces I ever seen from the fans, smiling, laughing, even some people were crying. They were just so proud of the boys, it was just something I’ll never ever forget, and I will watch the clips forever.

"I'm very proud of what I achieved for this amazing football club, and I'm very proud, to be honest, what I achieved as an individual, as a collective, I think is something special. You have to earn it, you have to be playing well, you have to be nice on and off the pitch, and you have to be a top footballer and also the top professional, you know, so that's what I dream of, and seeing the Korean fans, so many Korean fans in the stadium, makes me even more proud. I'm not the guy who always taking it, you know, I always wanted something to give back. I get so much love, so I take the love, but I always want to give the happiness and the true love that I had while I'm playing. Seeing Korean fans, also the Spurs fans welcome the Korean fans, makes me very, very happy.

"I'm very lucky that I had amazing mum and dad who were very strict on me. They always said to me, ‘it doesn't matter how good you are as a footballer, you want to be a better person than a footballer’. As I get older, you're obviously facing reality and you always see the younger players coming in. I just want to be a good role model where everybody looks at me and say, ‘look, we have an amazing captain who is also playing good but also being an amazing human being’.

"It's hard to say it, but there is not forever. It was tough, but I gave everything I could, everything I had, and the loyalty, that was also was important, but as I said, for me, it was clear that I wanted to give something back - that was the trophy. I came here as a kid, but leaving as a grown man, that is something special. I’m very grateful to the club and all the staff, all the coaching stuff, all the players I played with and hugely, hugely grateful to everyone, especially the fans."