Son Heung-min says every single player and member of staff at Tottenham is over the moon for Richarlison after the striker came off the bench to help turn the game around against Sheffield United on Saturday.
The conversation around mental health in football has changed considerably for the better over recent years and it has been heartening to see everyone come out in support of Richarlison after he went public with his struggles last week (Globo Esporte).
(Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
While the 26-year-old may still have issues to iron out in his personal life, he will now feel a lot better about his professional life after he proved his value to Ange Postecoglou on Saturday.
Ricahrlison came off the bench to get a goal and an assist to help Spurs turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win in dramatic fashion, and the forward was reportedly mobbed by several of his teammates after the full-time whistle (Football.London).
Heung-min Son speaks about the Tottenham family
When asked about the Brazilian’s contribution, Son told Yahoo Sport: “Not only me, everyone in the squad and club was very happy for Richy. It was tough for him and we all hoped that this game would help his confidence. He changed the whole game, that’s what we were waiting for.
“Richy, probably everyone is not happy when not in the starting XI but we know how important it is to come on and change the game like he did or Ivan (Perisic), Brennan (Johnson), Emerson (Royal), Pierre (Hojbjerg). Everyone did a really good job. It’s important to keep an eye on it.
“Everyone did a really good job. It’s important to keep an eye on it. For Richy, everyone is very happy for him. Richy is a really strong guy, a good character and can always bounce back strong, but when you have a tough time you need good people around you.
“I always try to be a friend of him and if he needs anything then I can help him from my experience or playing-wise, also. I think everyone is standing behind him helping. He did an amazing job for this club.”
Son insisted that Tottenham need Richarlison to be at his best as no one at the club has any doubts over his quality.
The Spurs captain continued: “This is part of family. We always want to have a good time when we play with each other. Richy obviously had a very tough time, a tough season. But I was very, very happy. I was probably more happy than him!
“We need him as a team, he has really good quality but the confidence is massively different. For Richy, I just wanted to give him the big hug he deserved and he really showed his quality.
The South Korean admitted that wins like the one on Saturday will go a long way towards improving team morale and fostering a sense of togetherness in the squad.
The 31-year-old added: “We are still on the way. Obviously, it is big games, especially like this that make it more tighter and closer as a group. I think obviously you can’t compare to the real family but we are getting really, really tight in the changing rooms.
“Everyone is working for each other, everyone is running for each other, everyone is fighting for each other. If someone comes off, you give a hand and everyone is happy to do that. That makes us really strong as a team and a group. We’re getting really close. We hope we can be even tighter than this.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It is brilliant to see the way everyone at Tottenham, including Postecoglou and the players have got around Richarlison.
The Brazilian is very popular in the dressing room and the fact that Son, who is essentially the 26-year-old’s main competitor for a starting spot, is so delighted for him, shows the kind of team spirit that exists at Spurs.
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