Son Heung-Min, the South Korean international, and a national hero in his home country, could be forced to complete his military service during his break from football.
By law, all male citizens in South Korea between the ages of 18 and 35 must perform compulsory national service, which can vary between 18 and 21 months, depending on which branch of the military that they enter. And, following that spell in the military, they are automatically placed on the reserve list, meaning that they must make themselves available for three days of military training for three days a year, lasting for a six year period.
However, there are some exemptions, and one of those is granted to athletes who achieve considerable sporting success for their country. Son falls into this category, having captained South Korea to gold medal success against Japan in the 2018 Asian Games final in Java, Indonesia.
At that time, there were considerable fears amongst Spurs supporters that, if he and his team fell short, the millionaire could be forced to swap his football kit for military camouflage. In Fact, Tottenham made it a pre-condition of awarding him a new contract that he would not be under such an obligation.
It follows a major scare for Son when his team lost to Honduras at the quarter final stage of the 2016 Olympics. An online petition was started with thousands of South Koreans offering to double their term provided that Son would not have to be conscripted. Securing that win at the Asian Games was his last chance to claim the exemption.
However, although he is now excused from serving the whole term, he is still obliged to spend four weeks undergoing military training, and this may provide an ideal opportunity to complete it.
The 27 year old has been back in his homeland again, having been given permission by his club to return after fracturing his arm in a league match against Aston Villa in February. At that time, the injury was expected to rule him out for the rest of the season remaining at that time.