Wrexham send a message to 'massive fan' Son Heung-min

Football

Published: 31 Jan. 2023, 16:30 Updated: 31 Jan. 2023, 17:30

Wrexham send a message to 'massive fan' Son Heung-min

Wrexham players celebrate with Son Heung-min's camera celebration during an FA Cup game against Sheffield United at The Racecourse Ground in Wrexham, Wales on Jan. 29 in a photo posted to the club's official Twitter page. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Son Heung-min's famous camera celebration made an unexpected appearance in an FA Cup fourth round game between Wrexham and Sheffield United on Sunday as players of the non-league Welsh club paid tribute to the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder they recently heard was a "massive fan" of the team.

Son may get to meet his new football heroes sooner than expected, with Wrexham drawing 3-3 with Sheffield to trigger a replay next week, with the winner of that game going on to face Spurs in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Son is said to have become a fan of Wrexham after watching the “Welcome to Wrexham” documentary, which chronicles the efforts of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to take control of the third-oldest football club in the world after purchasing it in 2020. The takeover proved successful, with Reynolds and McElhenney proving willing to invest the money to hugely improve both the Wrexham squad and facilities.

Son apparently enjoyed the documentary so much he discussed it with teammate and friend Ben Davies, who mentioned it to Luton Town center-back Tom Lockyer while they were both on international duty with Wales. Lockyer passed the message on to his former Luton Town teammate Elliot Lee, now a midfielder at Wrexham, and word quickly spread around the dressing room.

"My friend Tom Lockyer plays for Wales and he was with Ben Davies the other day and Ben Davies said that Sonny for Tottenham is a massive Wrexham fan now," Lee told reporters after Sunday's game. "So he asked if we could send him a message in the week, so we sent him a message during the week and did his celebration after we scored."

After falling behind early on Monday, Wrexham rallied to take a 2-1 lead, pulling ahead again to 3-2 with an 86th minute goal. Sheffield got a last-gasp equalizer five minutes into injury time to force the replay, leaving Wrexham to face the higher-ranked team on the road after bitter draw at home.

The replay of the fourth round game will be played on Feb. 7.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]