Club career
Early career
After graduating from high school and Pohang Steelers academy,Son played for Yeungnam University in the U-League. In 2013,he was named the U-League Most Valuable Player by leading his university to a league title. The next year,he returned to Pohang Steelers,where he played as a youth player,and made his professional debut. [2]
Shandong Taishan
On 13 January 2021,Son joined Chinese Super League club Shandong Taishan. [5] He quickly showed large influence,leading Shandong to a league title in his first CSL season. He was regarded as the league's best player, [6] [7] but the award ceremony was not held at the end of the season.
Match-fixing allegations and trial
On 15 May 2023,however,Son was reportedly investigated by public security authorities in Liaoning due to match-fixing allegations involving former Shandong Taishan manager Hao Wei. [8] The following day,Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that he had been detained for a suspected bribery case. [9]
After ten months of detention by Chinese authorities,Son was released and returned to South Korea on 25 March 2024. [10] For about two months,he trained at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and played for fifth division club Gunyung FC. [11] He was expected to join Jeonbuk,but the negotiation with the club broke down due to the suspicion. [12] On 14 June,he joined another K League 1 club Suwon FC with the help of Choi Soon-ho,the director of Suwon and his former manager. [13]
On 10 September,Chinese Football Association (CFA) announced that Son was banned from football-related activities in China for lifetime for involving in match-fixing. [14] [15] It also notified FIFA and Korea Football Association of the disciplinary action against him. The next day,he held a press conference to deny the verdict. He claimed that he made a false confession due to oppressive investigation and did not know why match fixer Jin Jingdao sent ¥200,000 to his account. [16] On 13 September,Suwon FC terminated the contract with him and was criticised for wasting citizens' tax money. [17]
Chungnam Asan
On 24 January 2025,FIFA dismissed CFA's request due to lack of evidence and Son could continue his football career outside China. [18] On 6 February,he joined K League 2 club Chungnam Asan. [19] In the middle of the season,Chungnam Asan announced Son became their new captain on 5 August,but Kim Seung-ho wore the armband in a league match against Gyeongnam FC four days after the announcement due to strong opposition from their supporters club. [20] [21] [22]
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