Lee Chun-soo, a South Korean national team legend, sharply criticized Harry Kane's failed free-kick attempts, blaming him for the missed set-piece opportunities that kept Son Heung-min from shining.
On 25 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Lee Chun-soo, a South Korean national team legend and former free-kick specialist, expressed strong opinions about Son Heung-min barely getting any free-kick chances in his 10 years at Tottenham Hotspur. He emphasized that this is not a matter of skill but a result of racial discrimination embedded in European football.
Lee Chun-soo stated that Son Heung-min’s time at Tottenham regarding set pieces has been regrettably wasted. The core issue isn’t Son's free-kick ability but rather the privilege granted to white European superstars, which blocks equally capable Asian players from opportunities.
The most criticized issue concerns Harry Kane, who has monopolized Tottenham’s free kicks for a long time despite unimpressive results. Over 13 league seasons, Kane has scored only one direct free-kick goal, compared to over 280 goals in all competitions, highlighting the irrationality of this decision.
Lee Chun-soo frankly stated, "Kane is a player who should never have been the free-kick taker from the start," explaining that goal-scoring and free-kick skills are different.
"Shooting and free-kick abilities are not the same. Kane is a player who relies purely on power; his ball trajectory differs from Son Heung-min’s, who is recognized for accuracy and ball curve, earning him corner-kick duties. Yet, for free kicks, Kane always stands over the ball."
"Scoring only once in 13 years equates to failing as a free-kick taker, but he continues to take them. This is no longer just a personal preference."
Regarding why coaches don't change the designated free-kick taker, Lee Chun-soo said, "Do you think coaches can easily change their regular free-kick taker? No way. They have to respect stars or top scorers. If they forbid a player from taking free kicks, the player might sulk, change attitude, or even request a transfer. There's a strange psychology that even if the player doesn’t score, they must be given chances to prevent them from leaving."