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Tottenham's favourite Son has a room full of wacky gifts at home – including a pillow with his face on it.

But the Spurs star is determined not to lose any more sleep over his delayed start to the season, or his side’s 11-year trophy drought.

Heung-Min Son is finally ready to go against Newcastle tomorrow after serving a three-match ban for his first red card in English football. And the Premier League better watch out, because the beaming smile and softly-spoken persona of the humble South Korean with the heart of gold hides a player who cannot stand losing.

So much so in fact that he once broke his older brother Son Heung-Yun’s finger during an ultra-competitive sporting contest as kids.

(Image: Getty)

“It was an accident!” he laughs when Starsport sat down to speak to him at the Frederick Knight Sports Ground, where he surprised some local youngsters on a club-sponsored training scheme.

“We were playing football tennis with a soft ball. The ball was in the middle. It hit the net and he tried to grab it and I kicked his hand and broke his finger!”

It’s that competitive fire that helped Son smash 20 goals in all competitions for Spurs last season, despite twice being called away by his country for international tournaments.

But he admits it’s also the reason he saw red last season after reacting angrily to a challenge from Jefferson Lerma in a defeat at Bournemouth.

Son said: “We were losing and the guy was in my head a little bit. There was a foul. Everything comes together and I lost my head. But I will learn from these situations. It will never happen again.

(Image: GETTY)

“It’s been almost three weeks now I couldn’t play and it was really painful watching my team-mates. I am sorry for what happened. But I’m ready to go now and I can’t wait.

“I can’t promise I’ll do better than last season but this is my goal. I’m improving still, I’m hungry.

“This team deserves to win something. We are missing the last step many, many times. But we are ready to win something.”

Son hates losing so much it burns deep inside him, and he admits he is still getting over Tottenham’s Champions League final defeat to Liverpool.

It’s hard to square that Son with the “Uncle Sonny” who melted hearts in a video of his side’s lap of honour last season when he joked around with his team-mates’ kids, making them smile and laugh. Or the guy that trained with awestruck youngsters yesterday, signing autographs, giving high-fives and snapping selfies.

He said: “I enjoy playing with the kids. I like kids. I like children. They make me laugh when I see them. So that’s why.

“But I don’t want to lose any game. Even in a training session when I get a big smash, I’m really angry! Afterwards it will be all in my head even if I lose in a training game.

“In the Champions League final, it was really tough to take. We have to get over it and go forward again.”

And the pillow? From one of his thousands of diehard fans back home who give him a rock star welcome whenever he returns, of course.

Son said: “I get a lot of gifts. Some sweets, some candies. Many letters. Some pictures of me. One person made a picture book about me. There was a pillow, with my face on. A blanket.

“It’s not easy to make these things. I’m really grateful. Some of them are small but for me they are special things. I have a special room for them. A display.”

Throughout July and August, Tottenham Hotspur Foundation has been running free grassroots football coaching courses and tournaments for children aged 5 to 18 years old in Haringey. To learn more about what Tottenham Hotspur is delivering on its doorstep, download the Spurs Official app or visit the Passionate About Tottenham web page.