Spurs' Simons wants to 'build legacy' as he succeeds Son / Photo: Adrian Dennis - AFP
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Spurs' Simons wants to 'build legacy' as he succeeds Son
Xavi Simons said he wanted to "build my own legacy" after marking the return of Son Heung-min on a visit to Tottenham with another goal in the number seven shirt once worn by the former Spurs star.
The Dutch attacking midfielder followed his commanding display in last weekend's win over Brentford with another impressive showing in a 3-0 Champions League win at home to Slavia Prague on Tuesday.
Simons rounded off victory with a late penalty as Son finally bid farewell to the Spurs faithful after a decade of superb service with the north London club.
"It is really nice to score the goals, but feeling great on the pitch, that is the most important for me and I'm enjoying it," said Xavi.
The 22-year-old, a £52 million ($69 million) summer transfer window signing from RB Leipzig, added: "I didn't meet Son (before) personally and now a little bit. He is a big legend for the club and it's a real pleasure for me to take this number and build my own legacy, so really happy to meet him."
Son scored 173 goals in 454 appearances for Tottenham, with his final competitive appearance their Europa League final triumph over Manchester United on May 21.
The South Korea captain left Spurs in pre-season to sign for Los Angeles FC and so was unable to say goodbye to the club's fans until Tuesday
Several hours before kick-off, a mural depicting Son was unveiled on the Tottenham High Road.
Son later addressed a crowd of 47,821 and told them "I will always be Spurs".
Speaking to Korean media afterwards, he said: "First of all, I'm happy to be back in a place where I spent my youth and is like a home.
"I'm so grateful that so many fans welcomed me and cheered for me. It was a little hard (on Monday) because the flight time was longer than I thought, but I had a really happy day. Thank you so much."
Mathys Tel, only drafted into Spurs' Champions League squad this week as an injury replacement for Dominic Solanke, was among those delighted to catch up with Son again.
"Sonny is like my big brother," said Tel. "He is always texting me, his support is always behind me, so back in the Champions League, we won and Sonny was there... a lot of good things.
"Sonny is a big legend at Tottenham, so when a guy like Sonny comes after he did everything, you give everything for him."
O.M.Souza--AMWN