Tottenham’s Heung-min Son says what his relationship with Ruud van Nistelrooy is like after playing with him for Hamburg

Heung-min Son had the privilege of sharing a dressing room and playing with Ruud van Nistelrooy during his time at Hamburg SV.

Son has become a top player at Tottenham, signing for the English giants all the way back in 2015.

But Heung Min-Son first made his way to Europe by joining Hamburg from FC Seoul in 2008.

Ruud van Nistelrooy signed for the German giants two years later and had the chance to play with the now-Spurs superstar.

For any young player, playing alongside one of the greatest strikers in the history of the game would have been an eye-opening learning curve.

As Son is regarded as a world-class player nowadays, he was quizzed about the time he spent playing with the former Manchester United and Real Madrid legend in Germany.

Heung-min Son admits Leicester City boss Ruud van Nistelrooy was like his “dad” at Hamburg

At the time, the Dutchman was 34 and a seasoned winner.

When the Leicester City boss signed for Hamburg, the Spurs skipper was just a teenager.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Son initially revealed that he was starstruck when he first met Ruud van Nistelrooy.

“I started [playing for] youth team in Hamburg, I got a first-team call-up when I was 17. I went to the changing room really early, soon as Ruud [van Nistelrooy] came and then I just I felt like, I couldn’t believe it.”

“I was like, shaking, I was sitting in the changing room to be fair, soon as he turned up, I stand up straightaway, I shake his hand and then he says, ‘How are you?’ and then I say, ‘All good’ [stuttering voice] and then I had an unbelievable pre-season.”

Son went on to disclose that after he broke his foot in pre-season at Hamburg, Ruud van Nistelrooy assured him that the team would wait for him to return to full fitness; a message that brought the Premier League legend to tears.

“But unfortunately, I broke my foot and I was in the crutches the next day and we had a team picture and I’d gone with the crutches and he came to me and said, ‘We’re going to wait for you.’ Then, I started crying because it was so meaningful, the words from a world-class player and world star that talked to me like this.”

Son went on to admit that Ruud van Nistelrooy was a father figure to him at Hamburg, hailing the decorated goalscorer’s quality and how much he learned from him.

“He was like, if you need anything, come to me and speak to me and he was so good, he was like my dad, you know? He was giving so much advice and he still had unbelievable quality and I learned so much from him.”

“He is now the manager at Leicester and then I can’t wait to see him now back!”

Ruud van Nistelrooy called Tottenham’s Heung-min Son a “massive talent” in 2011

It seems like Ruud van Nistelrooy always believed in the Tottenham winger’s natural talent.

So much so that in April 2011, the two-time La Liga winner claimed that Son was a “massive talent.”

“My teammate Son Heung-min, massive talent! 18 years old.. Watch out for him. Class!”

Two years later, Son left Hamburg to play for Bayer Leverkusen.

After impressing at Leverkusen, the South Korean international became a Tottenham player and as they say, the rest is history.

Scoring 169 goals and providing 91 assists in 433 total matches for Spurs, Son has been an absolute phenomenon for them.

Harry Kane sang Son’s praises by admitting was “lucky” to play with him.

It’s safe to say that any Ruud van Nistelrooy would echo Kane’s sentiment as he has seen him grow into a top-class forward over the years.