Son reveals his nerves before Asian Games

The South-Korean star faced the prospect of missing 21 months of club football if his country had not won the competition and in an interview with the BBC he revealed the emotional toll that such pressure brought.

''The night of the final I was a little bit nervous, I couldnt sleep, you know I was very nervous'' said the two-footed forward.

''It was a gamble but I was confident.''  

Son's gamble did indeed pay off and after beating Japan in the final, he and his team mates will not face the prospect of serving their country in the military, rather than on the football pitch.

Newcastle midfielder Ki Sung Yeung previously missed some of Swansea's pre season when he was forced to carry out an abridged version of the scheme during his time in South Wales