Son Heung-min landed in Indonesia on Monday as he commences his battle to win gold at the Asian Games with South Korea and become exempt from what will otherwise be a compulsory military service.
The Tottenham forward is currently obligated to undertake a 21-month term in the military and it must begin within the next two years - unless he wins an Olympic or Asian Games gold.
Spurs have allowed their player to compete in the tournament in hope they will not lose a key member of their squad for almost two years, despite his departure coming just two days after the new season began.
'Of course our target is gold but it is a long way to get to the final,' Son said on his arrival at Bandung International Airport. 'How we approach the game mentally is important. I have thought about the Asian Games a lot.'
'We beat Germany at the World Cup when nobody expected it,' he continued. 'Like that, we could lose to other Asian teams here. We have to take each game as it comes, however, and if we don't give everything in every game then it will be tough.'