Tottenham star Son Heung-min acknowledged feeling extra "pressure and attention" after sharing the Premier League Golden Boot last season.
Son scored 23 league goals for Spurs during the 2021-22 campaign, finishing level with Mohamed Salah as the division's top scorer.
That was Son's best Premier League goals total for a single season, six more than the 17 he managed 12 months earlier, and he believes such an outlay brought with it a level of scrutiny he had not felt before.
Although he insists he loves the pressure, Son's form amid the additional recognition has been underwhelming, managing just seven Premier League goals in 28 appearances.
The 30-year-old still has another eight matches left to play this term, and he did score in Saturday's 2-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion, though there is a chance this could be the first season he has not reached double figures for goals since only getting four in his debut campaign for Spurs.
But regardless of how 2022-23 ends, Son sees no reason why he cannot come back stronger next term.
"Look, if I want to make excuses for the way I've played, I can find lots of them, but I'm not the type of guy who goes around making excuses and saying, 'That was not the real me'," Son told reporters.
"It happened, you move on, and I accept I was not at the top level.
"Last season was fantastic and to win the Golden Boot was a magical moment which gave me amazing confidence.
"Coming into the new season, everyone was saying, 'Sonny's got the Golden Boot' and expecting me to have another amazing run, but sometimes it's not that simple because you get more attention and more pressure, which I love.
"This is the reason we play, because I love this pressure, and it means I'm not the perfect player. I can still improve at my age, and the last eight games will be very important for me and the team."
