Captain Son Heung-min wants to come through for fans in 1st nat'l team match of 2025
For Son Heung-min, captain of the South Korean men's national football team, the World Cup qualifying match against Oman scheduled for Thursday is important on multiple levels.
For one, a win will push South Korea closer to a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Also, it will be the very first match for the Taegeuk Warriors this year, and their first game on home soil since Oct. 15, 2024.
"I am sure fans have high expectations ahead of our first match of this year," Son said at a prematch press conference at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, the venue of Thursday's match located just northwest of Seoul. "We all feel a sense of responsibility to play a great match for our fans and also for ourselves. It's important for us to make sure it will translate to a good performance on the field."
It will be the seventh match for both teams in Group B of the third round in the Asian World Cup qualification. South Korea are in the lead with 14 points, five clear of third-place Jordan, their opponent next Tuesday. With the top two teams from the group qualifying for the World Cup, South Korea can lock down their spot by beating both Oman and Jordan.
South Korea are undefeated with four wins and two draws, and lead their group with 12 goals scored. But Son insisted the road to this point has been anything but easy.
"It may seem like we're in an easy spot, but we should never forget the difficult situation we've had to overcome so far," Son said. "I think we deserve to be praised for reaching this point."
Son refused to look past the Oman match, saying, "Throughout my career, I have only thought about the next match and never the one coming afterward."
Son, also captain of Tottenham Hotspur, acknowledged he has gone through some "difficult and challenging" moments with the Premier League side lately, and said he is looking forward to feeling rejuvenated by the positive energy of South Korean supporters.
"Our fans always root hard for us and we don't want to let them down," Son said. "My role is to create opportunities, to make the right decisions and to help us score goals. Since this will be our first match of the year, we will do our best to put on an entertaining show for our supporters."
If Son plays in both of the upcoming matches this month, he will reach 133 international caps, which will tie him for third place on the South Korean list with former goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae. Son also sits seven goals from the all-time leader, Cha Bum-kun, on the national team goals rankings.
Asked about the next milestone on the horizon, Son said individual accomplishments have never meant much to him.
"I just think about all the people that have helped me play for the national team for such a long time, from my teammates, coaches and members of the support staff," Son said. "I think it is my responsibility to return all the love and support I've received from them the best I can. That's more important to me than setting records."
Now one of South Korea's elder statesmen, Son said he wants the team's new faces to be themselves and not feel intimidated around veterans.
"They often remind me of the first time I made the national team," said Son, whose international debut came in December 2010 as an 18-year-old. "If they can't play the way they're capable of because they're too shy, then it hurts the team and the players themselves. The national team is a collection of the country's best players trying to achieve the same goal. I've told them not to waste such a precious opportunity." (Yonhap)
