"Korean national team ace" Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham) is working to restore his pride.
The football team, led by coach Hong Myung-bo (56), will face Jordan in the 8th match of Group B of the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, held at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 25th at 8 p.m.
Korea drew 1-1 with Oman on the 20th, unable to hold onto Hwang Hee-chan's opening goal. Korea currently holds 15 points (5 wins, 3 draws) and maintains a somewhat shaky first place in Group B, just 3 points ahead of second-place Jordan.
Having participated in the World Cup three times, Son Heung-min is a living legend of Korean football. With 51 goals in A matches, Son Heung-min ranks second all-time, surpassing Hwang Sun-hong (50 goals). The only player with more goals than Son Heung-min is "Cha Bum-kun" (58 goals). If Son Heung-min adds 8 more goals, he will rise to first place all-time.
Son Heung-min has dedicated himself for over 10 years, alternating between Tottenham and the Korean national team. After coping with a grueling schedule at Tottenham, he returns home via long-distance flights to play as captain for the Korean national team. He is the player with the longest travel distance in the world.
Regrettably, this season, Son Heung-min's form has declined significantly compared to his prime. With 7 goals and 9 assists in the Premier League, he faces the risk of not scoring double digits for the first time in 8 years. Tottenham is also currently sitting at 14th in the league.
Son Heung-min's abilities are not at 100% with the national team either. In the match against Oman, Son Heung-min displayed uncharacteristic mistakes. It was unusual to see him fail to connect a shot from Lee Kang-in's cross due to lack of preparation.
There were also some mistakes from Son Heung-min in the goal conceded. In the 35th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min made a quick forward pass. However, this pass was directed not to a teammate but to Al Busaidi. After exchanging the ball once with a teammate, he immediately took a shot that rattled the net. Son Heung-min showed no proactive movement after losing the ball. In the match against Oman, Son Heung-min ceded ball possession to the opponent 19 times. It was a poor performance that would be hard to imagine from the usual Son Heung-min.
After the match, Son Heung-min reflected, "Overall, it was a disappointing result. I am terribly disappointed in myself and feel sorry for my teammates. This is not just a one-off; I've been creating good situations throughout. There isn’t even enough time to be disappointed. I hope this match serves as an opportunity for improvement."
Son Heung-min is considered one of the greatest players in Korean football history. However, since he is also a Saramin, a temporary decline can happen. Fans continue to send a lot of support to Son Heung-min.
No matter how excellent Mussa al-Tamari is, he cannot compare to Son Heung-min’s reputation. Ultimately, the key to the match against Jordan hinges on whether Son Heung-min can make a comeback.
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