Son Heung-min must wear a mask to attend the World Cup
On November 9, Son Heung-min posted an article in both English and Korean on Instagram, announcing that he would join the national team to compete in the 2022 World Cup.
"Representing the country at the World Cup is the dream of many kids, and so am I," the 30-year-old striker wrote in English. "Therefore, I will not miss this occasion for any reason. I can't wait to represent Korea at the World Cup. See you soon."
Different from the English translation, Son revealed that he will wear a protective mask in the Korean-language part. "Compared to the masks everyone has had to wear for the past two years, the mask that I will wear at the 2022 World Cup will be nothing," he wrote, referring to the regulation that must be worn due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 19.
Son suffered four eye socket cracks, after colliding with Chancel Mbemba in Tottenham's match against Marseille in the final round of the Champions League group stage on November 1. On November 4, the 30-year-old star had to go to the operating table to treat the wound, raising concerns that Son would miss the third World Cup in his career, although the Korean Football Federation confirmed a successful surgery a day later.
Also in yesterday's post, Son thanked fans in both English and Korean, saying that he read a lot of messages asking for help and was given a lot of strength. "This is a great motivation for me to overcome this difficult period," emphasized the striker born in 1992.
According to Korea JoongAng Daily - the English version of the Korean daily JoongAng Ilbo, Son's protective mask is made of carbon fiber using a player's face from an Italian company. Top stars often fly here to make molds, then it takes three to four days to make masks. This mask can be close to the skin and avoid the nose, is less likely to obstruct peripheral vision, and is often used by players when they have facial injuries, especially in the eyes.
Head coach Paulo Bento will announce the list of 26 Korean players attending the 2022 World Cup on November 12. With the shares on Instagram yesterday, Son is likely to participate in the Qatar campaign, even if he does not recover in time for the opening match against Uruguay on November 24.
Korea JoongAng Daily commented that the match against Uruguay took place less than three weeks after the surgery, and Son may not be in the best shape to start. But if he recovers well, the Tottenham striker can return to the starting line-up in the remaining two matches in the group stage, against Ghana on November 28 and Portugal on December 2.
Son is the player with the most appearances and goals for the Korean national team, with 35 goals in 104 matches. He participated in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, scoring three goals, but did not help Korea qualify for the group stage.
Last season, Son was the first Asian player to win the Premier League's top scorer with 23 goals in 35 games for Tottenham. He shares the title with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah. This season, before the injury, Son played 19 matches for Tottenham, scoring 5 goals and assisting twice. He started 17 of them, with a total playing time of 1,489 minutes.
