After leading South Korea’s national soccer team to an unsuccessful World Cup bid, Son Heung-min, 31, will return to Tottenham Hotspur to continue his Premier League career.
After South Korea was eliminated in the semifinals of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar on Sunday, Son Heung-min is back at Spurs and ready to play this weekend, according to the British Press Standard.
Klinsmann’s South Korea national soccer team saw their title challenge come to a halt on Sunday as they fell 0-2 to Jordan in the semifinals of the AFC Qatar Asian Cup 2023 at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar.
South Korea managed to keep the score at 0-0 in the first half, but the defense collapsed in the second half. They conceded back-to-back goals to Jordan’s two best strikers, Yazan Al-Naimat in the eighth minute of the second half and Musa Altamari in the 21st minute of the second half. They were simply helpless. Korea did not record a single shot on goal on the day and suffered a humiliating defeat.
For Son Heung-min, who plays for Tottenham in the Premier League, it was a difficult result to accept. At 31 years old, this could be his last Asian Cup, so he was more motivated than ever to prepare for the tournament, only to lose to an unexpected opponent.
In particular, the national team had high hopes of winning the tournament alongside Son Heung-min, as they had players in every position who are performing at the top of the European big leagues, including Hwang Hee-chan, who has already scored 10 goals this season in the Premier League, defender Kim Min-jae, who plays for Germany’s top club Bayern Munich, and Lee Kang-in, who joined Paris Saint-Germain. However, the team packed their bags after a lackluster performance and result.
Heung-min showed his captain’s class by playing full-time in all six games, but in the quarterfinal against Jordan, the offense was silent. He didn’t have a single shot on target.
Heung-min scored two penalty kicks in the group stage and converted one goal and one penalty in the quarterfinals against Australia to help South Korea reach the semifinals. However, Heung-min didn’t get any help in the semifinals.
In the post-match televised interview, Son Heung-min was slow to speak. More than 10 seconds passed before he finally opened his mouth. “I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry,” he said, before adding, “The players did their best. I’m sorry that the game ended like this because of our mistakes. It’s too bad.”
The host then asked Son Heung-min to say something to the people who supported him until late in the night, and he said, “I’m so grateful and sorry, and I’m sorry that I couldn’t show a better performance than I expected. I will do my best to improve as a soccer player and improve the national team. I apologize,” he said.
According to a video released by ‘JTBC’ on July 7, South Korea national soccer team captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) headed straight to Doha Hamad International Airport after the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar.
He was on his way to catch a British Airways flight to London, England, to join Tottenham Hotspur. In the video, Son Heung-min was clearly exhausted. He entered the airport looking tired.
And for good reason. Son Heung-min played full time in every match at the Asian Cup. He didn’t take a single minute off. It was a grueling three games in the group stage and six games in the round of 16, quarterfinals, and semifinals, including a penalty shootout against Saudi Arabia in the round of 16 that went beyond extra time, and a penalty shootout against Australia in the quarterfinals two days later.
After not getting the results he wanted, Son is now back at Tottenham and reunited with manager Angie Postecoglou.
“Son Heung-min will return to Tottenham this week and a decision will be made on whether he will play in Saturday’s home game against Brighton,” the media reported, adding, “Son’s return will be a big boost for Tottenham as he is the top scorer for the club this season (four goals). He is the top scorer this season (12 goals),” the report said.
Spurs have won two, drawn two and lost one of their five official games while Son was away at the Asian Cup. They lost 0-1 in the FA Cup fourth round to Manchester City, knocking them out of the competition, but remained unbeaten in the Premier League.
In Son’s absence, frontline striker Roberto Firmino scored four goals in five games, and Timo Werner joined in the winter transfer window to bolster the attack.