“I Will Keep Working to Get Ready as Long as There Is a 1% Chance” Son Heung-min Determined to Play in the World Cup

Captured from Son Heung-min’s social media account

Son Heung-min (30, Tottenham Hotspur), the captain of the South Korean national football team, expressed his determination to play in the 2022 Qatar World Cup while recovering from a facial surgery.

On November 9, Son posted a picture of himself wearing the national team uniform on social media and wrote, “I want to really thank you for the messages of support this past week. I received messages of support from a lot of people and reading them really cheered me up.” This was the first time the football player shared his status after the injury.

In the final UEFA Champions League Group D match against Olympique de Marseille (France) on November 2, Son Heung-min was taken out of the game 29 minutes into the first half after his face crashed into the opponent’s shoulder. The collision resulted in four facial fractures around his left eye. He received surgery on November 4 and is currently recovering.

It will take at least a month for him to recover from the injury. But Son said, “Playing for our country in the World Cup is probably something that many young aspiring football players dream of. I still harbor that dream unwaveringly to this day.”

He continued and said, “Compared to the masks you have had to put up with over the past two or so years, the mask that I will be wearing at the World Cup will be nothing.” He expressed his strong determination to play in the World Cup, even if he has to don a mask, and said he would continue to work hard in what short time he has remaining to get himself ready “as long as there is a 1% chance.”

The final members of the national team to play in the World Cup will be announced on November 12.