SEOUL: Son Heung-min must forget his troubles with struggling Tottenham as South Korea look to clinch a place at next year’s World Cup, his national team coach said Monday.
Son came off the bench at half time to rescue a point for Spurs with a late penalty in a 2-2 home draw with Bournemouth on Sunday.
But the 32-year-old forward has enjoyed less playing time this season and scored just seven Premier League goals as the London club languish in the bottom half of the table.
South Korea can qualify for their 11th straight World Cup if they beat both Oman and Jordan in home qualifiers this month.
Hong Myung-bo named Son in his squad and said the national team was “a completely different setting” for his captain.
Hong insisted that Son’s attempts to help Spurs win their first trophy in 17 years would not affect his performances for his country.
“I don’t want to link the trophy drought with the national team,” the coach said.
“Of course we want Son Heung-min to do well at his club and for him to carry that form into the national team.
“I believe he will continue to do well moving forward,” he added.
Son has struggled with injuries this season and completed 90 minutes just five times since the turn of the year.
Hong said there were no guarantees that Son would start as South Korea face Oman on March 20 and Jordan five days later.
“There are many discussions regarding his recent form, including his goal tally,” he said.
“However, we must not forget everything he has accomplished so far. If he joins us this time, we will communicate about his role and work together to find the best approach possible.”
South Korea are unbeaten in the third round of Asian qualifying, having drawn twice and won the remaining four games.
Hong named a full-strength squad that also features Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae, Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in and Wolves’ Hwang Hee-chan.
“I want to see a balance between the energy of the young players and the experience of the veterans,” said Hong.
“For that to happen, the younger players need to be confident and embrace the opportunity of being called up.”
Son must forget Spurs woes, says South Korea coach
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Son must forget Spurs woes, says South Korea coach
- Son Heung-min must forget his troubles with struggling Tottenham as South Korea look to clinch a place at next year’s World Cup, his national team coach said Monday
Racist chants target Vinícius Jr before Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey clash
- A group gathering near the stadium in the city of Albacete chanted abuse about the 25-year-old
- “Enough of this racism, it’s completely shameful,” Albacete posted on social media
ALBACETE, Spain: Racist chants against Real Madrid’s much-abused Brazilian forward Vinícius Jr were heard outside the Carlos Belmonte stadium on Wednesday ahead of a Copa del Rey tie against second division side Albacete.
A group gathering near the stadium in the city of Albacete chanted abuse about the 25-year-old, who has repeatedly suffered racism in Spain during games.
“Enough of this racism, it’s completely shameful. It’s not the image that represents the people of Albacete or the club,” Albacete posted on social media.
Vinícius was named in Álvaro Arbeloa’s starting line-up for the round of 16 cup game, his first match in charge as Real Madrid manager since the exit of Xabi Alonso.
In May 2025, five people received prison sentences in a landmark first ruling in Spain that condemned racist insults in a soccer stadium as a hate crime after Vinícius was abused during Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Real Valladolid in 2022.
There have been 18 legal complaints of racist behavior against Vinicius since 2022. Real Madrid had no immediate comment on Wednesday’s latest incident.
Vinicius has in the past expressed disappointment with what he describes as inadequate responses from governing bodies.
