Son Heung-min (Tottenham), the captain of the South Korea national soccer team, has made a personal “return to London” report to his fans.
“I’ve returned safely to England after a successful national team call-up,” Son wrote on his social media account on Nov. 27 (KST), reflecting on the team’s week-long two-game series against Thailand. The post reached nearly 400,000 likes in less than an hour.
Son joined the squad for the two matches against Thailand in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 North American Football Confederations Cup on Sept. 21 and 26 in Seoul and Thailand, respectively.
Heung-min scored goals in two consecutive matches to lead Korea to a 1-1 draw, and he touched the hearts of soccer fans when he and Lee Kang-in (PSG) shared a goal and hug in Thailand on Sept. 26.
“I think this call-up was a period where I felt more grateful to the players, and I was proud to be the captain of the team because I could feel their dedication and effort to put aside their personal feelings in a difficult atmosphere and lead the team,” Son said.
In February, Son and the national team were embroiled in a major controversy after being eliminated from the Asian Cup. Rumors of a feud with junior Lee Kang-in surfaced. The team was criticized by fans for not being able to play as a “one-man team” at the Asian Cup. Son Heung-min was so distressed that he hinted at retiring from the national team after the Asian Cup.
However, about a month later, the players returned with a more mature attitude. Lee Kang-in apologized to Son Heung-min from the bottom of his heart. It showed on the field, too. Heung-min scored the goal after receiving a pass from Lee Kang-in.
Son Heung-min traveled directly to England after the game against Thailand on the 26th. He was scheduled to play a Premier League match against Newcastle at 12:00 p.m. on the 30th.
Full text from Heung Min Son
I’m delighted to say that we’ve made it through the call-up and returned safely to England. I was proud to be the captain of the team because the players put aside their personal feelings in a difficult atmosphere and put their hearts and efforts into leading the team. It was a special call-up for me to be honored once again. It was a cold and hot day, but the fans’ love kept us warm and cool. I can’t thank them enough for their love and motivation to play every step of the way. The season is not far away, but I will do my best to play happy soccer so that the fans can be happy and I can be happy♥.