Son Heung-min has issued an emotional apology to South Korean fans after the country’s early exit from the 2026 World Cup, admitting the tournament meant more to him than anyone else.
South Korea won their opening match in Group A but dropped their next two games, leaving them needing only a draw in their final fixture to advance as one of the eight best third-placed teams. They could not secure it, falling to a 1-0 defeat by South Africa that ended their campaign. Son was not in the starting line-up for that decisive match, coming on only for the second half, and was unable to add to his 56 international goals.
The 33-year-old, who joined MLS side LA FC last August after leaving Tottenham Hotspur, is South Korea’s record appearance holder with 147 caps and is joint top scorer at World Cups alongside Park Ji-sung and Ahn Jung-hwan on three goals. It was his fourth World Cup. During that span, South Korea reached the knockout stage once, losing 4-1 to Brazil in the round of 16 in 2022.
“First of all, I would like to say sorry to all the Korean people and to the fans who love football,” Son said. “It was a competition that was more important to me than anyone else, and the ‘child’s dream’ that I always talked about has collapsed. I’m indescribably hurt. It’s still not easy to accept this reality.”
Son also called on supporters to show compassion towards his teammates. “I feel like asking the fans one more favour in this situation. I’m sorry, but I beg you to send warm support and encouragement rather than criticising and hurting all the players,” he said. “I will run to death to give you pleasure again.”
Image credit: BBC Sport / BBC Sport
