Hearing it again, Son Heung-min’s remark is meaningful “We need to think about whether we can play for the national team more.”

British media revealed that Son Heung-min (Tottenham), captain of the Korean national soccer team, fractured his finger while fighting with juniors ahead of the Asian Cup semifinals. As a result of confirmation by the Korea Football Association (KFA), it was true that there was a fight between players and that Son Heung-min was injured in the process. 

Son Heung-min's statement after finishing the Asian Cup semifinals, "I need to think about whether I can play for the national team in the future," felt a bit strange at the time. However, it is meaningful to know and hear again the full story of the 'shocking melee' that occurred the day before the Jordan match.

While the national soccer team was completely defeated in the semifinals of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup against Jordan and failed to win the title for the first time in 64 years, it was revealed that there was even a fist fight between national team players the day before the game, causing great shock.

According to News 1's coverage, on the 5th, a day before the Jordan match, captain Son Heung-min expressed dissatisfaction with some young players leaving after finishing dinner quickly to play table tennis. It did not seem good for the captain to take individual action at a time when team unity was important.

An official from the Korea Football Association said, “Son Heung-min was displeased with the fact that several players, including Lee Kang-in, played table tennis the day before the game. He spoke bitterly because he was the captain. However, Lee Kang-in did not accept it and instead became irritated, and Son Heung-min got angry and grabbed Lee Kang-in by the collar.”

When Son Heung-min grabbed him by the collar, Lee Kang-in immediately counterattacked by punching, and Son Heung-min even injured his finger in the process.

The team atmosphere couldn't have been good as the team captain and the young ace got into a fight. And as everyone knows, in the match against Jordan, the national team had a terrible performance and suffered a helpless defeat without being able to hit a single effective shot.

After the game, Son Heung-min spoke in the mixed zone as if he was considering retiring from the national team, saying, “I think I need to think about whether I can play for the national team in the future.”

Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-min of the Korean national soccer team are preparing to take a free kick during the second match between Jordan and Korea in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup group stage held at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar on the 20th (local time). 

At the time, it was considered a remark made out of disappointment over the shock defeat, but looking back on the series of events, it can be interpreted as a remark that reflected the emotional pain he suffered while leading the team as captain.

It is understandable that he felt doubtful about his career with the national team due to his discord with young players.

After the game, Lee Kang-in said, “Please don’t criticize other players or the coaching staff. “If you want to criticize, blame me,” he said, and this is also being reexamined in connection with an unfortunate accident that occurred the previous day. 스포츠토토