Son Heung-min, 56 A-match goals: "Thinking about the World Cup is painful"… Vows to win back fans' trust on eve of Ecuador match
Son Heung-min (34) opened up about the pain of the World Cup in an interview in Cheonan the day before the Ecuador match and vowed to regain the fans' trust. Coach Moreno kept Son as captain.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
"Even now, it's so painful when I think about it." These were the first words Son Heung-min (34) offered as he looked back on the recent North America World Cup. On September 23, 2026, he stood before reporters at the Korea Football Park in Cheonan ahead of training for the Ecuador match. The captain, who holds the record for most appearances by a Korean men's player in A-matches with 147 appearances, chose his words carefully when facing that memory.
Son Heung-min from "It's painful" to "It's up to the players": the flow of his remarks on the 23rd
CBS Nocut News reported that Son confessed that the memory of the World Cup is still painful that day. He also conveyed his intention to move forward. According to MyDaily, he also said, "Winning back the fans' hearts is ultimately up to the players."
His answer was about attitude. According to MK Sports, Son said, "We have to show the fans how desperate we are." The idea is that he will show passion and desperation on the pitch. Money Today described the format as an "official press conference," while Yonhap News Agency described it as a "standing interview instead of a press conference."
Coach Moreno: "We respected the existing approach"… Son Heung-min remains captain
On the same day, interim coach Roberto Moreno (49) also spoke. Yonhap News Agency reported that, on the captain selection, he explained, "We respected the way things had been done." His judgment was to keep Son as captain rather than rush to change things before getting to know the players well enough. The coach has changed, but the captain remains the same.
Moreno is Spanish and pursued a coaching career without a professional playing career. He served as assistant coach under Luis Enrique, working at Barcelona (2014–17) and with the Spanish national team. In 2019, he took charge of the Spanish national team himself and led it to Euro 2020 qualification, 9 matches, 7 wins and 2 draws, unbeaten.
Son Heung-min: 56 A-match goals, $11.15 million salary, 2 goals behind Cha Bum-kun
| Rank | Player | Goals | Difference from Son Heung-min (goals) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cha Bum-kun | 58 | +2 |
| 2 | Son Heung-min | 56 | - |
| 3 | Hwang Sun-hong | 50 | -6 |
| 4 | Park Yi-cheon | 36 | -20 |
| 5 | Lee Dong-gook | 33 | -23 |
| 5 | Kim Jae-han | 33 | -23 |
News1 reported that Son Heung-min's record stands at 147 A-match appearances and 56 goals (as of 09:00 on 2026.09.24). He is 2 goals short of the 58 goals of Cha Bum-kun (73), who ranks first. With 2 goals he would be tied for first, and with 3 goals he would be alone in first. He is 6 goals ahead of third-ranked Hwang Sun-hong (50 goals).
Korea Football Association figures (as of 2026.07.01) show Cha Bum-kun and Hong Myung-bo tied for second with 136 appearances and Lee Woon-jae in fourth with 133 appearances. Son passed Cha Bum-kun's 136 appearances in October 2025 and is now 11 appearances ahead of the player in second place. However, Cha Bum-kun's 58 goals is the association's count. The association added a note that "the FIFA-recognized record from 2000 is 55 goals."
According to LAFC's announcement of his signing, Son was born on July 8, 1992, and is 34 years old by international age. He debuted at Hamburger SV in 2010, then moved through Bayer Leverkusen in 2013 and Tottenham Hotspur in 2015. He moved to LAFC in August 2025, and his base contract runs through 2027.
His annualized guaranteed compensation for the 2026 season, as published by the MLS Players Association, is $11,152,852 (based on the contract as of 2026.04.16). His base salary is $10,368,750, and the Korea JoongAng Daily reported that this is second in all of MLS. Multiple outlets reported the 2025 transfer fee at about $26.5 million (about 36.7 billion won), but the club has not officially announced the amount.
The Ecuador match, the first A-match of the Moreno era, kicks off at 20:00 on the 24th at Suwon World Cup Stadium (as of 09:00 on 2026.09.24). According to a YTN report, Coach Moreno plans to make the tactical concepts the team has trained visible even with a short preparation period. Son's 56 goals and 147 appearances could change after this match. Even the national team could not guarantee that the fans who have turned away will return.
Related official sites
- Korea Football Association — Check national team schedule and official announcements
- Korea Football Association all-time A-match records — Raw data on appearance and goal rankings
- LAFC — Official news on Son Heung-min's club
- MLS Players Association official salary data — Player-by-player compensation disclosures for MLS
Representative image · Archival photo · Not a photo from the current match in the article · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (dom fellowes from UK), CC BY 2.0
Related reading
· "I want to help restore fans' trust"… Poyet openly bids for South Korea national team coaching job
· Coach Moreno's debut, tonight at 8 p.m. against Ecuador… 4-4-2, Son Heung-min stays as captain
· Son Heung-min's return stage is 'El Tráfico'… Expected to start for LAFC on the 18th
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