Son Heung-min's 58 A-match goals tie him with Cha Bum-kun for first place… Moreno's Korea lose 1-4 to Uruguay
South Korea lost 1-4 to Uruguay in a home friendly in Seoul. The KFA recorded the consolation goal in the 35th minute of the second half as Son Heung-min's 58th A-match goal, but Son expressed doubt about it.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
"I don't think it's my goal." Son Heung-min (34) reportedly said this in the mixed zone after the September 28 match against Uruguay. Son had just moved level with Cha Bum-kun as the all-time leading A-match scorer for the South Korean men's national team. The final score was 1-4. A record, a heavy defeat and a dispute over who scored all came in a single match.
1-4 heavy defeat to Uruguay, dispute over who scored the consolation goal in the 35th minute of the second half
According to Yonhap Newsand the Korea Football Association (KFA), South Korea lost 1-4 to Uruguay in a home friendly at Seoul World Cup Stadium that day. It is the first defeat under interim manager Robert Moreno (49), who took charge on September 1. Moreno is the first Spanish head coach of the Korean national team; after a 3-0 win over Ecuador in the debut match, the record now stands at 1 win and 1 loss.
Korea's only goal came in the 35th minute of the second half, with the team trailing 0-4. According to Sports Chosun,after the match the KFA announced on its official social media account, "After final confirmation by the on-site officials, the tournament operations headquarters and the broadcast footage, the goal was recognized as Son Heung-min's."
SBSreported in a follow-up in the early morning of the 29th that some external records, including FIFA's, list this goal as Lee Kang-in's. As of 2026.09.29 05:00, the only confirmed fact is that it is "Son Heung-min's goal in the KFA's tally."
The performance was poor as well. Son reportedly pointed out after the match that the team became anxious and shrank after conceding early. Korea could not pull a single goal back until the fourth goal was conceded.
Son Heung-min's 58 A-match goals tie him with Cha Bum-kun for first place… what about goals per match?
According to SBS, Son Heung-min's A-match record in the KFA's tally is 149 matches and 58 goals (as of 05:00 on 2026.09.29). That equals the 58 goals Cha Bum-kun (73) scored in 136 matches. It must be made clear that this is a shared first place, not a sole new record.
| Player | Age | A-match appearances (matches) | Goals | Goals per match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Son Heung-min | 34 | 149 | 58 | 0.39 |
| Cha Bum-kun | 73 | 136 | 58 | 0.43 |
Dividing 58 goals by matches played gives Cha Bum-kun 0.43 goals per match and Son Heung-min 0.39 goals per match. Son Heung-min reached the same total after playing 13 more matches than Cha Bum-kun. One more goal in the next A-match would make Son the sole leader. Conversely, if the scorer of this 58th goal is changed, Son's total goes back to 57 goals.
Son Heung-min was born on July 8, 1992, and is 34 this year. According to a Tottenham announcement, Son scored 173 goals in 454 official matches before moving to LAFC in August 2025. In the 2021-22 season, Son became the first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot.
Son Heung-min's salary of $11.15 million ranks second in MLS guaranteed compensation
MLS Players Associationreleased its spring 2026 salary figures (as of 2026.04.14), which show that Son Heung-min's annual guaranteed compensation is $11,152,852. Base salary is $10,368,750, so the difference between the two amounts is $784,102. This is not total income including endorsements.
| Rank | Player | Club | Annual guaranteed compensation (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Inter Miami | 28,333,333 |
| 2 | Son Heung-min | LAFC | 11,152,852 |
| 3 | Rodrigo De Paul | Inter Miami | 9,688,320 |
| 4 | Hirving Lozano | San Diego FC | 9,333,333 |
The gap to first-placed Messi is $17,180,481, meaning Messi earns about 2.5 times as much as Son Heung-min. The gap to third-placed De Paul is $1,464,532. This ranking is as of April and is not the current ranking for September.
The biggest variable is whose record this goal ends up as. If the KFA corrects the record, the all-time A-match scoring lead reverts to Cha Bum-kun alone. For manager Moreno, the problem of players shrinking after an early goal conceded also remains as a task.
Related official sites
- Korea Football Association — check national team match results and official records
- LAFC official profile of Son Heung-min — club season stats and player information
- MLS Players Association spring 2026 salary guide — original data on base salary and guaranteed compensation for all MLS players
Lead image · archival photo · not an on-site photo of the match in this article · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (dom fellowes from UK), CC BY 2.0
Related reading
· Son Heung-min's 58 goals tie Cha Bum-kun for most A-match goals… "no thrill" amid 1-4 defeat
· "Uneasy" over the 58th goal… Son Heung-min amid 1-4 defeat to Uruguay and dispute over who scored
WeSoccer Editor · More profile and articles