"I Don't Think It's My Goal"… From Lee Kang-in's Goal to Son Heung-min's 58th, Tying Cha Bum-kun for Most Goals

The consolation goal in the 35th minute of the 1-4 loss to Uruguay was recorded as Son Heung-min's 58th A-match goal. Son himself said, "I don't think it's my goal," but he is now tied with Cha Bum-kun for first place in all-time goals.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Three-Line Summary

Korea lost 1-4 to Uruguay on September 28, and the consolation goal in the 35th minute of the second half was recorded as Son Heung-min's.
Son Heung-min now has 58 goals in 149 A-matches, tying Cha Bum-kun for first place in all-time goals for the Korean men's national team.
After the match, Son himself said he had no feeling of touching the ball and that "it would feel uneasy."

Night of September 28, Seoul World Cup Stadium. In the 35th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min stretched out a foot to a cross from Lee Kang-in (25), and the ball went into the net. Korea lost 1-4 to Uruguay. The match record listed Son Heung-min's name, but according to Money Today and Star News, Son himself said he had no feeling of touching the ball.

Son Heung-min's 58th goal, a cross from Lee Kang-in in the 35th minute of the second half

The point of contention is whether Lee Kang-in's cross touched Son Heung-min's foot. OSEN reported that the own goal in this match was a goal conceded by Korean defender Kim Min-jae, which is separate from this controversy. Lee Kang-in moved from PSG to Atletico Madrid this summer, and Korean media reported the transfer fee as 40 million euros including options.

The credited scorer changed within a day. Yonhap News reported on the 28th that FIFA and other sources had listed the goal as Lee Kang-in's. The KFA, after confirmation by the match officials, recorded it as Son Heung-min's. OSEN reported at 7 a.m. on the 29th that the FIFA listing had also been corrected to Son Heung-min.

Son Heung-min: "I Don't Think It's My Goal," His Own Sense vs. the Official Ruling

Son Heung-min saw it differently. Money Today and Star News reported that in the mixed zone right after the match on the 28th, he said he had no feeling of touching the ball and added, "For now, I don't think it's my goal." He went on: "If this goal is recorded as mine, I think I'd feel uneasy about it too." These words came on the very day he set the record.

The opposing argument rests on official procedure. The KFA's position is that it went through confirmation by the referee and the VAR officials. No one disputes that the ball went in. The question is whose name it is recorded under. In the KFA's records it is Son Heung-min's 58th goal, but Son himself said on match day that he did not feel it was his own.

Tying Cha Bum-kun's Record of 58 Goals, the All-Time Rankings

With this goal, Son Heung-min's A-match record stands at 58 goals in 149 appearances (as of 22:00 on 2026.09.29, citing reports of KFA tallies). It ties Cha Bum-kun (73) for the most goals for the Korean men's national team, with a tie at 58 goals, which is a shared first place rather than a solo new record. Cha Bum-kun also scored 98 goals in 308 Bundesliga matches.

Rank	Player	Goals	Gap to leader (goals)
1	Cha Bum-kun	58	0
1	Son Heung-min	58	0
3	Hwang Sun-hong	50	8
4	Park Lee-chun	36	22
5	Lee Dong-gook	33	25
5	Kim Jae-han	33	25

Records for retired players are from the KFA table as of July 1, 2026; Son Heung-min's record is based on post-match reports.

Per match, Cha Bum-kun averages 0.43 goals (58÷136) and Son Heung-min 0.39 goals (58÷149). On the other hand, his 149 appearances surpass the 136 of Cha Bum-kun and Hong Myung-bo, making him the all-time leader in appearances. The KFA attached a note to Cha Bum-kun's record: 'The FIFA-approved record in 2000 is 55 goals.'

Son Heung-min's Age and Salary: $11.15 Million in Guaranteed Compensation

Son Heung-min was born on July 8, 1992, and is 34 years old this year. He debuted at Hamburg SV in 2010, passed through Leverkusen and Tottenham, and moved to LAFC in August 2025. His career highlights include sharing the 2021-22 Premier League Golden Boot, winning the 2020 FIFA Puskas Award, and the 2024-25 Europa League title (as Tottenham captain).

MLS Players Association spring 2026 salary data (as of 2026.04.16) shows Son Heung-min's annual base salary at $10,368,750 and his average annual guaranteed compensation at $11,152,852. Guaranteed compensation is an amount that includes signing bonuses, guaranteed bonuses and the like annualized, so it is not money added on top of base salary, and it is also different from endorsement income or net worth.

The remaining variable is whether the official records will reflect this. The KFA records office's cumulative table still shows 147 matches and 56 goals as of July 1, 2026. The original FIFA match report could not be directly reconfirmed either. The 300 combined national team and club goals cited in some reports is likewise not a figure confirmed against every club's official records. If Son Heung-min scores just one more goal, he will be the sole leader.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Has Son Heung-min's 58 A-match goals surpassed Cha Bum-kun's record?

No. Based on post-match reports, Son Heung-min's A-match record is 58 goals in 149 matches. That equals Cha Bum-kun's 58 goals, so they share first place for most goals for the Korean men's national team.

Q. How old is Son Heung-min?

He was born on July 8, 1992, and is 34 years old as of September 29, 2026. The birth date is the same in the KFA player information and the official LAFC profile.

Q. Was the consolation goal against Uruguay originally Lee Kang-in's goal?

Yonhap News reported on the 28th that FIFA and other sources had listed it as Lee Kang-in's goal. The KFA recorded it as Son Heung-min's goal after confirmation by the match officials, and OSEN reported on the 29th that the FIFA listing had also been corrected to Son Heung-min.

Related Official Sites

Korea Football Association — check national team match results and schedules
KFA All-Time National Team Records — source data for A-match goal and appearance rankings
LAFC Son Heung-min Official Profile — club records and basic information
MLS Players Association Salary Data — disclosure of base salary and guaranteed compensation by MLS player

Representative 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