Tottenham Hotspur and South Korea star Son Heung-min recalls injury “nightmare” that threatened World Cup dream
Son Heung-min’s dreams of representing South Korea at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar were left hanging in the balance after he was taken off the field injured against Olympique de Marseille in a 2-1 win for us on matchday six.
A brutal arm to the face from Chancel Mbemba forced Son to exit the pitch. Fans were worried that it would be a concussion, but scans showed it was an eye socket fracture – by no means any less serious.
There was still worry that Son may not be in shape to represent South Korea for a few games at the competition. But with time, it seemed more and more likely that he would make the plane to Qatar.
Now, he has recalled those injury nightmares that threatened to end his World Cup dreams. He recently told beIN Sports (h/t Football.London):
“It was a nightmare to be honest. I was doing everything to be here because it is a big honour for me to play for this amazing country and I did everything. After I got the injury I called up some of my physios and said, ‘Look, I don’t care what is the option, I want to play the World Cup’.”
He then thanked Tottenham for helping him in every manner to boost his chances of representing his nation. The former Bayer Leverkusen winger added:
“Then the surgery went really well and I’m grateful that Spurs did everything for me to be here. So I’m really, really grateful to everyone around me and also teammates, so was a great feeling to be here again and playing one of the greatest tournaments in the world.”
