'What Son has doesn't disappear overnight'

'Japan football now at a level we cannot match'

Son Heung-min receives a commemorative jersey from former national team director Cha Bum-kun before South Korea's friendly match against Paraguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, Seoul, hosted by Hana Bank. Son set the record for most appearances by a South Korean male player in A-match competition in October last year. [Newsis]
Son Heung-min receives a commemorative jersey from former national team director Cha Bum-kun before South Korea's friendly match against Paraguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, Seoul, hosted by Hana Bank. Son set the record for most appearances by a South Korean male player in A-match competition in October last year. [Newsis]

South Korean football legend Cha Bum-kun, the former national team director, said while watching the 2026 North America World Cup that Son Heung-min's age has not diminished his performance on the pitch.

In an interview with FIFA released Sunday, Cha said Son's recovery speed may slow slightly with age, but his core abilities remain intact. "What Son has doesn't just disappear overnight," he said. "I don't think age is having that big an impact on him right now."

Cha also weighed in on Son's positional role, saying Son is naturally better suited to operating on the flanks than as a central striker. "But he was deployed strategically up front, and if he created two goals against the Czech Republic, that means the player did remarkably well for the team," he said.

Cha added that Son's presence as a forward creates pressure on opponents in its own right. "The very fact that Son is playing up front puts a burden on the other side," he said. "And in that process, it opens up space for other players."

Cha was equally positive about the broader growth of South Korean football. "There's none of that timid, intimidated play we used to see," he said. "Playing on the World Cup stage now feels natural, and the players are showing everything they've got."

He said the team has the quality to go further in the tournament. "If this level of performance keeps building, the players will gain even greater confidence," he said. "Looking at the current squad and how they're playing, I think they have the ability and firepower to reach the quarterfinals."

Cha reserved his highest praise for Japan, saying the country's football has reached a level South Korea cannot currently match. "Japan has systematically built its youth development system over many years and created a structure where any player who comes in can play the same style of football," he said.

He added that Japan's ambition of winning the World Cup in the near future is not far-fetched. "I think they have the capability, the depth and the quality to back that up," he said.

South Korea will play their final Group A match of the 2026 North America World Cup against South Africa on Thursday at 10 a.m.


yjc@heraldcorp.com