Son Heung-min believes that past experiences will help South Korea continue to advance in the World Cup.

The first match of Group A in the 2026 World Cup will take place, with South Korea, nicknamed the "Taeguk Warriors," traveling to the Akron Stadium to challenge the Czech Republic. South Korean captain Son Heung-min stated that the players must participate in the World Cup with the same fighting spirit and mentality, and he believes that past defeats and experiences will help the team move forward.

In an earlier friendly match, South Korea defeated El Salvador 1-0 after Lee Dong-kyung scored, securing their place in the World Cup with a winning streak.

Son Heung-min, 33, spent 10 years at Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur, becoming the first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot. In addition, Son won the Europa League title with Tottenham Hotspur in the 2024/25 season.

In an interview, Son Heung-min said, "I am very happy to be able to return to the World Cup. This is a dream I have had since I was a child. Whether it is my first or fourth World Cup, I still feel like a teenager. This is a stage for dreams. This feeling cannot be described in a single word. Whether it is the first, fourth or sixth World Cup, you must maintain the same mentality when participating in the World Cup."

“I think we showed a lot of positive aspects in the last World Cup, but we also experienced defeats and setbacks. I believe these experiences will become valuable lessons for us to move forward. We are now more mature and have accumulated more experience. There have been some changes in the team personnel, but our mentality on the world stage has never changed.”

Son Heung-min pointed out, "From the beginning of the training camp until now, the team atmosphere has been perfect. Whenever I see my teammates fighting so hard for the team and for Korea, sometimes I even need to calm them down. We are fully prepared and hope to achieve the desired result tomorrow, because I believe my teammates deserve this reward."

"When it comes to the importance of the first game, I'm not worried about tomorrow. For me, today is the most important day. I need to keep improving myself and focus on training. I'll think about tomorrow later, and we'll give it our all then."

In addition, Son Heung-min added, "We have three matches in the group stage, and each one is crucial. We will give it our all and strive to push our limits and abilities."

Image source: Internet