Son Heung-min Urges South Korea to Overcome Reputation Fears at World Cup

South Korea captain Son Heung-min has urged his team to show less respect for big-name opponents at the 2026 World Cup, following a strong response after a heavy defeat to Brazil.

Last week in Seoul, South Korea were hammered 5-0 by Brazil in a friendly. The setback, however, did not deter the team, who bounced back with a 2-0 victory over Paraguay on Tuesday.

Son, who set a new record for South Korea’s men’s team with his 137th appearance against Brazil, emphasised the need to approach stronger teams with more aggression and confidence.

“When we go up against strong teams we have to think about how we can be more aggressive,” said Son, now with Los Angeles FC.
“For instance, I think we respected Brazil too much and that had a big influence on the result. We now know it hurts to get punched like that and we have to learn how to fight back.”

South Korea have previously upset more fancied opponents at the World Cup, most notably in 2002, when they defeated Portugal, Italy, and Spain on their way to the semi-finals on home soil.

Tuesday’s Friendly Against Paraguay

Match Highlights:

• Son played only the first half, having featured for just over an hour against Brazil.
• Goals were scored in each half, first by Eom Ji-sung and later by Oh Hyeon-gyu, securing the clean sheet.

The 33-year-old forward expressed pride in how the team rebounded quickly from the Brazil humiliation: “After a big loss like the one we had, players can feel discouraged and it can show on the pitch. To see my teammates put that behind and pounce on their chances, I felt really grateful as their captain.”

Despite the victory, the match was played in front of a disappointing crowd of 20,000.

“If we play better football and more entertaining football, then I am sure fans will return to the stadium. That’s our responsibility,” Son added.

Son’s message to his team is clear: at the upcoming World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, South Korea must approach every match with confidence, relying on skill and determination rather than being intimidated by the reputation of their opponents.

This mindset aims to build on South Korea’s history of World Cup upsets and ensure the team competes fearlessly on the global stage.