"Team Only for Kang In Is Not Acceptable"... Son Heung-min's Statement from 2 Years Ago Revisited

Fellow Soccer Players' Remarks 'Reexamined'

Amid rumors of discord between South Korea's national football team captain Son Heung-min (32, Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (23, Paris Saint-Germain) following their poor performance in the Asian Cup semifinal, Son Heung-min's past remarks have resurfaced among football fans.

On the 15th, an interview with Son Heung-min after the 2022 Qatar World Cup friendly match between South Korea and Costa Rica gained attention on football-related online communities. In that match, Lee Kang-in did not play even for a minute, and Son Heung-min said, "I don't think the team should be made just for Kang-in," adding, "The coach must have had his reasons."

Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in leaving the stadium after the semifinal match against Jordan.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

He also elaborated, "If all the focus goes only to Kang-in, it could cause him great harm." Some netizens speculated based on Son Heung-min's remarks that "Son Heung-min might have been conscious of Lee Kang-in since the past."

Comments from other teammates evaluating Lee Kang-in's attitude have also drawn renewed attention. A representative example is the interview during the 'U-20 National Team K-League Media Day' in June 2019. At that time, FC Seoul player Cho Young-wook said, "Sometimes Kang-in crosses the line slightly."

Um Won-sang, who was playing for Gwangju FC, also said in the same interview, "I was quietly eating, but Kang-in suddenly said, 'Don't talk, ah, this is annoying,' thinking I was being noisy, which caught me off guard."

Earlier, Son Heung-min mentioned in an interview right after the loss to Jordan on the 7th, "I think I need to consider whether I can continue with the national team. The coach might not want me anymore." Although this statement was initially interpreted as hinting at retirement from the national team, football fans now speculate that it might have stemmed from internal conflicts.

However, Son Heung-min has not revealed his true feelings regarding the fans' speculations. In an interview with the UK media 'The Standard' on the 12th (local time), he drew a line, saying, "I never want to talk about the Asian Cup again."

He expressed his resolve by saying, "(The semifinal loss) is a hard result to accept," but added, "This is also part of football, and although it is a really painful experience, I will overcome it through football."

After the report of discord by the British media 'The Sun,' Lee Kang-in posted an apology letter. [Image source=Lee Kang-in Instagram]

Meanwhile, the discord rumors between Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in were first reported by the British tabloid 'The Sun' on the 14th. The report stated that Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in had a physical altercation during dinner the night before the Jordan match, during which Son Heung-min sustained a finger injury.

After the article spread and the controversy grew, Lee Kang-in issued an apology on Instagram, saying, "An article was published claiming that I had a fight with hyung Son Heung-min before the Asian Cup semifinal," and "I caused great disappointment to the football fans who always support our national team. I am truly sorry."

He added, "I should have taken the lead in following the seniors' words well," and "I am only sorry for showing a bad image to football fans, and I apologize to many who were disappointed in me."