In Kuwait, Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) was the most popular star in Korean soccer. One Kuwaiti fan even said he is a “real fan” to the extent that he bragged about setting the background screen to Son’s photo.
The national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will play the fifth Group B match against Kuwait in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup at Jabeur Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait City, the capital of Kuwait, at 11 p.m. on the 14th (Korea time).
The national team, which convened a total of 21 players on the 11th to conduct local adaptation training, began training in earnest after the remaining five players, including Son Heung-min, joined the team late on the 12th.
Among the players who joined belatedly, only Lee Kang-in has joined the normal training group. Son Heung-min, Seol Young-woo, Lee Hyun-joo and Oh Hyun-kyu conducted recovery training at the same time.
Captain Son Heung-min was the first to step on the grass after the water was sprayed on the stadium. Then, other players entered the stadium one after another. Son Heung-min, who had not played much in his team due to recent injuries, did not seem to be in worse shape than he thought.
Lee Kang-in was the last to join the team. Coach Hong Myung-bo had a conversation by naughtyly holding Lee’s backside. Lee Kang-in also smiled brightly and replied to Hong.
It was hotter and hotter than the previous day, but the players engaged in the training with smiles on their faces. Coach Hong envisioned the match against Kuwait by checking the players from a distance.
The training session was open to the public for about 15 minutes. During the remaining time, reporters finished the training at a space inside the stadium. Meanwhile, Kuwaiti fans tried hard to enter the stadium to watch the training, and a source from the national team repeatedly sent them back.
Among them, two male fans asked reporters, “I want to see Son Heung-min. Can I see him in the training for the Korean national team?” The reporters, who had no authority, had no choice but to answer, “It would be better to wait at the exit of the training site.”
After finishing the work, two fans who spoke to each other when they came out of the stadium to catch a taxi were hanging around until then. Somehow, he felt his will to take a picture of Son Heung-min.
When reporters asked if they were still waiting, they showed pictures of the national team taken from the top of the stands, saying, “In fact, I sneaked into the stadium and was kicked out by officials.”
When asked what time the training would end, he asked if he could take a photo of Son instead. When politely declining, he asked the location of the hotel, saying he would visit the national team hotel if he could. The reporters said he was not familiar with the situation due to security concerns.
When asked if he liked Son, the spectacles of the fan turned bright. On the background screen of the 24-year-old’s phone, which the 24-year-old said was looking for a job not long after graduation, a photo of Son’s “Click Ceremony” appeared.
He also said that he would definitely put Son in the squad for the Fantasy League, the official simulation game of the Premier League. As he supports Son, Tottenham is also rooting for him.” Another 27-year-old fan who said he is a fan of Real Madrid said he knows Kim Min-jae as well as Son. 메이저놀이터
When asked about the projected score against Kuwait, he predicted Korea’s 6-0 victory. A fan who supported Son said, “Korea has many star players. On the other hand, Kuwait was a little better until 15 years ago, but now there is not much to see. I think Korea will win by a large margin.”
“Korea is 22nd in the FIFA rankings. Kuwait is 135th. Kuwait can never win,” Real said, confidently chanting “Korea victory.”
During the conversation, the taxi that I had reserved arrived. They greeted the reporters, saying, “Good luck to Korea.”