Son apologized for South Korea's failure at the 2026 World Cup

The captain of the South Korean national team, Son Heung-min, publicly apologized to the fans for the team's poor performance at the World Cup. After a painful exit from the group stage, which has already provoked harsh criticism from the country's president and led to the resignation of head coach Myung-bo Hong, the 33-year-old striker posted an emotional message on his Instagram page. The South Korean soccer star admitted that he is "incredibly hurt" and that he fully understands the fans' disappointment. "I don't dare to express the fans' disappointment and pain with one word, I'm sorry, so even saying these words doesn't seem enough. The stage of childhood dreams that I've always talked about has been destroyed. I'm in incredible pain. To be honest, it's still hard for me to accept this reality," Song wrote on Monday night. The South Korean national team started the tournament in Group A on a high note with a victory over the Czech Republic. However, the next two matches turned out to be a disaster: the team suffered defeats against Mexico and South Africa, finishing only third in their quartet. For Son himself, this championship also turned out to be extremely unsuccessful. The striker failed to score a single goal in the tournament, and started the decisive game against South Africa on the bench. The player said he felt personally responsible for not being able to properly thank the fans for their constant support and love. Despite the devastating criticism and difficult emotional state, Son made it clear that he is not going to hang up his boots in the national team. He promised to make every effort to "win the hearts of the Korean people and football fans" again. At the same time, the captain appealed to the nation to stop bullying the team: "Please send warm support and encouragement instead of criticizing and insulting the players." Son is currently returning to club soccer in the United States. We will remind that after ten years of performances for the London "Tottenham", he joined the MLS club Los Angeles in August 2025. His transfer became a record for the league, costing the American club 26 million dollars.