"Min-jae Is Absolutely Right," Captain Son Heung-min Bows His Head to Younger Teammate Who Threw His Soccer Boots: "The Forwards Are Sorry"

[Financial News] In response to the painful criticism from the "heart of the defense," the "captain" nodded instead of making excuses.
South Korea national football team captain Son Heung-min of Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) fully agreed with the pointed remarks made by Kim Min-jae (Munich), who expressed his anger by throwing his soccer boots toward the bench immediately after the Venezuela match. He also encouraged his teammates.
The South Korea national football team, led by interim head coach Robert Moreno, recorded a 0-0 draw against the Venezuela national football team in the third match of a four-game international series in September and October at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium on the 2nd.
Son Heung-min started the match and worked tirelessly until he was substituted by Oh Se-hun (Shimizu) in the 41st minute of the second half. However, he failed to create any notable scoring chances and did not register a goal contribution. Son Heung-min, who has scored 58 international goals and is tied with Cha Bum-kun, a former national team head coach, for the most goals by a Korean player in international matches, will have to wait until the match against Uzbekistan on the 6th at Yongin Mireu Stadium to set a new record.

More than the result itself, it was the defense's frustration after the match that drew fans' attention. Kim Min-jae, who struggled almost alone amid frequent passing errors and conceded counterattacks, offered a blunt assessment: "I feel sorry for the defenders. The team needs to come together as one rather than having individuals shine."
After the match, Son Heung-min met reporters in the mixed zone and expressed deep sympathy for Kim Min-jae's frustration. "I completely understand what Kim Min-jae said. I think all the players feel the same way," Son Heung-min said.
He said, "The forwards must have thoughts of their own as well. The defenders have stood firm behind us in every match, so I think the forwards need to do better," adding, "As captain and as a teammate, I am sorry and grateful." He apologized to the defenders on behalf of the forwards, who had failed to score.
He also offered a candid assessment of the national team's inconsistent form under Robert Moreno, having recorded one win, one draw and one loss. Son Heung-min explained, "Matches cannot always be easy, and there are clearly many areas we need to improve. We raised expectations by playing well in the first game, but we are still building an understanding, and the coach is also conducting various experiments."

He added, "The fact that our shortcomings have emerged is actually a good sign. Players and the team can improve only if we refine what went well and calmly accept what needs to be improved."
Finally, Son Heung-min said, "There is no such thing as perfection in soccer. It takes a great deal of time and sacrifice to play as close to perfect as possible," adding, "Today was a much tougher match from the defenders' perspective. We definitely need to address and fix these issues through training." He vowed to turn things around in the upcoming match against Uzbekistan.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter