Son Heung-min Thrives Despite Age Concerns

Son Heung-min's age is not hurting his performance, says Cha Bum-kun, the former South Korean national team director, who believes Son's recovery speed may slow slightly but his core abilities remain intact.

Cha Bum-kun made these comments while watching the 2026 North America World Cup, where Son Heung-min has been playing a key role for South Korea.

South Korea will play their final Group A match against South Africa on Thursday at 10 a.m.

Cha Bum-kun praised Son's positional role, saying he is naturally better suited to operating on the flanks than as a central striker, but has been deployed strategically up front to great effect.

Son created two goals against the Czech Republic, demonstrating his remarkable ability to contribute to the team's success.

Cha Bum-kun believes South Korea has the quality to go further in the tournament, with the team's current performance level giving them the confidence to reach the quarterfinals.

The team's growth has been notable, with Cha Bum-kun commenting that there is no longer the timid, intimidated play that was once characteristic of South Korean football.

And South Korea's players are now showing everything they have on the World Cup stage, which feels natural to them.

But Japan's football has reached a level that South Korea cannot currently match, according to Cha Bum-kun, who praised Japan's systematically built youth development system.

Cha Bum-kun thinks Japan has the capability, depth, and quality to win the World Cup in the near future, which is not far-fetched.

So the 2026 North America World Cup will be an exciting tournament to watch, with Son Heung-min and South Korea looking to make a strong impression.

Cha Bum-kun's comments were made in an interview with FIFA, which was released on Sunday.