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Son Heung-min, who will be playing for the Korean men’s team at the FIFA World Cup, warms up at the Al Egla training center in Doha, Qatar, on Nov. 16. (Kim Hye-yun/The Hankyoreh)

“The fans may see it as excessive, but football players always have to take risks when we compete. I’m the one taking that risk, and I feel like that’s something I need to accept.”

Son Heung-min (30, Tottenham Hotspur) kicked off his World Cup wearing a black mask covering the top part of his face.

He wore the protective mask on Wednesday morning while taking part in a portion of the training for the South Korean men’s national team at the Al Egla training facility in Doha. After taking a group photo just before the training, Son kept his mask on while warming up with a 5v2 rondo with his teammates.

Son Heung-min, who will be playing for the Korean men’s team at the FIFA World Cup, warms up at the Al Egla training center in Doha, Qatar, on Nov. 16. (Kim Hye-yun/The Hankyoreh)

Meeting with reporters after the training, he explained, “I had been training with a mask in the UK before coming to Qatar.”

“Not much has changed, although it did feel a bit different because of the weather,” he added, suggesting he will need some time to acclimate to searing temperatures with a heat index of over 30 degrees C (or 86 F) as early as the morning.

Talking about the mask, Son said it was “made of carbon materials” and “very light and solid.”

“I brought extras, and I don’t have to worry about it breaking. If it does break, we’ll see what that means for my face,” he added.

Son was both confident and cautious about his physical condition.

“I did some sprints while training with my team a few days ago, and there weren’t any major issues. I’m not having any difficulties running,” he stressed.

At the same time, he explained, “It’s still only 10 days since my operation, so I’m not in a state where I can do any headers.”

When asked about the likelihood of his being put in the game, he said, “That’s not my decision to make, so I can’t say anything about that. I’ll need to keep an eye on things and give updates from day to day.”

Son arrived in Qatar around midnight that day via Hamad International Airport.

Korea’s national football team poses for a photo along with coaching and staff members at the Al Egla training center in Doha, Qatar, on Nov. 16. (Kim Hye-yun/The Hankyoreh)

Having undergone an operation for facial fractures sustained while playing with his team early this month, he focused mainly on rest and recovery in London and was the last to arrive from the national team. Dressed in black horn-rimmed glasses, Son still showed some signs of swelling around his left eye.

Appearing on the training field in his mask around 10 hours after his arrival, Son said, “I can’t predict the future, but there isn’t much time left, so I want to draw on my abilities as much as possible to make this a special World Cup.”

In a resolute tone, he added, “If there’s any possibility, even if it’s less than one percent, that’s what I’ll be focusing on.”

By Park Kang-su, staff reporter

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