Why is Tottenham star Son Heung-min wearing a mask for South Korea at World Cup?

Follow us on Google Discover

Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min is competing for South Korea at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, but why is he wearing a mask?

The 30-year-old has been one the most important figures in South Korean football history and is still a crucial member of Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League after winning the 2021/22 Golden Boot.

And now the all-action and versatile forward is tasked with trying to help his nation add to the drama and upsets of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, with South Korea pitted against Uruguay, Ghana and Portugal in a fiery, mouthwatering and too-close-to-call Group H.

WHY IS TOTTENHAM’S SON HUENG-MIN WEARING A MASK FOR SOUTH KOREA AT THE WORLD CUP?

It all stems back to Tottenham’s Champions League showdown against French giants Marseille on November 1, when Son was on the end of an unfortunate challenge from former Newcastle United defender, Chancel Mbemba.

Both teams went into that game knowing that a win would put them through to the knockout stages of the Champions League, so it was always going to be a fiery and pretty aggressive game.

In the first half, Mbemba’s shoulder made solid contact with Son’s face, which resulted in the Korean falling to the ground and needing treatment.

He was unable to continue for Antonio Conte’s side and was substituted, with Spurs going on to secure a crucial three points to book their place in the knockout stages of Europe’s elite competition.

At the time, many were worried that it could rule Son out of the 2022 World Cup because he had suffered fractures around his left eye.

But he underwent a successful operation before the start of the World Cup – missing the remaining of Tottenham’s fixtures in the lead-up to football’s biggest-ever tournament – and now he has to don a mask, until he is told otherwise.

The South Korean captain, who has over 100 caps for his country, is set to wear the mask for the entire tournament and will still probably need to wear it when Spurs return to domestic action post-World Cup.