S Korea-World Cup

▲ In this file photo from Sept. 27, 2022, Son Heung-min of South Korea salutes the crowd after a 1-0 victory over Cameroon in a football friendly match at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul. (Yonhap)

▲ In this Associated Press file photo from Nov. 1, 2022, Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur (C) leaves the field after suffering a facial injury during the team's UEFA Champions League Group D match against Marseille at Stade de Marseille in Marseille, France. (Yonhap)

S Korea-World Cup

Injured star Son Heung-min named to S. Korean World Cup squad

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Nov. 12 (Yonhap) -- The injured South Korean football star Son Heung-min was named to the country's World Cup squad Saturday, as the football-crazed nation waits with bated breath to see if the beloved captain will be able to compete in Qatar.

Head coach Paulo Bento unveiled his 26-man roster in Seoul on Saturday, 12 days before South Korea's first Group H match against Uruguay in Qatar. South Korea will also play Ghana on Nov. 28 and then Portugal on Dec. 2.

Son underwent surgery on Nov. 4 after suffering multiple fractures around his left eye in a collision with an opposing player during a UEFA Champions League match. Son took to social media Wednesday to declare he will be prepared to play at the World Cup wearing a protective mask if that's what it takes.

Bento himself had confirmed Thursday, the day before South Korea's final tuneup against Iceland, that he would select Son, making Saturday's announcement a mere formality. Bento also said then that the national team would do its best to help Son get ready for the big tournament.

South Korea beat Iceland 1-0 Friday with players from leagues in South Korea, China, Japan and the Middle East. The coaching staff and those named to the World Cup squad from Friday's match will travel to Qatar early Monday. Players based in European leagues will join the national team in Qatar next week.

South Korea will be playing in their 10th consecutive World Cup. They have been to the knockouts twice previously: the semifinals in 2002, when South Korea co-hosted the tournament with Japan, and the round of 16 in 2010 in South Africa.

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