'Not just once, but twice...' Hong Myung-bo leaves the deepest scars on Son Heung-min [World Cup Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

In his football career, Son Heung-min has never experienced a group-stage exit at the World Cup, yet he endured such a catastrophic failure twice under the same manager. For Son Heung-min (34, LAFC), the captain of the South Korean national football team, coach Hong Myung-bo has become the harshest and most brutal chapter in his career.

Several players, including Son Heung-min, Eom Ji-sung (Swansea City), Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), and Song Bum-geun (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), returned home around 4 a.m. on the 1st via Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport. The previous day, early morning on June 30, eight core members of the team, including coach Hong Myung-bo Jeon (CEO) and players Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), had already arrived in the country.

The atmosphere on the return journey, separated by just one day, was completely polarized. At the scene of former coach Hong's return, a crowd of about 300 people gathered, shouting "Hong Myung-bo, get out!" Hong, with a stern expression, stared straight ahead and quickly slipped away as if fleeing. Even as the players boarded the bus, loud curses mixed with harsh language continued.

In contrast, the return journey of captain Son Heung-min was different. As soon as he entered the arrival hall, fans cheered and shouted "We love you." Facing the fans' warm welcome, Son Heung-min and Eom Ji-sung could not lift their heads and repeatedly bowed deeply. It was a heavy greeting, a mix of guilt over the crushing defeat and gratitude toward fans who continued to offer unwavering support.

Although he received a warm welcome from fans, Son Heung-min's heart must have been burning more than anyone else's. This began 12 years ago at the 2014 Brazil World Cup, Son Heung-min's first World Cup. Although Son Heung-min fought hard in the match against Algeria, Hong Myung-bo's first team was eliminated with a humiliating record of one draw and two losses.

Son Heung-min, who has grown into a world-class striker, aimed for his fourth career goal at this tournament. With three career World Cup goals already recorded, Son Heung-min was on the verge of breaking the record for the most goals by an Asian player in World Cup finals, held by Keisuke Honda with four goals. However, the dream of redemption in the national team led again by Coach Hong was shattered in vain.

Especially, although he did not explicitly state that this would be his last World Cup, the regret is compounded when considering his current age of 34. By the time the next World Cup is held, Son Heung-min will be approaching 38. Given the physical limitations that come with age, it remains uncertain whether he can display his prime form. Since this tournament was essentially the last opportunity to compete at his peak, the disappointment of missing out on this World Cup is even more painful.

The process of failure was more cruel than 12 years ago. Especially in the final third qualifying match against South Africa (0-1 loss), Son Heung-min experienced the absurd humiliation of sitting on the World Cup bench for the first time in his career. Son Heung-min had to watch from the sidelines as the team crumbled against South Africa. During the hydration break, he ran onto the pitch to give instructions to his younger teammates and was substituted in right at the start of the second half, fighting hard, but it was too little too late to save the broken team.

After the match, Son Heung-min appeared in the mixed zone and could not hide his heavy emotions. Regarding his exclusion from the starting lineup, he said, "The coach spoke to me separately," and bowed his head, adding, "I feel sorry for the players because I couldn't help much while watching the team lose from the outside. Watching from the outside is also very hard."

Ultimately, he expressed deep bitterness over the situation where they missed advancing on their own and left the outcome to other countries. He said, "Waiting for the results of other groups was a situation I did not want," and added, "It's regrettable that such a result came despite the efforts of many players, but now it is a matter beyond our control."

As Son Heung-min feared, the scenarios never favored Hong Myung-bo's team, and South Korean football accepted the worst performance in history, finishing 34th.

While the captain bowed his head in guilt, the main figure of the disaster, Hong Myung-bo, remained consistently irresponsible and fled until the end. Former coach Hong, who had announced his resignation at the Mexico Guadalajara base camp, refused to answer questions from the media on the morning of the day, contrary to prior notice, and hurriedly left the scene after reading only a two-minute apology statement. Immediately after the apology, he exited without any further explanation, and his hands in his pockets as he left sparked controversy over his attitude.

The lack of communication continued even at the domestic arrival hall. Surrounded by security guards, former coach Hong left the airport, completely ignoring all questions. It is the first time since 2002 that a coach who finished a World Cup fled the return scene without even giving an interview.

Under the second dark age created by the coach's tactical stubbornness and the federation's incompetence, South Korean football was branded with the fall to the lowest ranking in history in 44 years since 1982. In the hanbok of misfortune, South Korea's top star Son Heung-min had to shed the worst tears of his career twice under Hong Myung-bo's regime, which left only a two-minute statement before fleeing.

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*This content was translated by AI.