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South Korea captain Son Heung-Min has said he still feels like “a young boy again” whenever he steps onto the FIFA World Cup stage, as his team prepares to begin its 2026 campaign against Czechia in Guadalajara on Thursday.​
The 33-year-old forward is appearing in his fourth World Cup and remains South Korea’s key player, bringing extensive experience with 144 international appearances and 56 goals. Speaking ahead of the Group A match at Estadio Guadalajara, Son shared his continued excitement about representing his country on football’s biggest stage.​
“I’m very happy to be back on the World Cup pitch, which is something I dreamed of from a very young age,” Son said. “Whether it’s my first World Cup or fourth World Cup, I feel like a young boy again. This is the stage of dreams.”​
He added, “It’s not something that can be expressed in one word. Whether it’s the first, fourth or sixth World Cup, our mindset must be the same when we participate in the World Cup.”​
South Korea arrive in Mexico hoping to build on previous experiences. The Taegeuk Warriors reached the Round of 16 at Qatar 2022 but have struggled in recent tournament openers, failing to win their first match in each of the last three World Cups.​
Reflecting on the team’s development since Qatar, Son said, “I think during [the last World Cup in] Qatar, we showed a lot of strength but also had losses and failures. I think those are lessons that we have learned from going forward.”​
He continued, “Of course, we are a little bit more mature and experienced. There are some changes [in personnel] but our mindset on the world stage is the same.”​
The former Tottenham Hotspur player also praised the squad’s commitment, highlighting his teammates’ determination ahead of the opening match.​
“The atmosphere, right from the beginning now, is no problem at all. And whenever I see my teammates working so hard for the team, for Korea, sometimes I even have to calm them down,” Son stated.​
“We’re very prepared, and I hope that we will get a good result tomorrow because I’m sure they [his teammates] deserve it,” he added.​
Despite the significance of the opener, Son said his attention remains on the present rather than looking too far ahead.​
“When it comes to the importance of the first match, I don’t live for tomorrow,” he explained. “Today is the most important day for me, and I need to develop myself. Today I will be focused on training.”​
He concluded, “Tomorrow, I can think about tomorrow. Tomorrow, we will do our best.”​
South Korea will begin their World Cup campaign against Czechia, aiming for a positive start and looking to their experienced captain for inspiration on football’s biggest stage.