Son Heung Minleading figure of the South Korean national team, confirmed that he will be in the next Qatar World Cup despite the injury suffered to the face, after having assured that he would not miss it “for nothing in the world”.
“Playing for your country at the World Cup is the dream of many children and mine too. I will not miss this for the world,” Son said in a message posted on his social networks.
“I’m looking forward to representing our beautiful country, see you soon,” added the Tottenham star from England.
The South Korean star first spoke about his presence at the World Cup after the operation that was performed to consolidate a fracture around the left eye suffered with Tottenham during a Champions League match on 1 November against Olympique de Marseille when he received an elbow that excluded him from the game.
“I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for the supportive messages I have received over the past week. I have read a lot and really appreciate them all. In a difficult time I have received a lot of strength from you,” said the Asian star.
South Korea will play their 10th consecutive World Cup since Mexico 1986 and will participate in Group H alongside Uruguay (24/11), Ghana (28/11) and Portugal (2/12).
The missing figures
Young Lo Celso (Argentina): Despite Lionel Scaloni waiting for him until the last moment, the Villarreal midfielder will have to undergo surgery for a serious hamstring injury in his right leg and will be absent for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
N’Golo Kante (France): The central midfielder, present in Russia 2018, will not be able to be in Qatar after undergoing surgery for a hamstring injury. He suffered a hamstring injury in his right leg.
Sadio Manè (Senegal): The Bayern Munich forward has sustained a tendon injury and is expected to miss several weeks of competition, which would leave him out of the Qatar 2022 World Cup. The coach, Aliou Cissé, is expected to announce his list this Friday and according to the French media L’Equipe, the figure cannot be.
Paul Pogba (France): The Juventus midfielder underwent surgery on the meniscus of his right knee in early September and has since started with a recovery hoping to make it to 20 November. But then he suffered a new problem which led to his absence from Didier Deschamps’ team, in this case a knee injury.
Timo Werner (Germany): The Leipzig forward left with a pain in his left ankle. Werner is one of the main pillars of Hansi Flick’s squad, starting from the last eight games the German team has played in all competitions and with strong performances in the process. Since making his debut with Joachim Low in 2017, Timo Werner has scored 24 goals in 55 games and ended up supplanting other great forwards fighting for his place in the starting eleven.
Rece James (England): Chelsea’s right-back suffered a ligament strain in the Champions League match against Milan, which put him on the sidelines for at least two months on the pitch.
Sergio Roberto (Spain): The player had to leave the pitch on a stretcher in the match that Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 4-0. It is learned that he suffered a dislocation in his left shoulder that will keep him off the pitch until 2023.
Diogo Jota (Portugal): The Liverpool forward was removed on a stretcher after the match against Manchester City for the Premier League. Coach Jürgen Klopp confirmed the worst news. The 25-year-old is one of the figures of the Portuguese team who will not be able to count on him at the most important moment of the year.
Arthur Melo (Brazil): The Liverpool midfielder has injured his thigh and will miss the World Cup. Melo has played 22 games for the Brazilian side since making his debut in 2018 and joined Liverpool this season on loan from Italian Juventus, following an earlier stint at Barcelona in Spain.
Philippe Coutinho (Brazil): The Aston Villa player injured his right thigh and was excluded from Tité’s list.
Georgino Wijnaldum (Netherlands): The midfielder fractured his right tibia in training in Rome and it’s a big defeat for the big World Cup event.
Source: Clarin
