“A situation that can be misunderstood enough, Kim Min-jae is my favorite player.”
Again, it was a big crowd. Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham), the national football team’s ‘captain’, spoke for the first time through ‘Sports Seoul’ regarding the situation in which Kim Min-jae apologized after cutting off his social media account during the A match call last month.
Son Heung-min met alone with this magazine in the joint coverage area right after the away game (1-1 draw) against Everton in the 29th round of the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2022-2023 season held at Goodison Park in Liverpool, England on the morning of the 4th (hereinafter Korean time). I talked to Minjae, but you know how much I like him. I think it was a situation where Min-jae would be misunderstood as well,” and said, “(People around me) say that Min-jae was wrong, but didn’t you admit and accept it yourself?”
On the 28th of last month, right after the A match evaluation match against Uruguay (Korea lost 1-2), Kim Min-jae said, “I am in a state of mental collapse. He said, “I plan to focus on my team rather than the national team.” However, he was criticized by football fans for underestimating the weight of the national team. Coincidentally, after Son Heung-min finished the match against Uruguay, he left a message on social media saying, “I am always proud and honored to play for my country.”
However, it was later confirmed that Kim Min-jae had cut off the social media account relationship with Son Heung-min (by unfollowing).
Usually, Son Heung-min used to leave a thank-you message to a fan with similar content after playing an A match. However, many interpreted Kim Min-jae as being in a conflict situation because they misunderstood Son Heung-min’s post as coming right after his remarks. In addition, the two usually appeared on the ground and even raised a ‘discord rumor’. 안전놀이터
Kim Min-jae eventually issued a statement through his agency on the 1st and said, “I thought it was short. Wrong. Heung-min hyung always posts such a post after the national team convocation is over, but due to the interview conducted the day before, he misunderstood and acted out of common sense,” he said.
Right after the match against Everton, Son Heung-min said, “I know very well how important Min-jae is to Korean soccer. I think he must have felt how much I think of Minjae through this incident,” he said. “I will help more in the future. I hope that this will serve as an opportunity for Minjae to grow as a better soccer player and person in the future.”