"I've been saving goals for the World Cup." That's Son Heung-min's answer to anyone fretting about his scoreless run in MLS — and honestly, it's hard to argue with a man preparing for his fourth World Cup with 54 international goals to his name.
Son is one goal away from becoming South Korea's all-time leading scorer at the World Cup, moving clear of Ahn Jung-hwan and Park Ji-sung, both of whom finished their careers at three. He got his first in Brazil 2014 and added two in Russia 2018. One more, and the record is his alone.
But he's not talking about it — or at least he's trying not to. "If I put the team above all else and worry about how I can best help the team first, then goals will naturally follow," he said at South Korea's training camp in Herriman, Utah. "That's how I've been playing my whole career, and that mindset won't change."
The elephant Son addressed himself
Nobody asked him about his dry spell in MLS. He brought it up anyway. That's either confidence or a man who's heard the criticism enough times that getting ahead of it feels easier than waiting for the question.
The numbers aren't alarming, but they're there. In 13 MLS matches with LAFC, Son has nine assists — tied for the league lead — but zero league goals. His only two strikes this season came in the Concacaf Champions Cup, in February and April. For a player at 33 who won the Premier League Golden Boot just three seasons ago with Spurs, the goal drought gets attention.
Whether it matters at a World Cup is a different question. Son has historically shown up when the stakes are highest, and South Korea will need exactly that if they want to better their round-of-16 exit from Qatar 2022. That knockout ambition also makes him a player worth watching in tournament outright and top scorer markets — form be damned, pedigree counts in knockout football.
What South Korea actually need from him
Son is also sitting four goals behind Cha Bum-kun on South Korea's all-time scoring list, with 54. Another strong tournament could close that gap significantly. But his framing of the World Cup — "a festival," something to "savor" — suggests a player who has made peace with where he is in his career rather than chasing milestones for their own sake.
"We have to know where our teammates are with our eyes closed," he said of South Korea's preparation. That's the detail-obsessed mindset of a squad trying to go further than they did in Qatar, not just a captain saying the right things at a press conference.
One goal from the record. No goals in league play. A World Cup starting in weeks. Whatever happens next, Son Heung-min is not short of storylines to play into.
