At the age of 41, Cristiano Ronaldo is preparing for his sixth World Cup with the Portuguese national team. Lionel Messi, who is 2 years younger than Ronaldo, will turn 39 after Argentina's second group stage match against Austria.
Luka Modric, Manuel Neuer and Edin Dzeko are all famous players at the age of 40 and are still expected to play an important role for their national team at this summer tournament in North America. Therefore, it is not entirely impossible if Son Heung-min continues to play when the next World Cup takes place 4 years later.
However, considering that the 33-year-old player's form is no longer the same as before, it raises the question of whether World Cup 2026 will be his last World Cup with the Korean national team or not.
12 years ago, Son first debuted on the biggest stage of world football with an almost unrecognizable appearance, her golden hair and jersey number 9 printed on her back.
This is considered South Korea's worst performance at the World Cup since 1998, when they only got one point after 3 matches in a group including Belgium, Algeria and Russia.
At that time, Sonny had just moved from Hamburg to Bayer Leverkusen and emerged as one of the most promising talents. He had 25 caps for the national team when he was only 22 years old.
But with Koo Ja-cheol, Ki Sung-yueng or Park Chu-young in the squad, Son at that time did not have to shoulder the expectations of a whole nation. However, he quickly passed the unforgettable 2014 World Cup to continue to develop strongly at Leverkusen before moving to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2015.
When the 2018 World Cup took place, Son Heung-min spent two consecutive seasons scoring over 10 goals in the Premier League and became the biggest star of Korean football.
After defeats against Sweden and Mexico, South Korea entered the final group stage match against Germany with very little hope of advancing. However, they created one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history when defeating the defending champions with a score of 2-0.
Son was the one who scored the second goal after finishing into an empty net when Manuel Neuer pushed high. That was the moment that made him a new symbol of Korean football, although the final team was still eliminated due to inferior goal difference.
4 years later in Qatar, Son Heung-min entered the World Cup with the status of a world-class star. He has just become the first Asian player to win the Premier League Golden Boot and an irreplaceable leader of the national team.
Despite having to wear a protective mask after a facial injury, Son still led South Korea through a dramatic group stage. In the decisive match against Portugal, he was the one who dribbled the ball from his own half and then assisted Hwang Hee-chan to score a historic goal in injury time, helping South Korea win a ticket to the round of 16.
Although he was later defeated by Brazil with a score of 4-1, Son completed his biggest goal in his World Cup career. That is to bring South Korea back to the knockout round for the first time since 2010.
Now, Son Heung-min enters the 2026 World Cup at a different stage of his career. He is no longer at the peak of his form like a few years ago, but is still the most important player of the Korean national team. Recent performances show that Son still possesses the ability to create breakthroughs and decide matches with genius moments.
Around him are still quality teammates such as Kim Min-jae, Lee Kang-in, Hwang In-beom or Lee Jae-sung. More importantly, South Korea is in a relatively favorable group with the participation of the Czech Republic, Mexico and South Africa, opening up real opportunities to advance to the knockout round.
