Serve rising youth or a setting Son? Men's football faces crossroads with captaincy, tensions.
Recent internal rifts have renewed questions over whether Son Heung-min should end his nine-year run as Korea's captain and how the team can move forward in the absence of long-term organizational leadership.
Korea's interim national football team head manager Robert Moreno enters Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi, ahead of a friendly match between Korea and Uzbekistan on Oct. 6.YONHAP
As internal divisions threaten to derail Korea's national football team, interim head manager Robert Moreno finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place: Ditch the country's star player or risk escalating the resentment of other teammates.
With tensions among players now out in the open, Moreno can neither easily drop star player Son Heung-min of LAFC nor ignore the objections of three other, younger key players — Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich, Hwang In-beom of Porto and Hwang Hee-chan of Schalke, who all coincidentally happen to be born in 1996.
The turmoil has also reignited debate over whether the 34-year-old Son, widely regarded as Korea's greatest footballer, should step down as captain after nine years to help restore unity ahead of next year's Asian Cup.
Some in Korean football fear that unless the team resolves its internal divisions before next January's Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, its hopes of success could sink like a house built on sand. The Korea Football Association has relied on stopgap measures whenever disputes have erupted, but its presidency is now vacant. This means that there is no clear channel through which to mediate conflicts among players.
While the Korean team is definitely facing headwinds, internal disputes are hardly uncommon in international football.
During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, for example, France's players refused to train after Nicolas Anelka was sent home for verbally abusing the manager. France crashed out of the competition without a single victory.
The following head manager, Laurent Blanc, left all 23 players involved in the boycott out of his squad for his first match, while the French Football Federation disciplined those who led the protest, including captain Patrice Evra. France subsequently rebuilt its team and won the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Hwang Hee-chan, right, celebrates with Kim Min-jae, center, and Hwang In-beom after scoring the opening goal from a penalty kick during Korea's World Cup qualifier against the United Arab Emirates at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on Nov. 11, 2021.YONHAP
Spain resolved its divisions through frank conversations among players. In 2011, tensions between Real Madrid and Barcelona during their fierce El Clasico encounters spilled over into the national team.
Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas first reached out to Barcelona's Xavi Hernandez to ease tensions between the two sides. Spain went on to win Euro 2012 the following year.
Belgium, by contrast, was eliminated in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after players publicly clashed over whether the squad's aging generation was past its prime.
The following year, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois fell out with the head manager over the selection of the team captain and stayed away from the national team for nearly two years. Newly appointed coach Rudi Garcia brought Courtois back, declaring “I will start again with a clean slate.”
With Courtois back in goal, Belgium eventually reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup in North America.
Some analysts argue that the decisive factor in all three cases was the captain. In Spain, the captain took the initiative to reconcile opposing sides. In France, the captain helped lead the boycott. In Belgium, the captaincy itself became the source of conflict.
Son Heung-min of Korea, left center, and interim head coach Robert Moreno celebrate after scoring against Ecuador during their men's football friendly match at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Sept. 24.YONHAP
The moral of the story is that the captain's armband should not necessarily go to the team's best player, but to the person most capable of bringing the squad together. Captaincy is not a position from which to wield authority over teammates. It is a role of service — looking after fellow players and bringing different voices together.
That responsibility becomes even greater when a team is divided by internal conflict, all the more reason why the latest controversy has also revived debate over Son's captaincy.
Son is often regarded as the greatest player in Korean football history. Yet during his nine years as captain, the national team has been embroiled in a series of internal controversies. First there was the “Room 2701 controversy” at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was a dispute over the team's medical and rehabilitation arrangements; then the “table tennis scandal” at the 2024 Asian Cup, a physical confrontation between Son and younger teammates, including Lee Kang-in; and an interview boycott at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America.
Korea's Son Heung-min reacts after his team concedes a goal in the second half of its final Group A match against South Africa at the FIFA World Cup 2026 at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico on June 24.NEWS1
Observers say the atmosphere within the national team is different from when Park Ji-sung wore the captain's armband.
Son's tenure as captain has also been exceptionally long. Kim Ho-gon, who held the captaincy longer than any other Korean national team player apart from Son, served for four years and four months. Park and Ki Sung-yueng both handed the armband to younger teammates around the age of 30.Son Heung-min has worn the national team's captain's armband since 2018, when he was 26.
Some in Korean football also believe it is time to consider how Son's role is changing.
A captain's leadership carries the greatest weight on the pitch. Son will be 38 when the next World Cup takes place in 2030. Some argue that stepping down as captain and taking on a supporting role would benefit both the team and Son himself.
“If Son takes the initiative and says, 'I've done my part, so I'll support you from behind. It's your turn to lead,' it could strengthen the team's unity,” said a former national youth team head manager. “And if he can put down that burden and play with less pressure, it could also help prolong his career.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
