No league goals is no World Cup worry for South Korea skipper Son
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May 27 : South Korea captain Son Heung-min is unconcerned by his lack of goals in this Major League Soccer (MLS) season and believes he will find the net at the World Cup if he puts his team first.
The 33-year-old forward, once one of the most prolific goalscorers in England at Tottenham Hotspur, has yet to hit the mark for Los Angeles FC in the league so far this season.
"A lot of people are worried, but I'm only worried if I am not playing well. I don't think that's the case now," Son told the Yonhap News Agency after joining up with the South Korea squad at their Utah base.
"Physically, I am feeling great. But in other interviews, I joked that I was probably saving goals for the World Cup."
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Son has scored 54 goals in 142 appearances for his country, including three over his three previous World Cup campaigns.
One more in this year's tournament would make him South Korea's record scorer at soccer's global showpiece but Son said the last thing on his mind was individual targets.
"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.
"That's how I've been playing my whole career, and that mindset won't change."
The Taegeuk Warriors, who will be taking part in their 11th straight edition of the World Cup, reached the last 16 four years ago in Qatar before going out to Brazil.
This year, they will face co-hosts Mexico, South Africa and the Czech Republic in the group stage, kicking off their campaign against the Czechs in Guadalajara on June 11.
Son said the players would be focusing on getting the details right rather than their potential path through the tournament in their training camp.
"Of course, we want to do better than at the last World Cup," he said.
"But we can't predict the future. Other teams will be preparing just as hard. Rather than talking about the outcome, it's important to do our best each and every day."
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