Son Heung-min's Record-Breaking Night Overshadowed by Retirement Controversy: What Caused the Internal Conflict

[Anchor]

Last night (October 6), when national football team captain Son Heung-min set a new all-time scoring record, the mood within the national team was far from celebratory. This was due to a retirement controversy involving three players born in 1996: Hwang In-beom, Kim Min-jae, and Hwang Hee-chan. It appears to be an eruption of long-standing internal conflicts within the team.

Reporter Ha Seong-nyong has the details.

[Reporter]

Even after setting a new record for the most goals by a South Korean male player with his 59th career goal, Son Heung-min could not smile brightly.

[Son Heung-min / National Football Team Captain: It is true that the team atmosphere was heavy. Personally, I think it is a good sign. It shows how much affection there is for this team.]

His remarks were a veiled reference to the recent poor team atmosphere.

In fact, even after a 2-0 victory, Hwang In-beom collapsed onto the pitch and shed tears for a while. Shortly after, rumors spread that Kim Min-jae and Hwang Hee-chan, along with Hwang In-beom—all three 1996-born peers—were considering simultaneous retirement from the national team.

[Hwang In-beom / National Football Team Midfielder: Letting go can be the wise choice for a smart person. I think (selection for the November national team) is now up to the coach to decide.]

Regarding the sudden retirement controversy surrounding these key players, multiple sources told SBS that "long-standing conflicts have finally erupted."

From the private treatment room controversy ahead of the Qatar World Cup four years ago and the physical altercation between players during the 2024 Asian Cup, to the recent boycott of interviews during the North and Central American World Cup qualifiers, repeated conflicts and superficial patch-ups caused divisions of opinion between captain Son Heung-min and certain players. The 96-liners, who have grown into senior figures, repeatedly demanded a change in leadership, but with nothing changing, their grievances reportedly piled up.

Kim Min-jae's actions and remarks immediately after the recent match against Venezuela can be interpreted in the same context.

[Kim Min-jae / National Football Team Defender (October 2): We all need to fight, contest, and defend together, but those aspects are not working well. Honestly, looking at the defensive players, I feel sorry for them.]

In the end, after National Team Strengthening Committee Chairman Hyun Young-min talked with the three players past midnight, the retirement controversy was temporarily settled. However, Hwang Hee-chan and Hwang In-beom departed today without giving clear explanations regarding related questions.

[Hwang Hee-chan / National Football Team Midfielder: (Has anything been decided regarding the national team retirement rumors?) Nothing has been decided...]

With the issues appearing patched up rather than truly resolved, the national team must continue its nervous journey carrying a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment.

(Photo courtesy of YouTube channel 'Donghyeon kldh' | Video reported by Yoo Dong-hyuk and Hwang In-seok | Video edited by Ha Seong-won | Graphics designed by Byun Dayoung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.