Japanese outlet Football Channel has named South Korea national team captain Son Heung-min (LAFC) as a forward on its Worst XI for the 2026 World Cup in North America, according to reports.
Son Falls Silent in Early Exit
According to Football Channel on the 22nd, Son was listed in the forward category of this World Cup's Worst XI.
Son wore the captain's armband and took the field throughout the tournament, but he could not prevent South Korea's elimination in the group stage. He started against the Czech Republic (a 2-1 win) and Mexico (a 0-1 loss), and was brought on as a substitute against South Africa (a 0-1 loss), but ultimately failed to find the net.
Son, who had scored a total of 3 goals across three previous World Cups to tie Park Ji-sung and Ahn Jung-hwan as the joint all-time top scorer among Koreans, failed to seize the chance to move into sole first place at this tournament. Born in 1992, he will be 38 by the time the 2030 World Cup opens, and like Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) or Lionel Messi (Argentina) could still play in the next tournament, though whether he can maintain his prime form remains uncertain.
Football Channel criticized Son, saying, "Perhaps expectations were too high. This tournament was not like him." The outlet added, "In the first match against the Czech Republic, he attempted 6 shots but failed to score. In the second match against Mexico, he was substituted early, and in the third match against South Africa, he came on as a substitute, but had no plays related to scoring."
Ronaldo, Kubo Also on the List of Dishonor
Alongside Son, Ronaldo was also included on the list of worst forwards. The outlet asked in return, "Was it the right choice to start Ronaldo, who is past his prime?" and pointed out, "His shots went wide and he was slow on the counterattack. Ronaldo cannot escape responsibility for Portugal's poor performance."
Ronaldo, who was competing in his sixth World Cup, scored a brace in the second group stage match against Uzbekistan and scored from a penalty kick in the round of 32 against Croatia, ending with a total of 3 goals. Portugal, considered a title contender, packed their bags after losing to Spain in the round of 16.
The final spot among the worst forwards went to Japan national team striker Takefusa Kubo. Kubo started in the first group stage match against the Netherlands but suffered an injury and had to bow out of the tournament early.
In the midfielder category, Bruno Fernandes (Portugal), Federico Valverde (Uruguay), and Aleksandar Pavlovic (Germany) were named. The defenders selected were Danilo (Brazil), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal), Josko Gvardiol (Croatia), and Lucas Digne (France), while the goalkeeper spot went to Fernando Muslera (Uruguay).
