South Korea enter the 2026 FIFA World Cup as one of the strongest teams in Asia. Their main offensive weapon is LAFC star <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/son-heung-min">Son Heung-min</a>, who is on the verge of setting a historic record, according to Manchester United legend Park Ji-sung.



“Son Heung-min has broken many records. I think he will become the Korean player who scores the most goals at the World Cup this time as well,” Park Ji-sung said in a recent interview shared by Chosun. “Many people believe that he will score in this World Cup. He will show performances that meet those expectations.”



Son is the most-capped player in the history of the national team, with 142 appearances since 2010, and North America 2026 will mark his fourth <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/world-cup/">World Cup</a>. Across his previous three appearances — in 2014, 2018, and 2022 — he recorded 10 matches and three goals, placing him among the country’s all-time leading World Cup scorers.



Right now, Son shares the record for most World Cup goals by a <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tag/south-korea/">South Korea</a> player alongside Park Ji-sung and Ahn Jung-hwan. That means if he scores at least once during this summer’s tournament, the LAFC forward will hold the record outright.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" width="1920" height="1080" src="https://media.worldsoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2026/05/27190822/son-1-1-1920x1080.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-647520"><figcaption>Son Heung-min (L) talks with Park Ji-sung (R) as he is awarded the Cheongnyong Medal prior to an international friendly in 2022.</figcaption></figure>



<h2>Park Ji-sung confident in Son’s leadership</h2>



In the same interview, Park Ji-sung expressed confidence in the forward’s leadership role. “Son Heung-min will become a player with more experience than I had. He will face his second World Cup as captain. He is not a player who needs my advice,” explained the 45-year-old former star, who represented Korea at the 2002, 2006, and 2010 World Cups.


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“I only hope that, without injury, in what may be his last World Cup, he does what he wants without regret and returns with the best possible results,” Park added about Son. “I hope it will be the happiest and most enjoyable World Cup for him.”



<h2>The challenges ahead for South Korea</h2>



After reaching a historic fourth-place finish in 2002, South Korea have struggled to replicate that success in later editions of the tournament. In fact, since then, their best performances came in 2010 and 2022, when they reached the Round of 16.



With the expanded 48-team format and an extra knockout round, they will likely have a better chance of advancing this year. South Korea are part of Group A alongside Mexico, South Africa, and the Czech Republic. The Europeans will be their first opponent of the tournament on June 11 at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara.

Son Heung-min tipped to break World Cup goalscoring record by South Korea legend Park Ji-sung

Son Heung-min tipped to break World Cup goalscoring record by South Korea legend Park Ji-sung - World Soccer Talk

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<a href="/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/park-ji-sung.jpg"></a>You’d be hard pressed to find a single person who had anything negative to say about Park Ji-Sung, the Manchester United midfielder who netted the winning goal Sunday against Liverpool at Old Trafford.
In many ways, Ji-Sung is the model professional. You never see him complaining. He always gives 100%. He rarely has a poor game. He loves the club he plays for. And, best of all, he’s got an incredible work rate which, when you add all of his attributes together, he’s the type of player you always want on your team.
Except Sir Alex Ferguson doesn’t play him all the time. It seems that Fergie only picks Ji-Sung for those big matches when he needs Ji-Sung to pull something special out of his bag of tricks either by scoring a goal or being a chief contributor by creating decisive assists for his fellow teammates.
Ji-Sung is such a valuable asset to Manchester United that I’m sure some managers would love to have eleven players just like him. You can’t fault the bloke. He’s improved by leaps and bounds from the time when he first joined United in 2005. And you get the sense that he’s always learning and fine-tuning his game much to the benefit of himself and the team around him.
He seems like a humble, hard working man. Quiet, observant and respectful. He is, without a doubt, the model professional. Someone who is impossible to hate and easy to admire.
But yet, at the same time, he’s probably the player that soccer fans know the least about in terms of his personal life. And that’s a good thing. Park Ji-Sung does his talking on the football pitch. It’s now time for this unsung hero to receive the praise he deserves and to let us do the talking for him.

Park Ji-Sung: Manchester United&#039;s Unsung Hero

Park Ji-Sung: Manchester United&#039;s Unsung Hero - World Soccer Talk

Park Ji-Sung: Manchester United's Unsung Hero

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