SOCCER: No league goals is no World Cup worry for South Korea skipper Son

South Korea captain Son Heung-min says he is not concerned about his lack of goals in the current Major League Soccer season and remains confident he will deliver when it matters most at the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

The 33-year-old forward, formerly one of the most prolific scorers in the English Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur, has yet to find the net for Los Angeles FC in league play this season. Despite the slow start, Son said he is focused on his overall performance rather than individual statistics.

“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 Yonhap News Agency after joining the South Korea national team camp in Utah.

“Physically, I am feeling great. In other interviews, I joked that I was probably saving goals for the World Cup.”

Son has scored 54 goals in 142 appearances for South Korea national football team, including three across his previous World Cup appearances. One more goal in this year’s tournament would make him the country’s all-time leading scorer on football’s biggest stage, but he stressed that individual milestones are not his priority.

“If I put the team above all else and focus on 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 are set to compete in their 11th consecutive World Cup appearance, having reached the Round of 16 in Qatar before being eliminated by Brazil.

This year, they will face Mexico, South Africa, and the Czech Republic in the group stage, opening their campaign against the Czech side in Guadalajara on June 11.

Son said the squad is focused on preparation and fine-tuning details rather than projecting how far they might go in the tournament.

“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 outcomes, it’s important to do our best each and every day.” -Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters