Tottenham fans will see a familiar face on their screens when they tune in to South Korea’s opening World Cup game against Uruguay on Thursday – sort of.
Premier League star Son Heung-min will line up for his country, but the Spurs man will wear a protective mask.
His son was badly injured on November 1 when he fractured his eye socket in a Champions League match against Marseille.
Soon after, he underwent surgery and there were concerns about his involvement in Qatar.
But he was called into the squad, saying “I wouldn’t miss it for the world”, and declared fit by manager Paulo Bento on the eve of the opener in South Korea.
“Sonny can play. Yes, he will be able to play,” Bento said Wednesday.
“I think the fact that he’s wearing a mask is not an inconvenience for him. It’s rather natural for him.
“We’ve stuck to the plan since we got here, and the way we’ve integrated him into our group shows it’s a natural fit.
“Our hope is that he will feel as comfortable as possible and we will use the best strategy so that he will feel comfortable during the game.”
Protective masks are now a relatively common sight in football, helping players with facial injuries to continue to compete.
Who else is wearing a mask at the World Cup?
Belgium’s Thomas Meunier, Croatia’s Josko Guardiol, and Tunisia’s Elis Skerry have been seen wearing face masks on the pitch at this year’s World Cup.
Meunier came off the bench in Belgium’s 1-0 win over Canada on Wednesday, Guardiola started in Croatia’s 0-0 draw with Morocco, while Skirri played the full game as Tunisia held Denmark to a goalless draw.
The Belgian is wearing a mask after breaking his cheekbone against Hannover earlier this season, while Guardiola is wearing a black mask after recovering from a broken nose on November 10.
The 30-year-old son is South Korea’s captain and has scored 35 goals in 105 appearances for his country.
Asian countries Uruguay, Ghana, and Portugal are competing in Group H.