When Korea host Ghana in a men’s football friendly match in Seoul on Tuesday, captain Son Heung-min will have a chance to reunite with his former youth coach from Germany, the current Ghana boss Otto Addo.
Addo was Son’s coach when the then 17-year-old played for Hamburger SV’s youth academy in 2009. The two also crossed paths during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where Son was Korea’s captain and Addo was leading Ghana. Ghana prevailed 3-2 in their group stage match then.
Addo, who stepped down after that World Cup, is back on Ghana’s bench for a second spell, while Son has remained captain of the Taegeuk Warriors.
Reflecting on their past on Monday, Son said Addo, born in Germany to Ghanaian parents, had offered him “tremendous help” in his development as a football player.
Once Tuesday’s match kicks off, though, it will be all business for both, Son said.
“After all, coach Addo will try to win the match for his team and I will do the same for my team. That’s the nature of this competitive world,” Son said at his prematch press conference at Seoul World Cup Stadium. “It will be great to see him again three years after Qatar, and especially do so here in Korea. At the end of the day, I want to help my team win, and that’s the only thing I am going to focus on.”
This will be Korea’s final match of 2025 and Son stressed the importance of ending the season with a win — and not just to get revenge against Ghana.
“I don’t think we’re paying too much mind to our loss from three years ago. Preparing for the next World Cup is more important,” Son added. “We can meet them again at the World Cup and they’ve been one of the best teams in Africa. Playing a team like that will be a good learning experience for us, especially for some young guys who’ve never faced Ghana before.”
Asked if he’d given his inexperienced teammates any tips on how to handle Ghana, Son said, “They have some gifted players with good speed, and we have to be wary of those qualities.”
While not everyone has experience playing Ghana, Son, 33, noted that many young players on the national team today bring plenty of pedigree of having competed against the best in Europe.
“We’ve had guys win the UEFA Champions League and battle for trophies in big European leagues, and I think those experiences will help us at the World Cup in a big way,” Son said. “I also like the fact that they all bring unique qualities as players. I think it’s a major plus for our team that they play with so much confidence. We certainly have a few things to fix but I am confident we have plenty of time to address them as we get ready for the World Cup.”
