Son Heung-min, captain of the South Korean national football team, has reassured fans after broadcast footage sparked concerns that he was suffering from alopecia areata.
Son, 34, who plays for LA FC, posted a photo of himself smiling brightly on his social media on Wednesday with the message, "It's not alopecia areata. Don't worry." He added, "I have nothing to be stressed about. See you at the World Cup."
The buzz began during the Round 15 home match against the Seattle Sounders in the 2026 Major League Soccer (MLS) season, held Tuesday at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Broadcast footage appeared to show a patch of missing hair on the back of Son's head, drawing widespread attention.
Son has recorded nine assists but no goals in 13 league matches in the first half of this season. In the Seattle match, his final club game before the World Cup, he fired seven shots but failed to find the net. As speculation grew that stress from his goal drought might be the cause, the player appears to have stepped in personally to put the rumors to rest.
After wrapping up his club schedule with the Seattle match, Son traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, where head coach Hong Myung-bo's pre-tournament camp has been set up, and joined the national team's training.
Son has scored a total of three goals on the World Cup main stage, tying him with Ahn Jung-hwan and Park Ji-sung as Korea's all-time top scorers at the tournament. Just one more goal in the upcoming competition would make him the sole record holder for most World Cup goals by a Korean player.
