Why are South Korea star Son Heung-min and others wearing masks?

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By Ben Morse, CNN
Updated 1:21 PM EST, Fri December 2, 2022

Son Heung-min adjusts his mask during South Korea's game against Portugal at the 2022 World Cup.

Is it Batman? Is it Superman? No, it’s Son Heung-min flying down the wing for South Korea.

You’d be forgiven for mistaking Son for a masked vigilante as he’s been wearing a superhero-like mask at the 2022 World Cup.

And no, it’s not part of some elaborate celebration routine. Son is wearing the mask – which covers his eyes and nose – as a protective measure.

The 30-year-old suffered a fractured eye socket during Tottenham’s win against Marseille in the Champions League on November 1 and therefore faced a race to be fit to feature in Qatar.

Such is the level of medical science, Son has not only recovered in time – with the help of the mask – but has also played every single minute as South Korea qualified for the knockout phase of the competition following a dramatic 2-1 upset win over Portugal.

After playing in Korea’s opening game of the World Cup against Uruguay – the first in the mask – Son said he felt “comfortable.”

“I’m just happy that with the mask, I can play,” Son told reporters, per Reuters.

But Son is not the only player to be playing at the World Cup wearing a protective mask.

Jasko Gvardiol from Croatia has also been wearing one, due to a nose and eye problem from a head clash for his club RB Leipzig in Germany.

Gvardiol looks at the ball during Croatia's game against Canada at the 2022 World Cup.

Tunisia’s Ellyes Skhiri broke his cheekbone in October for FC Köln in Germany, so he also wore a mask that covered his nose and sides of his face.

And Iran’s goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand kept a mask on during practices – choosing not to wear it in games – after his head injury against England in Iran’s first group game. He missed Iran’s second Group B match against Wales but played maskless against the US in the team’s final group stage match.

Masks are common in the game

These types of masks have been common over recent years to protect players recovering from facial injuries.

Earlier this season, Germany defender Antonio Rüdiger wore a similar mask to Son’s after he took a knee to the face while playing for Real Madrid against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

Over recent years, we’ve seen some of Son’s luminaries such as Harry Kane, Robert Lewandowski, Victor Osimhen and Sergio Ramos all wear masks on the pitch.


CNN’s Alasdair Howorth and Adrienne Vogt contributed to this report.

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https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/02/football/masks-son-heung-min-world-cup-2022-spt-intl/index.html