E-Daily is a ‘Are you curious? I will give you an immediate answer (Immediate answer)’ section. Q. Many issues arose in this World Cup, and Son Heung-min’s protective mask was also one of the areas that drew attention. It is said that Kim Tae-young’s mask in 2002 is kept by himself, but I wonder who will keep the mask of Son Heung-min, who finished the World Cup, and where.
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[이데일리 스타in 이석무 기자] A. Of course, Son Heung-min keeps it personally. The face protection mask worn by Heung-Min Son at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was made exclusively for Heung-Min Son. It was produced by Tottenham Hotspur, the club he belongs to, following carefully examining Son Heung-min’s facial contours and injured area. The material is carbon fiber, which is light but strong. Carbon fiber is an advanced material that can be used to manufacture parts as precise as watch parts, as well as large parts such as aircraft frames. Recently, it is widely used to make sports equipment such as cycle frames, golf clubs, surfboards, and hockey sticks.
According to the Korea Football Association, Son Heung-min brought three specially made masks to participate in the Qatar World Cup. At first, he trained wearing a mask with the number ‘7’ on it, but switched to a mask without a number on the grounds that it was once morest FIFA rules.
It is said that an extra mask was made in case the mask breaks. Fortunately, what they were concerned regarding did not happen, and they continued to play and train with one mask.
After recovering from the injury, Son Heung-min will play without a mask. In that case, it is highly likely that the mask will be donated for a good cause at some point due to the personality of Son Heung-min, who has a strong sense of responsibility for Korean football, who loves fans more than anyone else.
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In fact, Son Heung-min once presented the soccer boots he wore at a charity auction of the national team’s collection last October. In March of this year, he signed the soccer boots he wore in the final qualifiers for the World Cup in Iran and Qatar and put them up at auction, which sold for 16 million won. In addition, the national team uniform that he wore and signed was sold at 6.5 million won. At this time, all items sold at the charity auction were donated to the construction cost of the Korea Soccer Comprehensive Center.
If the face protection mask used by Son Heung-min were to be sold at a charity auction, how much would it cost? I don’t know, but I’m guessing that the price will be the highest ever. In addition to the fact that Son Heung-min wore it himself, the historical value of Korean football advancing to the World Cup round of 16 is added, so I think its value will skyrocket.
Or, instead of appearing in a charity auction, it is likely to be donated to a meaningful place such as a soccer museum. What is clear is that the mask worn by Son Heung-min will be an important fodder for the history of Korean soccer.
