Son Heung-min breaks 47-year A-match scoring record, says he's 'sorry' to have his name mentioned alongside Cha Bum-kun

Son Heung-min of Los Angeles FC, who broke the all-time South Korea men's national team scoring record, said former head coach Cha Bum-kun is "always a great figure" and expressed humility about surpassing him. "It is a great honor just to be mentioned alongside him, and I feel so sorry to have my name placed next to his," Son said. "That is why I think I need to keep doing better."

Son scored his 59th A-match goal — surpassing Cha's record of 58 — with a free kick in the sixth minute of the first half during a friendly against Uzbekistan at Yongin Mir Stadium on Tuesday. He spoke to reporters in the mixed zone after the match.

Asked how long he hoped the record would stand, Son said he wanted it broken quickly. "Just as a nobody like me broke it, I hope far more talented players come along and break this record as soon as possible," he said.

"It is a true honor to have been able to write history," Son said. "Scoring this many goals while wearing the national team badge — something I dreamed of since childhood — is not something I could have done alone."

He added, "I sincerely thank every player, manager and coach who has been with me over the 16 years since my debut in 2010, and all the fans who have cheered me on."

"Records follow naturally when you play well on the pitch," he said. "My teammates have always supported me so well, and that is what made this possible."

South Korea won the match 2-0, with Son's opener followed by a second-half header from Oh Se-hoon of Shimizu.

Starting as the lone striker, Son played 72 minutes and broke the deadlock in the sixth minute with a right-footed free kick.

The sequence began when Hwang Hee-chan received a pass in midfield and drove forward, drawing a handball foul after his right-footed shot from the left side of the penalty arc struck an opposing player's arm. Son stepped up and curled the resulting free kick with his right foot from inside the arc, bending it past the defensive wall and into the bottom-right corner.

Cha had scored his 58th international goal against China at the Bangkok Asian Games on Dec. 17, 1978. Son's record-breaking strike came 47 years, nine months and 21 days — or 17,461 days — later.

Including women's players, the all-time South Korea A-match scoring record belongs to midfielder Ji So-yun of Suwon FC Women, who has 76 goals in 182 appearances.

Son made his international debut in December 2010 at the age of 18, in a friendly against Syria.

He scored his first international goal in January 2011, in his third A-match appearance, against India in the group stage of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup.

Son has been a star of South Korean football for 16 years, representing the national team every year. He also left his mark at the highest level of the global game, becoming the first Asian player to win the English Premier League Golden Boot.

Tuesday's goal brought Son's combined official career tally — across club and country — to 301 goals.

Son has scored 242 official goals at club level, having played for Hamburg (20 goals) and Bayer Leverkusen (29 goals) in Germany, Tottenham Hotspur (173 goals) in England, and currently Los Angeles FC (20 goals) in the United States.

Son had also scored twice in the three matches preceding Tuesday's game.

He netted his 57th international goal with a direct free kick in a 3-0 win over Ecuador, then added his 58th with a long-range strike in a 1-4 defeat to Uruguay.