South Korea captain Son Heung-min has been caught in the middle of a 2026 World Cup row after being mocked in the build-up to his country’s opening game vs Czechia.

The former Tottenham Hotspur star captained his nation to a 2-1 victory to put them in a good position to reach the Round of 32. However, the veteran forward then declined to speak to members of the media from his own country.

It’s become a massive talking point in his home country after footage emerged which allegedly leaked ‘derogatory’ comments about the LAFC forward.

Amanda Perobelli via Reuters

The accidentally posted footage shows two reporters allegedly mocking Son’s military exemption during South Korea’s recorded training session before the World Cup. After captaining his country to 2018 Olympic Gold, Son was legally excused from the standard 21-month service.

In response, the 33-year-old opted against speaking to media members from his own country following the victory against Czechia. His teammates have also decided to show solidarity and join him in the media blackout.

A statement has now been made by the Korean Football Association, which has condemned the comments made. They said (per The Telegraph):

“The Korea Football Association expresses regret over the inappropriate remarks made by some media personnel during the national football team’s training at the Guadalajara base camp.

“With a sense of responsibility to represent South Korea on the global stage of the World Cup, the Taegeuk Warriors are doing their best to repay the support and expectations of the people.

“However, the recent leak of inappropriate conversations between some media officials at a training site caused great shock and disappointment to the team.”

Son Receives Apology But Boycott Could Continue

Paul Childs via Reuters

Son has reportedly received a face-to-face apology from members of the South Korean delegation in Mexico. The ex-Premier League attacker is said to have accepted, but it remains to be seen whether his national team end their media boycott.

The previous press delegation leader resigned over the controversy. While Son was asked whether his team would resume media duties, he refrained from giving a definitive answer until an internal decision had been reached.

Further adding to the ill-feeling between both parties, critical comments were made about manager Hong Myung-bo, which have only raised tensions within the South Korea camp.

The 2026 World Cup has been marred by many travel issues, with fans, officials and players having problems gaining entry into the United States of America and Canada for various reasons.

Supporters from several nations have been denied the opportunity to follow their teams to the States, from an England fan finding out live on air that he couldn’t travel to Scotland fans having their travel permits withdrawn at the last minute.

Controversy was also sparked when Somali referee Omar Artan was refused entry into the US. But now a player’s future at the competition is in doubt due to an expired visa.

‘Single-Entry’ Visa Casts Doubt Over World Cup Player

Luis Cortes via Reuters

The biggest issue heading into this year’s competition was, by far, Iran’s participation. The Middle Eastern nation have been forced to prepare in Mexico due to the ongoing conflict with the US.

They were forced to travel to the States on the day of their opening-day clash against New Zealand, and informed they had to go back to Mexico immediately after the 2-2 draw at SoFi Stadium. It’s just the latest issue Iran have faced after many of their delegation were denied visas, with only players and select staff members allowed into the US.

After the first group game, Iran revealed that one of their players may not get back into the country for the next match against Belgium. Mehdi Torabi’s visa has now expired following his trip for the New Zealand fixture. State news agency IRNA stated:

While his Team Melli colleagues were granted multiple-entry visas for the World Cup, Torabi was instead only given single-entry authorisation. The Iranian Football Federation is said to have ‘taken steps to obtain a new visa for Torabi, so that he can accompany the national team in its upcoming matches.’

Gianni Infantino ‘Trying to Help’ Iran

Following the end of Iran’s opening game, where the national anthem was booed, FIFA president Gianni Infantino visited the dressing room to offer support to the players and staff.

The nation’s star striker Mehdi Taremi claimed the Swiss boss is attempting to help with the issues Iran are facing. It has been reported that Infantino is trying to resolve the ongoing visa issues.

Taremi said: “For sure, he wants to try to help us, but it’s about other things too. You know, everyone knows. (I don’t) need to mention that, because you know where we are.”

Senegal’s footballing history is littered with brilliant talents from generation to generation. Making their international debut back in 1961 as an independent nation, the Lions of Teranga have produced some wonderful stars over the decades.

Senegal have been a constant presence in the top-20 of FIFA’s World Rankings for a number of years, and tasted continental success in 2021 with their first ever AFCON, though many consider it two after the drama of 2025’s final against Morocco.

While a next generation merge into modern times, they do so, supported by the heritage of being champions, and those greats that paved the way before them.

Here are 15 of the best ever players from Senegal.

15

Mamadou Niang

Career Span: 2000-2019

John Sibley via Action Images

After a slow start to his career, Mamadou Niang spent the peak years of his career with Marseille, becoming one of Ligue 1’s most reliable strikers during a lengthy spell at the club. In his final season in the south of France, Niang was the league’s top scorer, powering Marseille to their first league title in almost 20 years.

Powerful and direct, he was a constant menace for defenders at club level, displaying much of the same for Senegal between 2002 and 2012. With 19 goals, he’s among his country’s all-time leading scorers and was a talismanic figure in the national side throughout the 2000s.

14

Habib Beye

Career Span:1998-2012

Habib Beye

After spending close to a decade making his name in France, where he won the Coupe de France, Habib Beye made his move to the Premier League and proved to be a composed and intelligent right-back, featuring regularly for Newcastle in the two seasons that followed. Internationally, he was a regular in the Senegal squad during a competitive era, representing his country at five major tournaments between 2002 and 2008.

A year after retiring from international football, Beye’s career slowed down dramatically. He’d spend three seasons with Aston Villa and only make 18 appearances, before moving to Doncaster Rovers to see out his career before he retired in 2012. Despite this, his reliability in an eleven-year stretch for Strasbourg, Marsellie, Newcastle and his country, earns him a place on the list.

13

El Hadji Diouf

Career Span: 1998-2015

El Hadji Diouf arrived in England as one of the most exciting forwards in football, fresh from a standout 2002 World Cup that announced Senegal’s arrival on the world stage, and one that saw him named in the tournament’s All-Star team.

His time at Liverpool never quite lived up to the billing, but his talent was never in question. He was a tricky, combative forward who could make something from nothing. Spells at Bolton, Sunderland and Blackburn followed, where he remained a handful for any defender, but it was rare to see Diouf out of trouble both on and off the pitch, with a particular habit for spitting at opposition players and fans. Despite this, his contribution to Senegal’s most memorable international campaign will never be forgotten.

12

Demba Ba

Career Span: 2006-2022

Demba Ba was the kind of striker who made football look straightforward. He wasn’t the flashy type at all and was an incredibly composed player, especially in front of goal. He was a consistent performer for Newcastle, scoring 29 Premier League goals in two seasons before earning a move to Chelsea.

He never quite nailed down a starting spot at Stamford Bridge, but took his talents to Turkey and China and quickly put his shooting boots back on, scoring 57 goals in all competitions over the next three seasons. As much as Ba scored almost 200 career goals, the one he’ll be remembered most for was one that was gifted to him on a plate. Ba was the beneficiary of Steven Gerrard’s infamous slip that played a huge role in costing Liverpool the Premier League title in 2014. His international career is the only reason why he isn’t further up this list, having only turned out for his country 22 times, scoring just four goals.

11

Papiss Cisse

Career Span: 2004-2023

If Demba Ba enters the conversation, Papiss Cisse’s name isn’t far away either, and this list is no different. His Premier League career peaked in spectacular fashion with Ba at Newcastle United, where he scored one of the goals of the decade against Chelsea in 2012, a curling volley dubbed “the banana goal”, from an almost impossible angle that left Petr Cech, one of the Premier League’s greatest goalkeepers, utterly helpless.

Cisse was a natural finisher and among the most dangerous strikers in the division at his best. He proved it on the international stage too, scoring in 50% of his matches for Senegal. He went on to play in China and Turkey before returning to France to wind down his career, but it’s that moment at Stamford Bridge that most fans will picture first.

10

Aliou Cisse

Career Span: 1994-2009

A hardworking defensive midfielder who could play at centre-back if required, Aliou Cisse began his career in France with Lille and very briefly Sedan, before moving to PSG. Following four years in Paris, with a loan to Montpellier to boot, Cisse had stints in England with Birmingham City and Portsmouth before returning to Sedan and then Nimes.

As a player, Cisse is best recognised for captaining the Senegal national team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where his team made it all the way to the quarter-finals after famously beating France. He also captained the team which reached the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations Final.

He coached his nation for nine years, following a rise through the ranks with the U23 side and while he lost out in his playing days – Cisse put those past failures to bed when he became the first Senegalese manager to win the tournament in 2021 after reaching the final in 2019.

9

Papa Bouba Diop

Career Span: 1996-2013

Affectionately nicknamed ‘the Wardrobe’ by fans in England, Papa Bouba Diop was an imposing defensive midfielder, also adept in defence. Diop was considered a physically strong and aggressive player. His playing style, position, and ability drew comparisons to former France holding midfielder Patrick Vieira.

Like Vieira, Diop would of course play in the Premier League with Fulham and Portsmouth, where won the FA Cup in 2008. He also played in Switzerland for Neuchatel Xamax and Super League winning Grasshoppers in 2001, in France for Lens and in Greece for AEK Athens. At the latter, he won the Greek Cup in 2011.

Diop’s second of a total of 11 international goals for Senegal was his most important. It arrived in a 1–0 victory over then-world champions France in the opening match of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. This was also Senegal’s first ever match at the tournament. Additionally, he played in four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, with Senegal finishing as runners-up in 2002.

Tragically, Papa Bouba Diop passed away in 2020 at the age of 42 following struggles with a type of motor neurone disease. Despite the illness taking away this powerful figure far too soon, his physical presence, legacy and undeniable ability will never be forgotten around both Senegal and the world.

8

Tony Sylva

Career Span: 1993-2010

Goalkeeper Tony Sylva spent the majority of his 16-year professional career in France. Playing in 157 Ligue 1 games during eight seasons, he predominantly represented AS Monaco and Lille. Although he spent nearly a decade at the service of Monaco, he featured mainly for the reserve team during his spell, providing backup for Fabien Barthez and Flavio Roma. He made his debut in Ligue 1 in 1999 and contributed six appearances as Monaco won the title that term.

Before leaving in 2004, the keeper saw several loans elsewhere before Lille enabled him to really make his mark. Never appearing in fewer than 30 league games in his four years with Les Dogues, he helped his team to second place in 2004–05. For Senegal, Sylva earned 83 caps during nine years and was the starting stopper for that famous 2002 World Cup as the Taranga Lions reached the quarter-finals in their first appearance in the competition.

7

Henri Camara

Career Span: 1998-2018

Yet another member of Senegal’s 2002 squad, Henri Camara was a journeyman striker who saw a 20-year career wind through 18 different clubs. For UK-based readers, he notably appeared for a number of teams like Wolverhampton Wanderers, Celtic, and Wigan Athletic among others. This came after establishing himself alongside Papa Bouba Diop in Switzerland, as well as a goal-laden spell at Sedan in France.

Although, through looking at Camara’s club record, it’s clear to see that he never really found his home – he was a fine asset at international level. After making his debut in 1999, Camara went on to play in that fairytale run in the 2002 World Cup, scoring two goals, including a golden goal, in the Round of 16 against Sweden, which took them to the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.

6

Roger Mendy

Career Span: 1978-1995

Deemed by many to be among the best Senegalese defenders of all time, Roger Mendy was a pioneering figure for African players moving to Europe. His career started with nine seasons at Senegalese giants Jeanne d’Arc club school in the capital Dakar. In this time he earned the first of his 87 international caps, at the age of 17.

In 1985 his feats earned him a move to Toulon in France, where he spent three seasons before a move to Monaco, with whom he reached the European Cup Winners’ Cup final in 1992. He made history in 1992 when he became the first Senegalese player to play in Serie A when he signed for Pescara. Mendy effectively made the first steps for both his country and his continent in Europe, and held the door open for all that followed.