Al Gharafa Stadium was the scene for a landmark moment in the Tottenham Hotspur striker’s ascent to the summit of the game, as the 18-year-old Son stepped off the bench to score in his nation’s 4-1 win over India in the 2011 edition of the continental championship.

That goal – scored almost 13 years ago – was Son’s first at senior international level and started a rise that has seen him establish himself among Asia’s elite, scoring a total of 41 times in 118 matches for the Taeguk Warriors.

“It is something special,” Son said of his return to the country for another AFC Asian Cup, his fourth. “It was the 2011 Asian Cup.

“It was my first major tournament and coming back to Qatar for the Asian Cup, it is something special and I also want to make it a special event for myself and for our country.

“It’s going to be a long journey, so we just want to focus game by game and make it as special as possible.”

Son was part of an exciting Korean squad under coach Cho Kwang-rae in 2011 that blitzed their way to the semi-finals, only to lose an epic last-four clash with eventual champions Japan in a penalty shoot-out.

They went closer still four years later in Australia, defeated in extra-time by hosts Australia despite Son’s equaliser late in regulation time, before a quarter-final exit to another eventual winner Qatar in the quarter-finals in 2019.

Those losses mean the Koreans come into Qatar 2023 still waiting for a third continental title and – remarkably – their first since the second of their back-to-back successes in the first two competitions in 1960.
“You can’t compare any team, 2011, 2015 or 2019 and 2023,” Son said when asked about the four Korea Republic squads he has represented at the AFC Asian Cup.

“You can’t compare because it’s football, the generations change and the football style changes in a year.

“We have had fantastic teams and amazing, talented players but it’s all about the commitment. I think we had an unbelievable team, but we haven’t won the Asian Cup for 64 years, so it’s quite long.

“We have just one aim, that we make it special with this team.”

While Son was unable to find the back of the net himself, the Koreans made a winning start to their campaign with a 3-1 victory over Bahrain on Monday with the win coming courtesy of a second half brace from Lee Kang-in.

Next up for Jurgen Klinsmann’s team is Jordan on Friday before the Koreans complete their Group E commitments against Malaysia on January 25.

“It was a tough game, as we expected,” Son said of the win over Juan Antonio Pizzi’s team. “There is never an easy game against Bahrain. They prepared really well and it was tough to break them, but especially when we when we go up 1-0 we have to do better.

“The most important thing is that we won the game and we move on because the next game is quite coming really quick.”