What is the special face shield to be donned by South Korea's Heung-min Son at Qatar 2022?

The ongoing FIFA World Cup has already witnessed Asian teams pulling off upsets during the first three days of the tournament. Saudi Arabia probably created the biggest upset in World Cup history by beating Argentina 2-1 in their opening match. The Japan football team on Wednesday pulled off the second biggest upset of this year's tournament with a 2-1 comeback win over Germany. 

Day 4 of the Qatar 2022 tournament will witness South Korea in action against Uruguay with focus placed on their star player Heung-min Son. If Korea are to advance past the group stage, they would want Son to be in his best form. Heung-min Son has so far made two FIFA World Cup appearances and the ongoing one in Qatar will be his third of the career. However, the 30-year-old will have a very unusual look when he takes the field against Uruguay, Ghana and Portugal.

Why will Heung-min Son wear mask during FIFA World Cup matches?

The Spurs forward shared pictures of him on the training ground with his face partially covered by a mask. However, it is not a fashion statement but he is wearing it as a protective measure after suffering a facial injury. Son had suffered a fractured eye socket when he collided with Chancel Mbemba during Tottenham's Champions League match against Marseille at the beginning of November. The eye injury required surgery to ensure a full recovery putting his chances of playing in the FIFA World Cup 2022 in jeopardy. However, the Spurs star made his trip to Qatar with the mask which will act as a shield to the facial bones and minimises the risk of further injury, which could affect his chances of playing. 

Qatar 2022: A look at some interesting facts ahead of South Korea vs Uruguay

South Korea and Uruguay will be meeting each other for the third time in the FIFA World Cup stage. The South Americans have won both previous encounters played in 1990 and 2010. The FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be only the second time that Uruguay has participated in four consecutive World Cups. For South Korea, this will be the  11th FIFA World Cup tournament, which is the most of any Asian nation. Son Heung-min has a chance to get his name written in history books by becoming only the second player behind Park ji-SUng to have scored goals in three different editions. Son is currently Korea Republic’s joint-top World Cup goalscorer of all time with 3 goals with two goals coming at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and once in 2014.