An old lady with dementia notices Sonny at first glance

“Here is this big squad called Tottenham and this young man leads his crew,” said Jeong Geum-sun, an 83-year-old avid fan of South Korean football star Son Heung-min. Video clips have depicted her rooting for him despite her Lewy body dementia underway, which has let Son know of her for so long. This old but enthusiastic fan watches his matches and has his uniforms and pictures around the home.

On Tuesday, the Korea Football Association released a video showing Son and Jeong having a meetup on its official YouTube channel. Their gathering occurred on June 10, the day before South Korea had the second match in the regional qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Jeong could not buy it right until Son came into the room. As Son said he hoped to see her in person very soon and was grateful to be loved so much by many fans like her, Jeong said, “Stop fooling me. I don’t know if I could ever see him in person.”

Lowering his body to make eye contact with the lady in a wheelchair, Son expressed his thankfulness multiple times. “I am deeply grateful that you always support me. I was inspired and moved by the footage where you root for me.” “I’ve got my autograph written on it so please wear it when you come to see me tomorrow,” Son said, giving his official national football shirt to her. “I will do my best on the field for you. Please root for me as always.”

“I wish I had spent more time with him. He looks amazing.” Wearing the uniform, she visited the match the following day,” Jeong said thankfully right after seeing him. “I am only 83 years old. I will enjoy watching football games until I turn 100.”


김정훈 기자 hun@donga.com