FIFA World Cup 2018: 5 lowest ranked teams and their respective key players

#4 South Korea

South Korea qualified for the 9th consecutive time

Rank: 57

Key Player: Son Heung-Min

Seeing a team like South Korea languish so low in the rankings may come as a bit of a surprise to many. But in actuality, they’ve never been an elite side even in Asia, let alone globally. Their last Asia Cup victory came way back in 1960, although they did finish as runners-up in the 2015 edition to Australia.

The Taegeuk Warriors comfortably sailed through the first round of their qualifiers, winning all 8 games. But found the going to be relatively difficult in the second, which saw them book an automatic qualification behind Iran, and only narrowly edging ahead of the surprise package Syria.

Now in the tournament, it’s going to be a real test of nerves against Germany, Mexico and Sweden. Whilst the defending champions are favourites to win the group, the fight for the second place could between the other two. South Korea would be hoping to spoil the party.

Son is the most marquee player from the South Korean team

In the group of misfits and obscure names, Son Heung-Min stands out as a world-class talent. We’ve all been witness to that whenever he pulled on the white of Tottenham Hotspur.

Last season, he scored 18 times in all competitions and also laid another 6 assists, despite starting only 37 games. While Harry Kane has been hogging all the limelight with his imperious scoring spree, Son has gone about his duties with just as much elan and he also struck 7 times in the qualifiers, the highest among the Koreans.

His play-making skills and a keen eye for goal will crucial for his side to upset the applecart.