South Korean national team captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham) has addressed the controversy surrounding his high-five to a camera crew who motioned for him to stay away after scoring a goal.

On Aug. 28, Son posted a photo on his Instagram Story that was taken during the FIFA Confederations Cup North America 2026 Asia Second Qualifying Group C match between South Korea and Thailand on Sept. 26.

The photo shows Son Heung-min 스포츠토토 touching his palm to the camera crew’s outstretched palm.

The scene was captured after Son Heung-min scored his second goal in the ninth minute of the second half, as he approached the inside camera that was pointed at him. The cameraman raised his hand to say, “Stop coming so close, it’s out of focus,” but Son didn’t realize it, so he high-fived him, creating a hilarious scene.

As photos and videos of the scene spread online, people commented, “Son Heung-min is cute,” “I can see he’s excited,” “The camera director must have been confused but happy,” and so on.

In response, Son Heung-min himself took to his social networking service (SNS) to make a playful explanation, writing, “This is a high five, please recognize it.”

Heung-min’s direct comment was met with a “cute” reaction. “He must be really happy. He posted it on Instagram himself,” “It’s a high five,” “If it’s Son Heung-min, it is,” and other comments.

The South Korean national team won the match against Thailand 3-0 at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sept. 26.

South Korea opened the scoring in the 19th minute when Lee Jae-sung slotted home a ball from Cho Kyu-sung into the net. Son Heung-min scored the second goal nine minutes later, finishing off a forward pass from Lee Kang-in. In the 37th minute, Park Jin-seob scored his A-Match debut goal when he headed a ball dropped by Kim Min-jae into the net.

After the goal, Son Heung-min made headlines by sharing a warm hug with Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), with whom he had a recent dispute.