Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Son Heung-min and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae demonstrated a gesture of goodwill by dispatching autographed shirts to the San Diego Padres players in anticipation of the 2024 Seoul Series. The formal exchange occurred on Wednesday, with each of the two Korean football players’ shirts thoughtfully positioned on every seat within the Padres’ clubhouse, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.
The forthcoming two-game series between the Padres and the Dodgers is scheduled to unfold at the Gocheok Sky Dome, commencing at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, followed by a subsequent match at the same hour on Thursday. Notably, the Padres boast Korean Gold Glove winning infielder Kim Ha-seong among their ranks, prompting Son and Kim Min-jae to extend their support to a fellow compatriot.
Concurrently, Son and Kim Min-jae are presently situated in Korea, preparing for their forthcoming participation in a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Thailand at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, slated for Thursday evening.
A spokesperson for the Padres conveyed, as cited by Yonhap, that the synchronized timing of events led Kim and Son to express their solidarity with Kim Ha-seong, a fellow Korean luminary athlete. Each member of the Padre team, including manager Mike Shildt, received both jerseys as a token of good fortune ahead of the series.
Upon the culmination of their Asian commitments on Thursday evening, Kim Ha-seong and the Padres will promptly return to the United States, marking the onset of the 2024 domestic season. Conversely, Son and Kim Min-jae are poised to embark on further international duties, as they are slated to journey to Thailand for the subsequent leg of the World Cup qualifiers on the ensuing Tuesday.