Football star Son Heung-min has personally pushed back against growing online rumors suggesting he is suffering from alopecia areata.
On May 25, Son posted a selfie to his Instagram account alongside a reassuring message for fans: “It’s not alopecia areata. Don’t worry. I have nothing to be stressed about.” The social media post appeared to be a direct response to speculative videos and posts that had rapidly spread across YouTube and online community forums.
Earlier that day, Son played the full 90 minutes for Los Angeles FC (LAFC) in a Major League Soccer (MLS) Round 15 match against the Seattle Sounders in Los Angeles. While he did not record a goal or an assist, his steady performance helped anchor LAFC's 1–0 victory.
However, it was an onscreen moment around the sixth minute of the first half that ignited online chatter. Close-up broadcast footage briefly showed what appeared to be a patchy, thinning spot on the back of Son’s scalp. Because the visual closely resembled the typical symptoms of alopecia areata, football communities and content creators quickly began speculating that the pressure of the upcoming World Cup was causing the star player extreme stress and subsequent hair loss.
Alopecia areata is a condition where individuals experience sudden, localized hair loss in circular or oval patterns. Unlike hereditary hair loss—which typically involves a gradual thinning of the hair, a receding hairline, or a thinning crown—alopecia areata manifests as sudden, coin-sized bald patches.
Medically classified as an autoimmune disease, it occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own healthy hair follicles. While the exact trigger remains unidentified, the condition is heavily linked to severe fatigue, sudden disruptions in biological rhythms, viral infections, and high psychological stress.
This is not the first time Son's scalp has drawn public scrutiny; similar rumors surfaced in 2014 when a small gap was noticed near his forehead, and again near his crown in 2022. Against that backdrop, fans expressed concern that Son's scalp health might be deteriorating due to recent pressures. These include various controversies surrounding the Korea Football Association (KFA) during the appointment of Hong Myung-bo as the national team's head coach, a string of disappointing national team performances, and the looming weight of the World Cup.
Although Son’s personal statement has calmed much of the internet speculation, experts remain divided on the footage. Some hair styling professionals suggest a non-medical explanation, noting that frequent chemical treatments like "down perms" can occasionally cause hair to break or melt at the root, creating a patch-like appearance that mimics hair loss.
Conversely, a physician specializing in hair-loss treatments remarked on their YouTube channel that while it is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis based on broadcast footage alone, Son's apparent history makes it a plausible case of suspected alopecia that warrants professional medical evaluation.
