Was the wish of ‘monster defender’ Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), who encouraged Japan to advance to Europe immediately after the 2022 Qatar World Cup last year by saying, ‘I am jealous of Japan, which has many European players,’ to be conveyed.
This summer, the rush for Taegeuk Warriors to enter Europe continues.
Due to the achievement of advancing to the round of 16 of the 2022 Qatar World Cup and the semifinals of this year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup, the interest of European clubs turning to Korean players has increased, and the players’ desire to play on a bigger stage has increased. Active transfers are taking place.
As many as seven Taegeuk Warriors entered Europe through this summer transfer market.
Kim Ji-soo, who contributed to the semifinals of the U-20 World Cup, opened the door by joining English Premier League (EPL) team Brentford, and national team striker Cho Kyu-sung moved to Denmark’s Midtjylland and fulfilled his dream of going to Europe.
In late July, Gangwon FC’s Yang Hyun-jun and Busan I’Park’s Kwon Hyuk-gyu wore the Scottish League’s prestigious Celtic uniform. Following this, Hwang In-taek, who played as a defender in the U-20 World Cup, was loaned to Estoril Praia (Portugal) for one year, and Lee Han-beom, who played for FC Seoul, transferred to Midtjylland and joined Cho Kyu-sung.
In addition, Bae Jun-ho, who left an impressive performance at the U-20 World Cup, joined Stoke City in England’s second division, creating seven European players this summer alone.
It is analyzed that the changing attitudes of the clubs played a role in the successive rush of K-League players to Europe.
The fact that he has received interest from European clubs is proof that he is a key player for the team, but it is not easy for any K League club to allow a player to transfer during the season.
However, recently, they support players’ challenges and are willing to send players to Europe even at the risk of weakening their power.온라인바카라
Jeonbuk Hyundai, which fell into the relegation zone at the beginning of the season, Gangwon FC, currently at the bottom of K-League 1, and FC Seoul, whose coach Ahn Ik-soo recently voluntarily resigned due to poor performance, all made great decisions even in situations where it was difficult to give up key players.
It is significant that players who played in the K-League went straight to Europe.
Unlike Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (PSG), who debuted on the professional stage early through the European youth system, the seven new European players are playing in the K-League and have advanced to the European stage in recognition of their international competitiveness.
This clearly shows the competitiveness of the K League. In addition, it proves that the foundation of Korean soccer lies in the K-League.