Kim Jin-hyun is South Korea’s main goalkeeper at the 16th FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2007 and the 16th Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup in 2015.
However, his golden age as a club player began in 2016. As a member of Cerezo Osaka, he has been serving as the top goalkeeper for nine consecutive seasons in the Japanese league. He is one of the top 10 statistics in at least one category every year.
Kim Jin-hyeon is breaking the record of most foreigners playing in the J1 League with 409 games. ▲3rd overall in the first round ▲5th in save percentage ▲6th in clean sheet ▲8th in no-go rate ▲8th in minimum number of goals lost per 90 minutes.
According to Sofa Score, a sports application that covers 20 categories and 110,000 competitions, Kim is ranked fourth in goalkeeping ratings for the first division of the 2024 Japanese professional football league. He is in his late 30s, but shows no signs of deterioration.
Gambayashi Ko (22), a prestigious private university in Japan, is playing as a goalkeeper in all official games after graduating from high school, wearing goalie gloves presented by Kim Jin-hyun. 메이저놀이터
“I got eight sets of gloves from Kim Jin-hyeon when I was a U-18 player in Cerezo Osaka. Not only is he skillful and strong physique, but he is also a reliable goalkeeper mentally. I have a lot to learn from him personally. I continue to respect him,” Gambayashi said.
In the J1 League between the ages of 32 and 33, Kim Jin-hyun shone as ▲ 1st in the ▲ 1st in the selection rate ▲ 1st in the average minimum number of runs in 90 minutes △ 1st in the most scoreless game △ 2nd in the scoreless rate △ 2nd in the total number of saves. To Go Gambayashi, who is 17-18 years old, Cerezo Osaka’s main goalkeeper at the time of 2019-2020 would have been a great hero himself.
“I desperately want to become a goalkeeper that surpasses Kim Jin-hyeon one day,” Gambayashi said. “If you wear gloves that you received as a gift, you may be conscious on purpose, but it will increase your concentration,” explaining why he keeps wearing them.
Beyond the level of foreign mercenaries who are consistently good, Kim Jin-hyun has secured a safe status in Japanese professional football and is being treated reasonably outside the field.