Ahead of the first leg of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup, attention is being paid to who will play with Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), the pillar of South Korea’s defense.
The South Korean national soccer team will play the first round of the third round of the North-China World Cup qualifying round against Palestine at 8 p.m. on the 5th at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
While a large number of key players, including “captain” Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Kim Min-jae and Hwang In-beom (Zvezda), have been selected, a number of new faces have also been listed on the national team list.
In particular, unfamiliar names can be easily found in defensive positions.
First, Kim Young-kwon (Ulsan), Jung Seung-hyun (Al Wasl), Cho Yoo-min (Sharja) and Lee Han-beom (Mit Willan) will compete for a center back spot where Kim Min-jae will work together.
In terms of experience, Kim Young-gwon (111 A matches) is overwhelming. Kim Young-gwon has played in three World Cups and three Asian Cups since he won the national adult team’s national flag for the first time in 2010.
In particular, in the final group stage match against Germany at the 2018 FIFA Russia World Cup and Portugal at the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup, he scored through seasoned plays, giving a thrilling victory over the strong team.
However, age is the biggest stumbling block. Kim, who was born in 1990, is 35 years old this year, the second oldest player in the Korean national team.
At the announcement of the national team’s roster on the 26th of last month, head coach Hong Myung-bo said, “We will operate with future-oriented players” with the North Korea-China World Cup finals in mind two years later, so chances are high that he will bring up a different composition from the existing familiar national team.
Jung Seung-hyun (31, 25 games), Cho Yoo-min (28, 7 games), and Lee Han-beom (23, first pick), who will compete with Kim Young-kwon, shared their advantages and disadvantages in age and experience.
Jung Seung-hyun did not perform impressively in the national team, but he showed great performance by winning both league and cup competitions so that he could move to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) league from this year.
Cho Yoo-min, who was replaced by Kwon Kyung-won (Korpakan) due to injury, is also active in the UAE league. Last season, he recorded an average rating of 7.05 based on the “Sofa Score” and showed consistent performance throughout the season as the team’s main center back.
Lee Han-beom, who first won the Taegeuk mark through this “Hong Myung-boho,” has his biggest advantage because he is young.
As all the competitors in 2026, when the World Cup finals will be held, will be in their 30s, Lee Han-beom can be seen as the most suitable player for what head coach Hong calls a “future-oriented player.”
Lee Han-beom won a gold medal as the main center back of the national soccer team at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games last year while playing in K-League FC Seoul.
Lee Han-beom, who succeeded in advancing overseas by joining Meat Willan, where national striker Cho Kyu-sung is active, is gradually increasing his chances of playing in his team.
As he has to work with new players for a short period of time, Kim Min-jae’s shoulders, who plays as the mainstay of the national team’s defense, are also heavy. 안전놀이터
The two consecutive games against Palestine and Oman in September need to focus on “finding Kim Min-jae’s partner” as much as victory.