In September last year, Kim Kyung-min (33), the gatekeeper of Gwangju City, suffered a heartbreaking event. His young son, who he loves more than anyone else, sadly went to heaven. Kim spent his days in sorrow and pain, which he dared not do. He blamed himself again and again, saying, “Bad dad who couldn’t even be by my side because he was playing in away games.” An acquaintance close to Kim said, “At that time, he even thought about quitting soccer.” One of the family and acquaintances who Kim Kyung-min’s words was, “Shouldn’t I play for my son again?” Kim promised in response to his son’s portrait. “I will show you that my son and dad will grow up more and become a member of the national team.”
Kim kept his promise to his son for the first time in a year. He has been named Hong Myung-bo for the first time in his team’s two consecutive A matches in the Middle East (against Kuwait on April 14 and Palestine on April 19). Team A coach Hong Myung-bo recruited Kim Kyung-min, a 33-year-old veteran, to fill the void left by Kim Seung-gyu (Al-Shabab)’s injury on Monday. “I was stunned. I thought it was a dream. I am not that young, and the national team is not an easy place to go,” Kim said on Wednesday. “I had a great opportunity unexpectedly. When my family and I heard the news, it touched my heart.”
The first person to express gratitude was Lee Jung-hyo, the coach of Gwangju. Kim, who was a promising youth representative but failed to display strong potential after debuting professionally, joined the team in 2022 at the invitation of Lee, who became the head coach and backup goalkeeper when he was in Jeju. With Lee’s full trust, he has grown into a “national team-class goalkeeper” over the past three years. He has improved his ability to defend himself and improved his foot skills, which had been pointed out as a weak point. “I was not a well-known player. I came across a great coach Lee Jung-hyo and blossomed. He sometimes scolded me and sometimes gave me motivation to do better when I was doing well or when I was bad. That allowed me to grow further.” When he was told that he had similar characteristics to Kim in terms of his tall stature (1m 90) and quickness and build-up, he said, “(Kim) Seung-gyu was a senior whom I looked up to. I felt he was a really good player in cross situations. I saw how he performed well. I would appreciate it if you think similarly, but I will do what I can silently from my position. He was my first choice, but he fell for me in love with me. I think he will encourage my team to do better.” During practice, he said he wanted to block the shots of captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain). 안전놀이터
Hong told a news conference that Kim Kyung-min and Lee Chang-geun (Daejeon), who have been consistently active in the K-League, should compete for No. 2 in place of Kim Seung-gyu, who has been injured. “I am honored just to be invited by Coach Hong Myung-bo. I will do my best in the given role,” he said.