A key player for the 31st Brazil Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics has moved to Southeast Asia.
Sleman lost the opening game of the 2024-25 Indonesian professional football league 0-1 in an away match on Aug. 11. Moon Chang-jin, 31, who was selected as an attacking midfielder, played 81 minutes but could not prevent his defeat against Persevaya.
Moon scored eight points and had two assists in 13 matches from warm-up matches to the 2016 Rio Olympics. He displayed impressive performance by scoring six goals in six friendly matches against strong teams including Algeria, Tunisia (Africa), Denmark and France (Europe).
20 points and 15 assists in 144 K League 1 games for Incheon United, Gangwon FC, and Pohang Steelers, including the period of fulfillment of military service obligations for the men’s soccer team of the 2nd game of the Armed Forces Sports Unit. He scored goals and assists in four different positions: offensive midfielder, left and right wing, and second striker.
His strength is his abundant experience in international competitions, including the Olympic team, 13 preliminary and main matches of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League, and one assist in the 2017-18 season. At that time, the UAE was ranked second in the Asian League.
Indonesia is ranked only 26th in the 2024-25 Asian Football Confederation league. According to Transfermarkt, however, the combined value of the first division league is 11th, just behind Thailand (10th) in Southeast Asia.
Erik Tohir, 54, the Minister of State-owned Enterprises, presented “becoming the Southeast Asian number two in the AFC league ranking” as Indonesia’s growth goal. Tohir has also been the president of the Korea Football Association since February 2023.
The recruitment of Moon Chang-jin through this summer’s transfer market symbolizes Indonesia’s professional soccer team’s ambition to become the second-in-command of the Southeast Asian league. The IDN Times did not hide its expectations, saying, “He was a very bright player in the K-League and strengthened the status of the Korean national team.” 안전놀이터
As of July this year, the “IDN Times” is a leading Indonesian media outlet that ranks sixth in terms of Internet communication volume in news and media. Shin Tae-yong (54), head coach of the Indonesian national team, also introduced the past that he coached Moon Chang-jin in the process of advancing South Korea to the quarterfinals at the Rio Olympics.