In May 2019, the world football world took note of the then 18-year-old who scored nine goals against Honduras. His imposing physique of 1m94, which stands out among his peers, and his scoring ability, which is already close to completion, caught the eye. Four years later, in the first season of his English Premier League debut, Norwegian striker Elling Hollan (Manchester City), who solidified the league and UEFA Champions League top scorer, was the first stage to show the presence of a ‘superstar’.
The 2023 International Football Federation (FIFA) Under-20 (U-20) World Cup, which is known as the ‘star entrance gate’, opens in Santiago del Estero and San Juan, Argentina at 3:00 am on the 21st, Korean time. Even before Holland, the U-20 World Cup featured the late Diego Maradona (1979), Lionel Messi (PSG, 2005), Muhammad Salah (Liverpool, 2011), and Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid, 2011). ), Paul Pogba (Juventus, 2013), Harry Kane (Tottenham, 2013), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid, 2017), and Lisandro Martinez (Manchester United, 2017). It was a contest where he showed off his talent.
Korean football, which won the runner-up in the Polish tournament four years ago, the best performance in its history, takes on the challenge with the goal of ‘Again 2019’ in its heart. The national team, led by coach Kim Eun-joong, competes in Group F with France, Honduras and Gambia for the round of 16, where they are given second place.
The final entry for the 21-member national team was mostly filled with domestic players. Only Kim Yong-hak (Portimonense) and Lee Ji-han (Freiburg) are overseas, and 17 players are from the K-League. The number of players belonging to the K-League increased from the previous tournament (15).
In the last tournament, Lee Kang-in (Mallorca), who was the first Korean male player to receive the Golden Ball, the best player award in a FIFA competition, was the center of attention with 2 goals and 4 assists, but this time, defender Kim Ji-soo, who is receiving attention from Brentford (England) (Seongnam) and winger Kang Seong-jin (Seoul), who participated in 34 league games last season and was nominated for the Young Player Award, are the core of their strength.
Kim Eun-joong, head coach of the U-20메이저사이트 national team, watches the players training ahead of the U-20 World Cup at Paju NFC. Provided by the Korea Football Association
On the 7th, Kim Eun-joong-ho left for Sao Paulo, Brazil, a little early and warmed up. Prior to the tournament, Indonesia, which had strong anti-Israel sentiment against the participating country Israel, was stripped of the right to host the tournament, and then hosted the tournament in Argentina. From the standpoint of Korea, as the time difference increased from 2 hours to 12 hours, there were more variables to deal with, but they calmly completed local adaptation training by winning both practice matches with club teams in Sao Paulo twice. Coach Kim, who moved to Mendoza, Argentina, the final battleground, said through the Korea Football Association on the 18th, “We have prepared well so far. (The players are also in good condition. I will prepare to be in the best condition on the day of the match.” In the
first gateway to the round of 16 challenge, it is evaluated that the group formation is passable except for France, the winner of the 2013 tournament. However, strong pressure and fast The physical strength problem of the national team, which changes between offense and defense as a color, is cited as an Achilles heel. This is because most of the U-20 national team players do not have the opportunity to play properly in their team. ) has disappeared, and opportunities for young players to play have decreased even more.
” Coach Kim, who set the goal, is determined to engage in an all-out war in the first leg of Group F against France on the 23rd. Kang Seong-jin said, “It’s a tournament that can only be played once. I’ve been dreaming of it since I was young.” You can motivate me. I will work hard and have fun as much as possible.”