After reaching the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the second time in a row, Kim Eun-Joong-ho was told ahead of the tournament that there were no standout star players compared to previous editions.
Comparisons have been made to the previous tournament in Poland in 2019, where the presence of Lee Kang-in (Mallorca) was evident as he led South Korea to their first ever final appearance at a FIFA-organised men’s tournament and won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.
However, as this team has progressed to the quarter-finals, players have started to emerge who have been compared to Lee four years ago.메이저사이트
Leading the way is midfielder Lee Seung-won (Gangwon), who serves as the national team captain.
After scoring a goal and providing an assist in the first group game against France (a 2-1 win), he followed it up with assists in the second group game against Honduras, the round of 16 against Ecuador, and the quarter-final against Nigeria to spearhead Korea’s progress.
With one goal and four assists to date, he is now one away from matching Lee’s six points (two goals, four assists) from the 2019 tournament.
Speaking at the semi-final press conference at Argentina’s La Plata Stadium on 7 July (local time), a day before the semi-final against Italy, Lee was humbled by the comparisons to Lee Kang-in four years ago, saying, “I think it’s an honour to be called that.”
Lee played a key role in Korea’s run to the final four years ago when he set up Choi Joon (Busan) for the winner in the quarter-final against Ecuador with an unexpected pass that caught the opposition off-guard from a free-kick.
Ahead of the semi-final against Italy (9 September, 6am, La Plata Stadium), Kim Eun-jung-ho’s sharpened toes could be the key to a second consecutive trip to the final.
“I’m trying to help the team,” Lee said, “and I think if I show sacrifice, the results will follow,” he added.