Kim Bong-soo overcame the pain of AG's elimination to A national team
Kim Bong-soo overcame the pain of AG's elimination to A national team
Blog Article
Midfielder Kim Bong-soo (25, Kim Cheon Sang-mu) overcame the pain of being eliminated from the national team a year ago to wear the national flag for the first time in his career.
Kim Bong-soo was listed on the 26-member national soccer team's call-up list led by head coach Hong Myung-bo on the 4th. Hong Myung-bo will play Group B 5 and 6 of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup during the A-match period (11-19 days) in November. It will play two consecutive games in the Middle East, where it will meet Palestinians in Kuwait on the 14th and Amman, Jordan on the 19th.
It is the first time that Kim has been named on the A-team list. He is the first K-League player to join goalkeeper Kim Kyung-min (Gwangju) and Lee Tae-seok (Pohang).
Kim participated in all 36 league games this season, contributing to Gimcheon's competition to win the title. He proved his multi-talented ability, in which not only third-line midfielders but also central defenders can play as well. Even before joining the army, he played well in competition with former national team midfielders Choi Young-joon and Lee Chang-min (Geoje Civic Football Team) and Yoon Bit-garam (Suwon FC).
It is also meaningful that he erased the pain of being eliminated from the national team a year ago. Kim had not been able to stand out in national teams by age group until then. He only briefly impressed Hwang at the invitation of former coach of the Korean Olympic team last year. At the time, Hwang was preparing for the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Paris Olympics. He seemed to be making an impression by playing both games against China compared to the Hangzhou AG. Kim displayed outstanding performance in the match against China, which is known for its toughness.
In the end, however, he failed to join the AG team after losing to other prominent players. In an interview with this newspaper, he said, "I still have some regrets. However, I did not think I have reached the level that the coach thought I would be able to achieve. I am okay."
Since joining the military in the winter of that year, Kim has continued to display stellar performance in 2024. "He has consistently displayed performance since the beginning of the league," Hong said in favorable comments. Hong stressed the need for players capable of playing multiple positions, which Kim meets the requirement. This is why people are paying attention to the toes of Kim, who has become the new face of the national team. 먹튀검증