If it expands to the first and second parts of the professional stage, there will be a total of 40 people
Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae raise Korea's attention
The national team's preference for European team selection
Many K-League players are also entering the game
This year, soccer fans often stayed up all night with their eyes. This is because the number of Korean players playing European soccer has increased significantly.
Previously, "Captain" Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham) struggled on this stage, but now it is a world where we can enjoy our players' play by time if we decide. South Korean players playing in England, Spain, Germany and Italy, which are called the four major leagues in Europe, have approached double digits (5 England and 4 Germany).
The English Premier League scoring list is something to be proud of. Son Heung-min, the first top scorer in the EPL in Asia, is tying for fourth with 11 goals (four assists) in the 2023-2024 season, while Hwang Hee-chan (27) of the Wolverhampton also tied for seventh with eight goals (two assists). Top-class players are also playing for Kim Min-jae (27), a defender who joined Bayern Munich, which represents Germany, and Lee Kang-in (22), an active player at French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain.
European leagues' quantitative expansion is another factor that makes fans happy. A whopping 75 players have signed adult contracts and are playing in Europe. Even if the number is limited to the first and second divisions of each country, which is considered the standard for soccer players, the number has increased to 40 in 15 countries.
Considering the fact that only 28 players played in the first and second divisions in August alone, this is a surprising increase.
England, the home of soccer, is the stage where European leagues are most frequently playing. Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan, and Kim Ji-soo (19, Brentford) are playing in the first half of the English Premier League, while Hwang Ui-jo (31, Norwich City) and Bae Joon-ho (20, Stoke City) are constantly showing their performances in the second half of the English Championship. In Germany, four players (Kim Min-jae, Lee Jae-sung, Jung Woo-young, and Lee Hyun-joo) are also loved there.
In particular, 24 people in Germany, including professional and amateur players, are sweating like Park Kyu-hyun (22, Dinamo Dresden), who contributed to the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Football experts are interpreting the remarkable increase in European players this year in two ways.
First of all, the proven presence of top-class players, including Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in, has raised the attention of young Korean players. Scotland's Celtic took Oh Hyun-kyu (22) in January this year, and Yang Hyun-joon (21) and Kwon Hyuk-kyu (22) in July, while Denmark's Mitwilan recruited Cho Kyu-sung (25) and Lee Han-bum (21) in July and August, respectively.
Jürgen Klinsmann, manager of the Korean national soccer team who wants to play in European leagues, also had an influence. Unlike players who were certified in the K-League in the past, who used to wear the national flag and knock on the door of European leagues, chances are high that they will be selected only when they play in European leagues. For this reason, many players who have displayed outstanding performances in this year's K-League are reportedly seeking to advance to European leagues this winter.
If the current trend continues, chances are high that the number of players playing in European leagues will exceed half at the 2026 World Cup in North Korea, Central America, and the U.S. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, eight out of 26 players were in European leagues. "If Korea is to succeed at the World Cup, it needs players playing in Europe. If the challenge is solved well, something fantastic will happen," coach Klinsmann said.