The centerpiece of this year's Asian Cup is undoubtedly Korea's captain, Son Heung-min (32, Tottenham Hotspur).
The 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup kicks off with the opening match between hosts Qatar and Lebanon at 1:00 a.m. (KST) on March 13. The 24 nations will be divided into six groups and will compete in the group stages and tournament before the much-anticipated final on November 11 to determine the winner of the trophy.
With nearly a month to go, the Asian Cup kicked off on Wednesday. "HERE WE GO!" the official Asian Cup 2023 account proclaimed, followed by the words "51 matches. 24 nations. One final crown. The quest to etch their names in history begins today!" and posted the official D-Day poster for the tournament.
The centerpiece was again Son Heung-min. AFC placed a roaring Son, arms outstretched, directly above the trophy. He was chosen as the centerpiece over the likes of Takefusa Kubo, Kaoru Mitoma (Japan), and Mehdi Taremi (Iran). However, no other South Korean players were featured.
Led by captain Son Heung-min, the South Korean team will attempt to win their first title in 64 years. Despite being known as the Tigers of Asia, South Korea hasn"t won the title since winning the inaugural edition in 1956 and the second edition in 1960.
This time around, the time is right. The national team is a golden generation, with Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain). Head coach Jürgen Klinsmann said: "We will make every effort to win the Asian Cup after 64 years. We will do our best to come back with a good result in six weeks."
Klinsmann's team arrived in Qatar for the final match on Oct. 10 and is currently undergoing a final warm-up. The first stage is the first match of Group E against Bahrain on the 15th. South Korea will then face Jordan on the 20th and Malaysia on the 25th. If they top the group, they will face Iraq in the round of 16 and Iran in the quarterfinals.
Captain Son Heung-min's toes are the most important. He is an integral part of the team, and his performance will be crucial to South Korea's chances of dominating Asia. 카지노사이트
"Son Heung-min is not just one of the biggest stars in Asia, he is one of the biggest stars in the world," said Jassim Abdulaziz Al Jassim, President of the Asian Cup Organizing Committee.
Al Jazeera, a leading Middle Eastern media outlet, also named Son Heung-min as the player to watch in the tournament. "He has scored 12 goals in 20 Premier League games this season, is a three-time AFC International Player of the Year and holds the record for most goals in a season," the outlet said. "With 41 goals in 116 A-matches, he is a boon to his national team, but a detriment to his club, Tottenham."
Fellow Taegeuk warriors Kim "Monster" Min-jae and Lee "Golden Boy" Kang are also in the 10 players to watch.in the top 10. Kim Min-jae was second and Lee Kang-in was ninth.
However, Al Jazeera picked Japan to win, not South Korea. "Japan has the highest FIFA ranking at 17th. Japan's squad is so strong that it includes Lazio midfielder Daichi Kamada. They have reached the final in five of their last eight tournaments." South Korea is the second favorite to win the title.
According to Qatar's Al Qasr, AFP Sports in the United States also named five players to watch at the Asian Cup, with Son Heung-min at the top of the list. The outlet said, "What more can be said about the South Korea and Tottenham Hotspur captain? He is a top Premier League striker and has consistently been Asia's best player for the past five years."