Like striker Yang Hyun-joon (21-Celtic), who impressed in last season’s All-Star Game against Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League (EPL), could a rising star emerge from this season’s All-Star Game?
The K League All-Stars, Team K League, will play the first game of the Coupang Play Series against Atletico Madrid (Spain) at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on May 27 at 8 pm.
It is an all-star game with a strong event character. Wins, losses, and personal records may not matter much. But for some, it’s an inflection point in their soccer careers that propels them to stardom.
A good example is Yang Hyun-joon, who played against Tottenham last year and rose through the ranks to play for Celtic (Scotland).
The 20-year-old All-Star didn’t score a goal, but he made a strong impression with a daring breakthrough that beat three Tottenham defenders. At the time, even the British media was interested, asking, “Who is this player?
His confidence grew and he went on to score eight goals and four assists in 36 games in the K League that year, winning the Young Player of the Year award. This summer, he moved to Celtic in the transfer market to challenge for a place in Europe.
Another 18-year-old defender, Kim Ji-soo (Brentford), also played for Team K League against Tottenham. Although he made a mistake that led to a goal, he had a very good experience. “Experiencing world-class players like Son Heung-min will help me a lot,” he said.
Since then, Kim has steadily improved, including helping South Korea reach the quarterfinals of the FIFA U20 World Cup 2023, and has now moved to Brentford (England), where he is set to make his European debut.
This means that while it’s an event, it’s also a “showcase” for new stars and a great experience for players.
There are many stars in Team K League who have the potential to become the next Yang Hyun-joon.
First up is midfielder Bae Jun-ho (20-Daejeon Hana Citizen), who led the team to the quarterfinals at the U20 World Cup alongside Kim Ji-ji.
He has already played 12 games in the league this season, serving as an important rotation resource, and has proven his individual abilities, such as breaking up attacks and dribbling, on the adult stage.
His confident personality is also a plus, so if he’s up for a fearless challenge against Atletico Madrid, we could be looking at another star in the making.
Hwang Jae-won (21-Daegu FC) is another ‘reserve star’ in the K League. He’s already a “treasure” among Daegu fans, and if he performs well in high-profile matches, he could make a name for himself even more widely. 스포츠토토
Meanwhile, ‘Team K League’ will be led by Ulsan Hyundai head coach Hong Myung-bo and coached by Daegu FC head coach Choi Won-kwon.
The 22 players were selected by selecting the 11 players who received the most votes for each position in the fan vote, and 11 additional players based on the coaching staff’s detailed positions and team distribution. The players will convene on March 26.