The South Korean national soccer team, led by Jürgen Klinsmann, announced its call-up list for the upcoming June A match on Friday at 9 a.m. at the Korea Football Association Football Hall in Shinmun-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
Ahn Hyun-beom is included. Ahn joins Kim Jin-soo (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Lee Ki-je (Suwon Samsung) and Seol Young-woo (Ulsan Hyundai) in the fullback lineup. Ahn has established himself as one of the league’s best flankers since joining Jeju from Ulsan in the 2016 season. (221 career K League appearances, 27 goals, 17 assists)
In his first year with Jeju, he won the Young Player Award at the 2016 Hyundai Oil Bank K League Classic Awards. In 2018, he was named the Best Eleven Midfielder at the KEB Hana Bank K League Grand Challenge, and in 2020, he was named the Best Eleven Defender at the Hana OneQ K League 2 Grand Awards.
Although he is categorized as a fullback, he actually plays more like a winger. He is aggressive and fast. There aren’t many players in the K League 1 who can compete with Ahn’s speed and win when the ball is rushed upfield. The current Jeju system is optimized for Ahn. Coach Nam Ki-il uses a back three, and Ahn plays as a right wingback. With a stopper behind him, Ahn is able to take the pressure off the defense and showcase his aggressiveness.
Ahn has been overwhelmingly good this season. In 15 K League 1 games, he has two goals and two assists. Beyond his attacking points, his involvement in the offense is overwhelming. He has been one of the main contributors to Jeju’s recent winning streak. He’s been playing so well for so long that it’s no surprise that he was selected for the national team, but this is his first call-up. Even though he has the best skills, he was always overlooked because it was doubtful that he would be able to perform well outside of Jeju, which is his home.
Coach Klinsmann chose Ahn Hyun-beom. Ahn will compete with Seol Young-woo for the right fullback spot. As mentioned earlier, it will be important to see if he can perform in a system outside of Jeju. Klinsmann is a back four coach. In attacking situations, he may drop a midfielder between the center backs and use the fullbacks offensively, but the base is four. This means that he doesn’t have enough players to cover the back like Jeju. 스포츠토토
This is something Ahn needs to overcome if he wants to get Klinsmann’s stamp of approval and solidify his place in the national team. If he can overcome this, he will be able to develop into a national team-level resource, which will help him further his career. The A-Match period is a great opportunity for Ahn. It’s a chance for him to make his name known beyond the K League and to the general soccer public. If the opposite happens, it will only prove the doubters wrong, and it could make it harder for him to be called up next time.
In an interview with the Jeju club, Ahn said, “When I join the national team, I want to show what I can do well, and I think I was selected because I definitely have advantages over others. I want to show my abilities, which the Jeju fans liked and recognized,” he said, adding that he was confident that he could show his abilities on the national team. It will be interesting to see how Ahn performs in the A-Match.