South Korea national team manager Paulo Bento has announced a 28-man squad for the 40-team tournament, which includes three players currently playing in the Chinese Super League (CSL) in Kim Min-Ja, Son Jun-Ho, and Kim Shin-Wook, as well as three former CSL players in Kim Young-Gwon, Park Ji-Soo, and Jung Woo-Young. If not for Kwon Kyung-won's unfortunate injury at the end of February before the start of the tournament, the Korean national team could have had as many as eight members with CSL experience. It's worth noting that Paulo Bento coached Chongqing Contemporary in the South Korean national team's lineup, making the "Chinese flavor" more and more intense. However, Paul Bento took office after the South Korean national team carried out a radical reform, so that many had played in the Chinese Super League of the former South Korean international players gradually faded out, otherwise "Chinese flavor" may be more intense.
On international days in March and June, Paulo Bento recruited a number of South Korean national Olympic team age players to develop talent for the Tokyo Olympics. In order to do so, he had to give up some players who are older but have the potential to be international players, such as last year's AFC Champions League MVP Yoon Kwang Ha. Yoon Kwang Ha made a name for himself with four goals and three assists in eight games in the AFC Champions League last season, while also scoring four goals in 24 games in the K-League. However, Yoon Kwang Ha failed to make the national team as Bento considered leaving more opportunities to newcomers. Due to North Korea's withdrawal from the tournament, South Korea are left with only three weak opponents in Turkmenistan, Sri Lanka and Lebanon for the 40-team tournament in June, making it a good opportunity to train newcomers. Paulo Bento recruited five newcomers, including four national Olympic team players and three overage players, taking up a quarter of the entire roster. In addition to the three current Chinese Super League internationals, Kim Young-gwon, who plays for Gamba Osaka in the J-League, Park Ji-soo of Suwon FC, who was promoted from the K1 League, and Jung Woo-young of Qatar's Saad, are also familiar faces from the national team of the Paulo Bento era. Kim has been with Gamba Osaka for more than two years and has been a mainstay of the team for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. However, Kim hasn't even recorded an appearance for Gamba Osaka in the J-League this season due to the outbreak of the Shinkansen epidemic. Park Ji-soo has been inconsistent for Suwon FC this season, leading a defense that has conceded 26 goals in 16 matches, three of which were four goals in a single game. Incredibly, despite the poor performances, Park was selected for the national team. The Korean media questioned Paulo Bento's selection criteria, arguing that the likes of Kim Young-gwon, Park Ji-soo and Hong Che were not in the best of competitive form. However, Paulo Bento put unlimited trust in these three players. Compared to the controversial Kim Young-gwon and Park Ji-soo, Jung Woo-young, who plays for Qatar's Sadd, deserves his place. He was a mainstay in the midfield under Xavi, forming the twin axis of the Sadd midfield with teammate Nam Tae-hee. Despite failing to get a place in the AFC Champions League, Jung performed well in Qatar's domestic tournaments, helping his team win the league and the Emirate Cup. The period when Korean foreigners were at their peak in our country was also the period when investment in the Chinese Super League was at its peak. However, as the years have passed, many South Korean internationals have faded from the national team and have struggled to get on Paulo Bento's radar again. Players such as Kim Seung-Dae, Hong Jung-Ho and Jang Hyun-Soo were once the backbone of our soccer. However, as they grew older and their form declined, they gradually lost their chances in the national team. Among them, Jang Hyun-soo was sadly banned from the South Korean national team for life for falsifying his military service record.
