[Official] Is another member of the 'Chinese' World Cup coming out? Park Jin-seop, the national team, will transfer to Zhejiang FC

*This content was translated by AI.

Playing in the Chinese Super League, the possibility of a South Korean national team player participating in the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup has increased. This is because Park Jin-seop (31), a player who was nominated for the K League 1 MVP last season and Hong Myung-bo-ho center back, moved to Zhejiang FC in China.

The storage club officially announced the recruitment of Park Jin-seop on the 4th (Korea Standard Time). The contract period is not known, and the number is No. 4 that he wore in Jeonbuk. "Park Jin-seop is a defensive midfielder with excellent physical strength and tackle ability," the storage team said. "He won the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games as the captain of the Korean U-23 national team."

Park Jin-seop's trip to China has already been revealed first with the Jeonbuk club's announcement the day before. The Jeonbuk club said, "Park Jin-seop has delivered a new goal of challenging the overseas stage to the club, and has agreed to transfer considering the dedication and contribution he has shown for the team," adding, "We decided to open up the last opportunity to advance overseas after thirty."

Park Jin-seop, who joined Jeonbuk in 2022, especially played the role of the team's captain last season and led the team's double (K League 1, Korea Cup). Although he could not reach the award, he was also listed as an MVP candidate in the K League 1 after the season. After that, he broke up with Jeonbuk, chose to go to China, and headed overseas at the end of his career.

In some cases, Park Jin-seop may become a player who plays in the Chinese Super League and plays in the North American World Cup. This is because he has recently strengthened his position in the national team and is increasing his chances of participating in the World Cup. After being shunned since the launch of Hong Myung-bo, he was called by Hong Myung-bo for the first time through the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Football Championship (East Asian Cup) last year and was all called up during the A-match period from September to November.

In particular, in the match against Paraguay in October last month, Park Jin-seop was at the center of the three-back, and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) was tested on the left side of the three-back, receiving a passing score from head coach Hong Myung-bo. Coach Hong used the same three-back tactic in the match against Ghana in November last year. While head coach Hong Myung-bo put his three-back tactics to the test with the new Plan A, Park Jin-seop took the center stage, sharply raising the possibility of playing in the North American World Cup.

In the meantime, Park Jin-seop's choice to go to China could include a member of the "Chinese team" in the Korean national team for the fifth consecutive World Cup. The national team players who played in the Chinese league earlier were Ahn Jung-hwan (Dalian Suther) at the 2010 South African tournament, Kim Young-kwon (Guangzhou Evergrande), Ha Dae-sung (Beijing Guoan), Park Jong-woo (Guangzhou R&F), Kim Young-kwon (Guangzhou Evergrande), and Son Joon-ho (Shandong Taishan, then-team) at the 2022 Qatar tournament.

However, there is a clear difference in that the Chinese Super League in the past was a league where players who played in Europe also headed or the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League winner came out, but recently it is a league that has fallen with a significant decline in competitiveness in Asia. Even if it is limited to play after the transfer, it will inevitably be a fatal blow to Park Jin-seop's World Cup competition, and it is unclear whether he will be able to maintain his high level of performance until the World Cup. From the standpoint of Chinese soccer, which cannot play in the World Cup, it is expected that Park Jin-seop, a Super League player, will pay much attention to whether he will play in the World Cup.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.