*This content was translated by AI.
Oh Hyun-kyu (25, Besiktashi), the youngest striker of the South Korean national soccer team, will challenge for the Hong Myung-bo Team's "main striker." The first step is the first warm-up match in March, which will be held in the year of the World Cup.
Oh Hyun-kyu is preparing to play in the national soccer team's warm-up match against Ivory Coast at Stadium MK in Miltonkins, England, at 11 p.m. on the 28th (Korea time). It will be the first warm-up match of this year, which will be held about 80 days before the opening of the 2026 FIFA 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup.
As he has been closer to a "joker" than a starter under coach Hong Myung-bo, there is no guarantee that he will start on the day, but there is no doubt that Oh Hyun-kyu's pace is the best among the competitors who can stand on the one-top.
In fact, Oh Hyun-kyu moved to Besiktashi, a professional soccer team in Turkiye, in January, and has been active in eight official games, including three consecutive games.
He has been steadily on the rise enough to accumulate offensive points in five of the eight games he played, and has quickly established a key position in the team to play more than 86 minutes in each game except for the Cup.
Adding to the 10 goals and 3 assists he accumulated in his former team, KRC Genk, Oh Hyun-kyu has already accumulated 15 goals and 4 assists, nearly 20 offensive points this season alone. Fifteen goals in a season is his personal career high since his debut.
On the other hand, Son Heung-min (34, LAFC), who has been the main player of the national team, has scored one goal and six assists in nine official games since the opening of the season. Although the number of offensive points is large, he has yet to score field goals, and his team has recently put more weight on the role of an attacking midfielder, not a front-line striker.
Cho Kyu-sung (28, Mit Willan), who played as the main striker in the last Qatar World Cup, scored seven goals in 34 official games this season, but his scoring ability has declined significantly enough to have only one goal in the last 13 games.
Of course, the role of the national team and the experience of the World Cup cannot be ignored, but in the end, Oh Hyun-kyu's qualification as a starter is sufficient in terms of the opportunity to the player in the best condition at this point.
The fact that the opposing team, Ivory Coast's media Intelligence Boire, predicted the selection of Oh Hyun-kyu One-Top, not Son Heung-min, in anticipation of South Korea's starting lineup against Ivory Coast shows his changed status. Rather, using the best-conditioned player as a Joker is a waste for the national team.
If you actually have enough time to play, it is now up to Oh Hyun-kyu to decide how to take that opportunity.
If he fails to show such a presence even after receiving the opportunity, his position on the national team may be shaken, but on the contrary, if he can continue his team's performance in the national team, Oh Hyun-kyu can quickly establish his position as a starting player in the national team in line with the sluggish performances of other competitors.
The fact that he has little experience in A-match selection is an unsettling factor, but he has become accustomed to coach Hong Myung-bo's tactics by steadily joining the national team, and there are many players in the national team, including Lee Kang-in (25, Paris Saint-Germain).
If he can show his strengths such as his unique speed, bold shooting attempts, and diligent pressure, Oh Hyun-kyu can enjoy the upcoming 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup stage as a "main striker." It is more meaningful in that it takes the opportunity received with its own ability, not with external factors.
Meanwhile, Hong Myung-bo Team will play an away warm-up match against Austria in Vienna, Austria, at 3:45 a.m. on the 1st of next month after a warm-up match against Ivory Coast. The FIFA ranking is 22nd, higher than Ivory Coast (37th) and Austria (24th).
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*This content was translated by AI.
