[Official] 'Another Korean striker born in Europe' Super rookie Park Si-hu transfers to Portugal's Primeira Liga side FC Arouca

*This content was translated by AI.

Super rookie Park Si-hu (19), who played for K League 2 club Chungnam Asan in professional soccer, has transferred to FC Arouca in Portugal's top division.

On the 4th, Chungnam Asan announced that "Park Si-hu has become the first player from the club to advance to Europe." They added, "The transfer was decided due to the club's strong intention to sign him, which resulted from paying a buyout amount calculated based on high evaluations of his determination to challenge in Europe and his growth potential."

Park Si-hu is a 2007-born rookie striker who joined Chungnam Asan by signing the club's first semi-professional contract last July. He made an impression in his professional debut season, appearing in nine matches and scoring two goals. This year as well, he appeared in nine games and scored one goal.

He also rewrote the history of the Chungnam Asan club. Not only did he sign the club's first semi-professional contract, but he also achieved records for the youngest appearance and youngest goal scorer in the club's history consecutively. Beyond the club, he set records corresponding to seventh place for the youngest appearance and third place for the youngest goal scorer in K League 2 history.

Thanks to such performances, he was honored with the Football Star Award at the 2025 Futures Star Awards held in November last year. At that time, the selection committee evaluated Park Si-hu's ability to break through using his speed, shoot from the flanks, and execute combination plays as excellent.

Lee Jong-min, then a scout for Daejeon Hana Citizen (now Technical Director), praised him by saying, "His greatest strength is his play utilizing speed; he excels in breaking through and LINE breaking. He is excellent not only in finishing and combination plays but also in cross combinations after flank breakthroughs, making him a difficult player to defend against from the defender's perspective. His contribution to the team, including defensive participation, is high, giving him high tactical utilization value."

Arouca, Park Si-hu's destination, is a club in Portugal's top division that finished eighth in the league for the 2025-2026 season. It is reported that they actively expressed their intention to sign him after highly evaluating his explosive breakthrough ability and growth potential. According to local Portuguese reports, the contract period is as long as five years, and the transfer fee is around 500,000 euros (approximately 880 million won).

Through the club, Park Si-hu stated, "I received a lot of love from Chungnam Asan FC. I wanted to finish the season together with them, but I am very regretful that I had to transfer without bringing promotion to the fans." He also added, "I will do my best to grow on a wider stage and become a player whom Chungnam Asan FC and the fans can be proud of."

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*This content was translated by AI.