Two years ago, holding the Star Award trophy, Son Jeong-beom said, "I want to become like Yang Min-hyuk." Now, he is among the 'Top 10 Promising Asian Players'.

*This content was translated by AI.

"My goal is to play professionally as quickly as Yang Min-hyuk (Tottenham) and Park Seung-soo (Newcastle)."

Two years ago, FC Seoul's Son Jeong-beom (19), holding the Star Award trophy, dreamed of making his professional debut. Now, he has grown into one of Asia's top promising players.

The football research institute under the Swiss International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) officially announced the Top 10 U-19 promising players active in Asian leagues on the 21st (Korean time).

CIES calculated a relative experience index by comparing each player's recent one-year match experience with the average of same-age and same-position players, then ranked them based on an integrated position assessment.

Son Jeong-beom recorded a relative experience index of 1.53 alongside Araki Rui, a goalkeeper from Gamba Osaka (Japan), tying for sixth place. Son was the only Korean player included in the Top 10.

As an attacking midfielder, Son has steadily grown through Yeon Ryeong-byeol (CEO) and achieved his long-awaited professional debut this year. He is already playing as a key asset for Seoul, appearing in 16 K League 1 matches, and has recorded one goal and two assists.

While attending Osan High School, Son won the football division's Star Award at the 2024 Futures Star Awards in 2024. The Futures Star Awards, hosted and organized by this newspaper's StarNews, is a ceremony established to discover and encourage amateur promising players who will lead the future of Korean sports.

At that time, the selection committee, composed of former KFA vice presidents Ha Seok-ju and Han Jun-hee, former KFA director Noh Soo-jin, FC Seoul scout Jung Jae-yoon, and Pohang Steelers scout Bae Seul-gi, highly evaluated Son Jeong-beom's potential.

The selection committee praised Son, stating, "Son Jeong-beom excels in work rate and dribbling breakthrough ability and has great potential to develop into a player capable of performing various roles." They added, "His sharp attacking power combined with abundant activity reminds one of Lee Jae-sung (Mainz)."

At that time, the football division's Grand Prize was won by Yang Min-hyuk, who was already playing professionally for Gangwon FC. After an outstanding performance in K League 1 that year, Yang transferred to Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League (EPL), making his debut on the European stage.

Son Jeong-beom, along with Park Seung-soo, a surprise star from Suwon Samsung at the time, and defender Kim Hyun-woo from Yeongdeungpo High School, received the Star Award. Later, Park joined Newcastle in England, while Kim is currently playing for Seoul E-Land in K League 2.

After receiving the Star Award, Son Jeong-beom declared his ambitious goal: "My target is to play professionally as quickly as Yang Min-hyuk and Park Seung-soo."

Two years later, Son Jeong-beom turned his goal into reality. Not only did he make his professional debut wearing the FC Seoul jersey, but he also gained recognition as one of Asia's most promising players. Based on his performances for Seoul, he was selected for the U-23 national team and is growing as a future of Korean football.

He also earned fans' approval. In the 'Coupang Play Young Player' fan vote conducted among 22-and-under players recommended by each K League 1 club, Son Jeong-beom secured first place overall with 32.7% of the votes. As a result, he gained an opportunity to play in the match between Team K League and Manchester City at Seoul World Cup Stadium on August 5.

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*This content was translated by AI.