"I tried focusing on Foden..." Korean 19-year-old rising star Son Jung-beom says, "I want to face them again in the EPL" [Sangam]

*This content was translated by AI.

Just a year ago, such a dream stage was unimaginable. Son Jung-beom (19, FC Seoul), a rookie who has been actively playing in the K League since this season, shared his vivid impressions after facing one of the world's top clubs.

On the 5th, Son Jung-beom was introduced as a substitute for Team K-League in the first match of the 2026 Coupang Play Series against Manchester City at Seoul World Cup Stadium, playing for 59 minutes on the field.

In an interview with reporters in the mixed zone after the match, Son Jung-beom said, "Just a short while ago, I couldn't even imagine playing against a big club like Man City," and added, "Once we actually faced them, the players were better than I expected, and the game was so fun. It was truly a great day."

Substituted in during the first half's 35th minute to face world-class stars, Son Jung-beom personally experienced the high level of Manchester City players. When asked about the biggest difference he noticed, he explained, "The ball touch and the overall tempo of the game are definitely faster." He continued, "Because the tempo is so fast, it was much harder from a defensive perspective. Especially when I was directly marking Foden, I felt many challenges in defending against his movements such as coming into the pocket or spreading wide on the flanks. There's so much to learn from that experience."

Son Jung-beom, a promising player who was recognized early for his exceptional talent as the recipient of the Star Award at the 2024 StarNews Futures Star Awards, has been a key midfielder for Seoul since being called up to the first team in December last year. Regarding what he wanted to show in the match against Man City, he said, "I wanted to receive more passes with confident play, but since I spent a lot of time defending, I regret not being able to show the prepared aspects I had planned." He added, "However, through this match, I learned a great deal, and my desire to meet these players again on stages like the English Premier League (EPL) has grown even stronger as I strive to work harder."

As the youngest member of Team K-League, Son Jung-beom was able to complete the match safely thanks to the warm advice from his senior teammates. He shared, "Ki Sung-yueng hyung gave me detailed guidance on how to move during the game and even asked about my performance after it ended, encouraging me by saying, 'You really need to work hard.' That was a great source of strength." Regarding Seoul's head coach Kim Ki-dong, he smiled and said, "Before coming here, he told me not to get injured and to play well. I'm curious what he'll say when I return to the team tomorrow."

Having grown one step further by facing a world-class team under hot weather conditions, Son Jung-beom stated, "I always have confidence, but I believe I need to develop much more than I am now to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with big-league stages and world-class players." He pledged, "I will work even harder to show fans an even better performance."

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*This content was translated by AI.