'Bad news for South Korea's national team': Castrof collapses, months of absence inevitable 'Right in a pre-season match...'

*This content was translated by AI.

Jens Castrof (23), a South Korean national team midfielder playing for Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany's Bundesliga, will be sidelined for several months due to a sudden injury.

The Bundesliga office announced on the 9th (Korean time) via its official website that "Castrof, the South Korean national team player for Mönchengladbach, suffered a shoulder dislocation during a pre-season friendly match against Rot-Weiß Essen (15-0 victory), making his absence for several months unavoidable. Detailed examinations confirmed that surgery is required."

Ruben Schroeder, chairman of Mönchengladbach, said, "This is very sad news for the entire club," and added, "We hope Castrof's surgery and recovery process proceed as smoothly and quickly as possible so he can return to compete for a starting spot and contribute to the team."

Castrof immediately secured a starting position after his surprise transfer to Mönchengladbach ahead of the 2025–2026 season. He scored on his debut against Frankfurt, left a strong impression in every match including against powerhouse Bayer Leverkusen, and demonstrated all-around versatility by playing as a central midfielder, wide defender, and attacking midfielder without distinction.

Castrof, who has played for various German Yeon Ryeong-byeol (CEO) teams, is the first naturalized South Korean national team player from Germany and was highly anticipated when he made it to the final roster of the 2026 FIFA World Cup CONCACAF for the South Korean national team.

However, despite his overwhelming standing at his club and solid offensive and defensive capabilities shown in friendly matches, Castrof was left disappointed by being excluded from former coach Hong Myung-bo's plans for the tournament proper. He did not play a single minute in the first match against Czechia or the second against Mexico, and was substituted into the second half of the third match against South Africa, playing only 45 minutes.

Shortly after the World Cup, Castrof found himself at the center of controversy following an exposé-style interview regarding restrictions on access to the national team's accommodation and limitations on family visits. Through German media outlet 'Bild', Castrof stated, "My family took a month off work and came here, but they were only allowed to see me for two days after the matches ended due to safety concerns," adding, "It was painful that I couldn't even play in the matches or meet my own family."

Castrof's several-month absence is a significant blow to the South Korean national team preparing for the 2026 AFC Asian Cup scheduled for January next year.

The national team has finalized its schedule of four consecutive A-match games to be held domestically in September and October. With FIFA's restructuring of the A-match calendar integrating the September and October call-up periods, the national team will be on a long-term camp for a total of 16 days, playing against Ecuador on September 24, Uruguay on the 28th, Venezuela on October 2, and Uzbekistan on the 6th in succession.

Although this four-match series, conducted under an interim coaching setup due to the vacancy of the permanent head coach, was intended to prepare for the Asian Cup next January, the long-term injury of Castrof, a top-tier versatile player, has inevitably disrupted team planning.

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*This content was translated by AI.