[Official] 'South Korean National Team Center-Back' Lee Han-beom makes a sensational debut from the start and is even selected for the Round 1 Best 11

*This content was translated by AI.

South Korean national team center-back Lee Han-beom (24), who made a sensational debut after joining the prestigious Belgian club Club Brugge, has been selected not only as the match's most valuable player but also for the league's opening round Best 11.

On the 11th (Korean time), Lee Han-beom was proudly named to the Belgian Pro League Round 1 Best 11 announced by the league office for the 2026-2027 season.

Early this month, Lee Han-beom left Midtjylland (Denmark) and joined Brugge with a transfer fee of 10.5 million euros (approximately 17.1 billion won), the highest ever for a defender in the club's history. He made his debut just five days after joining and delivered an overwhelming performance.

Starting in the match against Kortrijk held on the 8th at Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges, Belgium, he displayed dominant defensive play throughout the game, neutralizing all opposing attacks and earning high praise from local media. At that time, Lee Han-beom recorded a pass success rate of 95%, 13 successful tackles, 8 clearances, and 6 header clearances.

Thanks to such performances, Lee Han-beom was also selected as the match's most valuable player (Man of the Match). Brugge secured a decisive 3-0 victory over Kortrijk; it is rare for a center-back who did not score in a winning match to be named the best player. This signifies his overwhelmingly dominant performance.

In fact, Belgian media outlet HLN praised him, stating, "Lee Han-beom dominated his opponents despite having only two training sessions before the match. Less than 15 minutes into the game, chants of 'Lee! Lee! Lee!' echoing from the stands at Jan Breydel Stadium, named after his surname, filled the air." The outlet added, "He showed remarkable heading ability by never losing a single aerial duel, along with outstanding speed and stability on the ball."

Ivan Leko, Club Brugge's head coach, also added in a post-match interview, "We are very pleased with the debuts of Lee Han-beom and Freddy Potts. Especially for Lee Han-beom, making his debut in front of Brugge's notoriously demanding home fans was by no means easy, yet he received the highest praise."

This presence ultimately led to a 'double celebration' — being selected for the opening round Best 11 right from his transfer debut. Lee Han-beom firmly secured his place as the central defender in Brugge's 3-4-3 formation. It was truly an unparalleled first step after joining the club.

Lee Han-beom, who was first called up to the A national team by coach Hong Myung-bo in August last year, has become a key center-back for the national team, starting all matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup (North America) and appearing in 11 A-match games. He will challenge for his second consecutive full-time start in the Belgian Pro League Round 2 match against OH Leuven on the 16th at 3:45 a.m. Korean time.

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*This content was translated by AI.