AG roster dropout → A national team bold selection, 'Son's successor' Kim Min-soo makes surprise leap

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Min-soo (20, Rangers FC), who was dropped from the final roster for the 2026 Aichi·Nagoya (Japan) Asian Games, is now heading to the A national team. This is his surprise leap, as he has no record of appearing in official matches for the U23 national team or any Yeon Ryeong-byeol (CEO) team.

On the 14th, Kim Min-soo was named in the roster announced by Spanish coach Roberto Moreno for four friendly A-match games against the South Korea national football team in September and October at Cheonan Korea Football Park in Chungcheongnam-do. Classified as a midfielder, Kim Min-soo, selected for the A national team for the first time in his career, is the youngest among the 30th A national team players born in 2006 and the only player born in 2003 or later. He is four years younger than players from the next age group: Kim Geon-hee (Incheon United) and Lee Tae-seok (Austria Wien).

He immediately shed the regret of being dropped from the final Asian Games roster. Kim Min-soo had previously been put on trial under coach Lee Min-sung for the U23 national football team but failed to make the final roster announced ahead of the tournament. Coach Lee Min-sung had attempted to call up Kim Min-soo during a training camp in Saudi Arabia last October, but he could not join due to circumstances at his then-club, FC Andorra. The only time they were together was when Kim was called up to Cheonan in March this year and played practice matches against the Japan U21 and USA U22 national teams. Ultimately, Coach Lee excluded Kim Min-soo from the final roster.

Having gone abroad for studies in Spain at a young age and debuted professionally early, his performance of six goals and four assists in Spain's second division last season made his exclusion from the Asian Games final roster particularly disappointing. In fact, Kim Min-soo recently transferred to the prestigious Scottish club Rangers FC and was assigned the number 10 jersey. The transfer fee was 10 million euros (approximately 15.7 billion won), a level ranking second in the club's history. Despite this, he found himself in an ironic situation where he could not participate in the Asian Games.

However, coach Moreno, appointed as the interim head coach of the A national team, selected Kim Min-soo. A player who was dropped from the final Asian Games roster instead made it to the A national team. Coach Moreno did not specifically explain the background for selecting Kim Min-soo. Instead, he said, "The selected players were chosen based on a detailed analysis of their recent 10 matches, focusing on their performance and role at their current clubs." This implies that 20-year-old Kim Min-soo met Coach Moreno's selection criteria.

According to the Korea Football Association, Kim Min-soo has no record of playing for any Yeon Ryeong-byeol (CEO) team. Although he played for the U23 national team in matches against Japan and USA held at Korea Football Park last March, both games were classified as "practice matches" and did not appear in official records. As a result, Kim Min-soo may make his A-match debut without any official record for the Yeon Ryeong-byeol (CEO) team.

Of course, this is only possible if he earns recognition of his competitiveness from Coach Moreno after joining the A national team. Although he is the youngest, age does not matter in the A national team. He must stand out from competitors purely through skill to be able to play on the field. For Coach Moreno, who needs immediate results as an interim coach, there is no room for leisure to give Kim Min-soo a chance simply because of his young age. Coach Moreno must achieve results somehow and lead the team until the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in January next year.

Conversely, this is also an opportunity for Kim Min-soo. It is true that he lacks significant experience compared to other senior players, but he is a player who has consistently been recognized for his competitiveness at the professional level, including playing on the UEFA Champions League stage. The fact that he transferred to Rangers with a large transfer fee and was assigned the number 10 jersey follows the same logic. Even after the transfer, he has shown good movement and is receiving high praise from local media.

Of course, he must overcome the formidable competition in the second line of attack. Kim Min-soo recently played as an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 formation for his current club. However, at his previous club, he was mainly deployed on the left flank. He can also play on the far right and the right side. Since Coach Moreno has mentioned the 4-4-2 formation as his primary tactic, there is a high possibility of competition within the national team for the left midfielder position.

Foreign media previously identified Kim Min-soo as Son Heung-min's (LAFC) successor mainly because his style, which relies on speed and shooting ability while playing primarily on the left flank, was similar to Son Heung-min's. Spanish media Mundo Deportivo stated, "It is highly likely that the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America will be Son Heung-min's last World Cup, but Korean football has no fear of life after Son Heung-min retires," specifically highlighting Kim Min-soo.

If he gets a chance in this four-match series and can show his presence on the field, Kim Min-soo could establish himself as the present rather than just the future of Korean football faster than expected. The mere emergence of a new attacking resource for the national team is a significant event for Korean football.

Meanwhile, the South Korea national football team, including Kim Min-soo, will assemble on the 21st. Afterward, they will play four friendly matches: against Ecuador at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 24th, Uruguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 28th, Venezuela at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium on the 2nd of next month, and Uzbekistan at Yongin Mir Stadium on the 6th. The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) operated two A-match periods in September and October each year until last year, but from this year, it has changed to a four-match format by integrating September and October.

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*This content was translated by AI.