'A boy who won the Star Award two years ago' Son Jeong-beom's rapid growth: Asia's top 10 prospect → FC Seoul championship → first national team call-up at age 19 [Cheonan on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Just two years ago, he was a high school student who dreamed of debuting on the professional stage. But now, he has experienced winning the K League 1 title and has confidently become a national team player. This is the story of the dazzling growth of Son Jeong-beom (19, FC Seoul), a recipient of the '2024 Futures Star Awards.'

Robert Moreno, head coach of the South Korea national football team, held a press conference at the Cheonan Korea Football Park in Chungnam Province on the 29th to announce the list of 26 players selected for the November A-matches.

South Korea will play two away friendly matches against Saudi Arabia on November 13 and Qatar on the 17th in Doha, Qatar. This is the final A-match schedule for this year.

The roster includes existing key players such as captain Son Heung-min (LAFC), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Lee Kang-in (Atletico Madrid), Hwang In-beom (Porto), and Hwang Hee-chan (Schalke).

New faces also stood out. Son Jeong-beom and Shin Min-ha (21, Gangwon FC), who are active in K League 1, were selected for the senior national team for the first time in their careers.

In particular, Son Jeong-beom's growth is remarkable. Just two years ago, he was a high school student dreaming of entering professional football, but now he stands shoulder to shoulder with players who represent South Korean football.

While attending Osan High School, Son Jeong-beom received the Star Award in the football category at the 'Futures Star Awards' in 2024. The Futures Star Awards, hosted and organized by our publication StarNews, is a ceremony established to discover and encourage amateur prospects who will lead the future of Korean sports.

At the time, 17-year-old Son Jeong-beom enjoyed the joy of winning alongside other formidable prospects.

The Grand Prize in the football category two years ago was won by Yang Min-hyuk (currently Vitesse), who was already playing on the professional stage for Gangwon FC. Along with Son Jeong-beom, Park Seung-soo (Newcastle), who had been noted as a surprise star at Suwon Samsung at the time, and Kim Hyeon-woo (Seoul E-Land), a defender from Yeongdeungpo Public High School, received Star Awards.

After receiving the Star Award, Son Jeong-beom boldly stated his ambition: "My goal is to play in the professional league quickly, like senior Yang Min-hyuk and Park Seung-soo." Seeing peers who were already active on the professional stage, he revealed his dream of running across the pitch as soon as possible.

At the time, the Futures Star Awards selection committee evaluated Son Jeong-beom, stating, "Son Jeong-beom has excellent activity levels and dribbling breakthrough abilities, and has great potential to develop into a player who can perform various roles."

In particular, they did not hold back praise, noting that "in addition to his sharp attacking power, he also has abundant activity levels, reminding one of Lee Jae-sung (Mainz)."

Two years have passed since then, and Son Jeong-beom has turned his dream into reality. Having debuted in professional football this year wearing the FC Seoul uniform, Son Jeong-beom has established himself as a key member of the team's strength, consistently earning playing time despite his young age of 19.

Midfielder Son Jeong-beom, who stands 184cm tall, appeared in 30 matches in the K League 1 regular season this year, recording two goals and two assists. He proved his competitiveness by handling 30 matches in his first professional season. His abundant activity levels and dribbling skills are cited as strengths. Despite his young age, he faithfully performed his role while switching between attack and defense.

His team, Seoul, also reached the top of K League 1 this season for the first time in 10 years. Son Jeong-beom, who has consistently played on the pitch since his professional debut, contributed to the championship and gained valuable experience.

He was already a prospect attracting international attention. The Football Research Institute under the Swiss International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) released its top 10 prospects aged 19 and under (U-19) active in Asian leagues in July last month. Son Jeong-beom ranked joint sixth alongside Araki Rui, goalkeeper for Gamba Osaka (Japan). Son Jeong-beom was the only South Korean player included in the top 10.

He also received recognition from South Korean football fans. In the 'Coupang Play Young Player' fan vote conducted last July targeting players aged 22 and under recommended by each K League 1 club, Son Jeong-beom took first place overall with a voting rate of 32.7%.

It did not end there. Following his selection in the Asia top 10 prospects and experiencing the K League 1 championship, another joy came to Son Jeong-beom. It was his first-ever call-up to the senior national team.

Coach Moreno also highly evaluated Son Jeong-beom's potential. Regarding the reasons for selecting Son Jeong-beom and Shin Min-ha, he stated, "Both players are young and have rich potential. I believe they will help improve the national team's performance in the future."

He continued, "If such young and talented players come up from below, they will play a positive role in building the ultimate goal of the national team, which is to form the best possible team."

Coach Moreno also emphasized his criteria for selecting the national team, stating, "The standard for the roster will be based solely on performance, both today and in the future," and "The door to the national team is open to anyone who proves their qualification on the field."

Son Jeong-beom opened that door through his performance this season. He has begun a new challenge by making the national team roster alongside formidable seniors such as 'captain' Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, and Lee Kang-in.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original