The captain’s armband of the national soccer team, which plays without “captain” Son Heung-min, went to Kim Min-jae.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will play the third away match against Jordan in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup at Amman International Stadium at 11 p.m. on the 10th (Korea time).
Although the Korean team had an unstable start by tying with the Palestinians, it garnered its first win in the match against Oman thanks to Son’s strong performance. The away match in Jordan, which is currently leading Group B with one win and one draw, provides a golden opportunity for Korea to rise to the top of its group.
South Korea has called up the best members. Kim Min-jae, Hwang In-beom, and Lee Kang-in are all on the list. Oh Hyun-kyu, Baek Seung-ho and Bae Jun-ho, who were not selected in the A-match in September, are also on board the Hong Myung-bo team, raising expectations.
However, what is worrisome is the absence of Son. Son has been captain of the Korean national team since the 2019 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup. Despite an orbital fracture, Son played in all four games as captain and led the team to the round of 16 teams at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
However, Son was not able to join the team. He was replaced by a hamstring injury midway through the second half in the first UEFA Europa League phase match against Karabakh on June 27. He was included in the call-up list when the team was announced, but failed to recover from his injury and was excluded from the list.
Team Korea’s national team captain Hong Myung-bo must play without Son Heung-min at his second call-up. The captain’s armband, which was created due to Son’s absence, went to Kim Min-jae. Coach Hong had a meeting with the coaching staff and chose Kim Min-jae as his captain and Lee Jae-seong as his vice-captain. 메이저놀이터
Since 2017, Kim has been on the A-team list and played 65 A matches. He is 27 years old this year, which is quite old. Recently, he also wore the captain’s armband for his team Bayern Munich. Kim, who is trusted by coach Vincent Kompany, wore the captain’s armband at a pre-season game for Munich and also wore the captain’s armband at a Coupang Play series held in Korea.
Kim Min-jae has already worn the captain’s armband in the national team. Son Heung-min was excluded from the starting lineup in a friendly match against Tunisia in October last year due to a groin injury, and Kim Min-jae became the first Korean team captain since his debut. At the time, Korea overwhelmed Tunisia 4-0.
If Kim Min-jae wears the captain’s armband, he has the advantage of being able to control the overall situation by coordinating the game from behind. Son Heung-min is in an offensive position, so it is impossible to cover the entire stadium, but center back Kim Min-jae is able to coach in detail.
Kim Min-jae has shown unexpected behavior in the national team. He stirred controversy with his remarks hinting at his retirement from the national team after the match against Uruguay in March last year, and clashed with fans after the match against Palestine in September, telling them to refrain from booing. However, with Son Heung-min absent, Kim Min-jae should now become the spiritual pillar of the national team.
Lee Jae-sung’s role has also become important. Lee Jae-sung, born in 1992, is the same age as Son Heung-min. He is the fourth veteran of the Korean national team following Cho Hyun-woo, Kim Seung-gyu, and Joo Min-gyu. Lee Jae-sung, who has been very active in his team Mainz, should support “captain” Kim Min-jae.
