Will Lee Han-beom get a chance this time.
The South Korean national soccer team (23rd in FIFA ranking), led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will face Iraq (55th in FIFA ranking) in the fourth round of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (USA-Canada-Mexico) at Mir Stadium in Yongin at 8 p.m. on the 15th.
In the last match against Jordan, players in their early 20s, including Um Ji-sung, Bae Jun-ho and Oh Hyun-kyu, showed outstanding performance. Showing the possibility of generational change and competitiveness, he added new vitality to the national team. What was regrettable was that Lee Han-beom was excluded from the list again. Lee Han-beom was included in the A-match list for the first time since Hong Myung-bo took office, and was included in the A-match list in September, but continued to be excluded from the list in October.
A regrettable moment continues for Lee Han-beom, the future of Korea’s defense. Lee Han-beom made his debut in FC Seoul in the 2021 season as a center back born in 2002. He is very young, but he attracted attention by showing a stable defense and tremendous competition ability. It is his best skill to handle the ball. It was evaluated that he had everything a modern defender should have because he liked the build-up ability and space and gave a pass.
Lee Han-bum, who improved more as the season passed, became the starting center back for Seoul. After overcoming injuries, he stood up and took charge of Seoul’s defense. He alternated with Osmar and Kim Joo-sung to display the best defense. Of course, he became a regular player in the national team by age group, and caught Hwang’s eye and went to the Asian Games. Hwang selected mostly players who were born in 1998 and 2000, and he also selected Lee Han-bum, who has excellent defense capabilities. 메이저놀이터
Lee Han-beom was in charge of defense by breathing with Park Jin-seop. There were not many situations where the opponent was pushed to defense due to power, but he was stable during counterattacks or set-pieces and put a good pass in front of him in build-up situations. He certainly contributed to his run to the gold medal by scoring goals. Eventually, he became a gold medalist and faced a moment of glory and was exempted from the military.
After joining Meat Willan, he set foot on the European stage. Up until then, when he made his successful debut in Seoul, he was exempt from military service through a gold medal, and made inroads into Europe through joining Meat Willan, his prospects were bright and he was expected to lead Kim Min-jae and the Korean defense. He had a hard time as he did not have much time to play in Meat Willan, and when he came to the national team, he had to accept the exclusion of the roster, which he had no chance to play at all.
Kim Young-gwon and Kwon Kyung-won are out, but Kim Min-jae, Jung Seung-hyun and Cho Yoo-min are holding on and Kim Joo-sung is also waiting. The list to be used in the game is limited and someone should be excluded, but Lee Han-beom is constantly being pointed out, causing regret. It is clear that Lee Han-beom is a talent who will lead the Korean defense. There are opinions that Lee Han-beom should also be given a chance.
