Seol Young-woo expressed his thoughts.
The South Korean national team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, is set to play against Oman in Group B of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup at Sultan Qaboos Stadium in Muscat, Oman, at 6 p.m. on the 10th (local time).
Coach Hong Myung-bo said, “Left and right full-backs are one of the concerns of Korean soccer,” citing full-backs as the most agonizing position at the press conference for the announcement of the national team list on the 26th. In fact, the position is at the crossroads of generational change.
Under these circumstances, Seol has become a strong pillar of the national team’s fullbacks. He can pull off both left and right fullbacks. On top of that, he will be with Coach Hong Myung-bo at Ulsan, which will be of great help to the team.
Before the training session, Seol had an interview with reporters at Al Shiv Stadium in Shiv, Oman on Tuesday. “I was with the coach in Ulsan, and now I’m meeting him in the national team as well. There are many other players here, but I think I know a lot about your soccer. I think the sideback requires a lot of balance. I think he prefers a player who balances well rather than focusing on either attack or defense. I have tried to play soccer like that since I was in Ulsan. I don’t think it is much different in the national team,” Seol said.
“I was not called up in June due to shoulder surgery, and I came back to the team this time. When I came back, I found out that many juniors were selected even though I didn’t have much experience in the national team. I thought, “I have older brothers, should I take care of them (laughs). They are all talented and good players, so I think I will survive well on my own.”
“It seems that there are old players in all positions. However, the sidebacks keep changing and the age seems to be young. I might not be able to experience it, but it will accumulate and improve now. I am not too worried about the sidebacks. I am just worried about myself the most,” he said.
“Before the announcement, I met with (Hwang) In-beom once (when the coach was on a business trip to Europe). After receiving the official letter, he asked me how much my shoulder was and I told him,” Seol said.
Seol spent his early career with Hwang at FK Krvena or Zvezda. However, he became alone after Hwang moved to Feyenoord Rotterdam.
“It’s a shame that (Hwang) In-beom will be leaving, but it’s great,” Seol said. “I personally congratulated him. I haven’t spent time alone in Serbia without him yet, so it doesn’t feel real. But wouldn’t I feel a lot of empty seats when I go back to Serbia? It was thanks to In-beom that he was able to adapt quickly.” 메이저사이트
“In fact, I met him an hour before training and drank coffee, went to Inbeom’s house and played PlayStation games, and his mother ate Korean food together. I even called (the late) Young-jun and ate together,” he said, expressing that Hwang In-beom’s vacancy is expected.
“The jet lag was harder than I thought. I was excited about the fact that I am coming to Korea. But anyway, we are people who have to play soccer. It was not easy to sleep. I think (Son) Heung-min or (Lee) Kang-in who have lived like this for a long time looked amazing,” he said.
At the same time, he added, “I’m so happy to see people speaking Korean like this,” with a unique smile.