South Korea’s defender Kim Tae-hwan (left) takes part in a training session at Al Egla Training Site 5, yesterday. AFP
Doha: Spurred by the famous Cristiano Ronaldo no-show incident in South Korea during an exhibition match between Juventus and K-League all-stars, Korea and Ulsan Hyundai defender Kim Tae-hwan has declared he would be eager to take on the Portuguese icon when both sides meet in Group H of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
In 2019, Ronaldo didn’t take to the field for Juventus despite a sellout 66,000 crowd in Seoul. Since the incident, South Korean fans have been bitter towards the star, going even as far as filing a lawsuit citing ‘mental anguish.’
“If I do get to play in that match, I will have (the incident) on my mind. I will try to play extra hard against him (Ronaldo),” Kim told reporters at the team’s training base yesterday.
The 33-year-old Kim has been a regular since Paulo Bento took charge of the Taegeuk Warriors in August 2018. With 19 caps since his first game in 2011, the 2020 AFC Champions League winner will be relishing the opportunity to tie down the starting spot in the defence with several young stars to contend against.
Kim said he does think about what he has to do to improve while stating that Bento’s continuity at the helm has helped the team remain solid.
“I wake up every morning thinking about what I need to do and where to improve. I have been giving my best. The team hasn’t witnessed major changes over the four years, which has given the players a great understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
“We have a detail-oriented coach, and we’ve all been consistently heading in the same direction,” he added.
On the other hand, Kim Moon-hwan has credited a positional switch for a career resurgence. The current defender, who started his career as midfielder five years ago while playing for Busan IPark, credited former coach Cho Jin-ho and said he never thought he would make it to the World Cup in Qatar playing as a right back.
South Korea’s players take part in a training session at Al Egla Training Site 5 in Doha, yesterday. AFP
“Back in 2017, he told me, ‘You should go play at the World Cup at least once in your career,’” Kim recalled of the now-deceased Cho. “I think this is an opportunity that I will never have again.”
The Taegeuk Warriors kick off their World Cup campaign against Uruguay on November 25 at the Education City Stadium, and Kim believes the team has the defensive capabilities to hold off the potential attacking might of the South Americans and Portugal.
“We want to be as efficient as possible, and our positioning on ball pressure will be crucial to our play.”
Son Heung-min’s return has boosted the team who trained yesterday. The Tottenham Hotspur star will reportedly play with a protective mask as he’s still recovering from eye surgery.
South Korea’s making their 11th appearance at a FIFA World Cup. Their best performance was a fourth-place finish in 2002 when they co-hosted with neighbours Japan.
