Baek Seung-ho (26, North Korea Hyundai) has been named captain of Hwang Sun-hong’s team.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced on June 6, “Baek Seung-ho has been named captain of the Asian Games team led by coach Hwang Sun-hong. The vice-captain will be Lee Jae-ik (24-Seoul Eland),” the KFA officially announced.

Baek Seung-ho, Hwang’s “eldest brother,” will participate in the tournament as a wild card along with Park Jin-seop and Seol Young-woo.

Baek Seung-ho, who grew up in the world-renowned Barcelona (Spain) youth team, played for Girona (Spain) and Darmstadt (Germany) before joining Jeonbuk Hyundai in 2021. He won the league title in his debut season and lifted the FA Cup last season. He has made 77 appearances in the K League, scoring nine goals and providing six assists.

Last year, he participated in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, scoring a goal against Brazil. In the round of 16 against Brazil, he came on as a second-half substitute after trailing 0-4 and scored a powerful right-footed mid-range goal to seal South Korea’s victory.

Before being named captain, Baek Seung-ho told News1, “There is a lot of pressure and responsibility for the wild card and the third consecutive tournament. Not only me, but also (Park) Jin-seob and Young-woo,” he said, adding, “If the experienced players help each other and prepare well, we will be able to show a good performance. Especially, coach Hwang Sun-hong told us to have as much fun as possible, so we will create a good atmosphere.”

Lee, who won a gold medal at the Jakarta-Palembang Games, also singled out his best friend Baek Seung-ho as a player who can “deliver when it counts” in Hangzhou. Lee told Star News, “I think Baek Seung-ho will do something for me. As a midfielder, he has good passing skills and can score goals, so I’m looking forward to it.” 스포츠토토

Named vice-captain, Lee Jae-ik is a senior center back with a long history with the U-24s. He last played at the 2019 U-20 World Cup in Poland, where he helped South Korea to a runner-up finish.

The Asian Games squad, which is training in Changwon, will have 12 days to warm up before traveling to Paju NFC on the 13th. They will then depart for China on the 16th. Hwang Sun-hong will compete against Bahrain, Thailand, and Kuwait in Group E of the tournament. They will open their campaign against Kuwait on the 19th, before facing Thailand on the 21st and Bahrain on the 24th at the Jinhua Sports Center Stadium in Zhejiang, China.