Hong Myung-bo to talk to Kim Min-jae, meet with Lee Jae-sung during European trip

Hong Myung-bo (55), the head coach of the South Korean national soccer team, has begun meeting with his squad.

After meeting with national team captain Son Heung-min (32, Tottenham Hotspur) in person on Feb. 20, the new national soccer coach traveled to Germany to meet with Kim Min-jae (28, Bayern Munich).

“After meeting with Son Heung-min, coach Hong Myung-bo traveled to Munich, Germany, and had a conversation with Kim Min-jae,” an official from the Korea Football Association (KFA) told OSEN on Nov. 21.

Earlier, on Feb. 15, Hong Myung-bo, the new head coach of the national team, traveled to Europe to select a foreign coach. Speaking to reporters before his departure, Hong said, “The core of this trip is to select a foreign coach to lead the team for the next two and a half years. I decided that it would be better for me, the head coach, to hear the philosophy, vision, and understanding of Korean soccer, so I decided to go out on my own.”

Hong said of the meeting with the Europeans: “This is fluid. It's preseason, so we don't know what kind of situation the players are in. I'd like to see them as much as possible, but I think I'll have to make a judgment based on various circumstances.”

Hong's meeting with the players was a success. On his trip to Europe to search for a foreign coach, Hong was accompanied by a staff member who is fluent in English, Spanish, and other foreign languages. When he met with Son 파워볼실시간 Heung-min on Feb. 20, he reportedly asked the staff member for permission and had a “private meeting” with him for about an hour.

At the time of Son's meeting with Hong Myung-bo, a KFA official said, “The conversation (between Hong Myung-bo and Son Heung-min) lasted about an hour. As for what they talked about, Son Heung-min or the coach will have a chance to talk about it afterward.”

Son Heung-min is an iconic player for the South Korean national team. He has been wearing the national team's colors since 2010 and has scored 48 goals in 127 A-match appearances, which ranks third all-time behind Cha Bum-geun and Hwang Sun-hong.

Hong and Son are reunited after nearly a decade apart on the national team. At the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Hong's team went 1-1-2 in the group stage and failed to advance to the round of 16.

Son Heung-min, who was the youngest member of the team at the time, is now the captain and leads the team with the armband. In the meantime, Son left Bayer 04 Leverkusen for Tottenham Hotspur, where he developed into a world-class player and became the Premier League's top scorer. He is now the official captain of Spurs.

Kim Min-jae, who is known to have met Son Heung-min afterward, is also an integral part of the squad. Born in 1996, four years younger than Son Heung-min, Kim enjoyed his best season with SSC Napoli in the 2022-2023 season and was ranked 22nd in the 2023 Ballon d'Or by French soccer magazine France Football.

Hong is the second coach after Son Heung-min to meet Kim, who is also a key defender for the national team with his jovial personality. It is unclear what Hong discussed with Kim, or whether anyone else was present at the meeting, such as an interpreter.

“Coach Hong, who met with Kim Min-jae on the 20th local time, will also meet with Lee Jae-sung on the 21st,” the KFA official added.