Last July, Tottenham Hotspur (England) 스포츠토토 traveled to South Korea. Their opponents for the friendly match were Team K League, a team of K League All-Stars.
Yang Hyun-joon (Celtic) stood out, as did Kim Ji-soo (Brentford), who was 18 years old at the time, and both made significant strides after the Spurs visit. Based on their performances in the K League and with their age-group national teams, they headed to Europe this summer.
This time, it’s Atletico Madrid (Spain), and it’s a great opportunity for Team K League players, especially up-and-comers, to showcase their skills in hopes of making it to Europe.
The first match of the Coupang Play Series between Team K League and Atletico Madrid will take place on July 27 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. Team K-League has assembled a 22-man roster, including 11 players selected by fan vote and 11 players selected by Ulsan Hyundai head coach Hong Myung-bo and Daegu FC head coach Choi Won-kwon.
Rising stars like Yang Hyun-joon and Kim Ji-soo made the cut last year.
Bae Jun-ho (Daejeon Hana Citizen), a key player in the U-20 World Cup quarterfinals, and Hwang Jae-won (Daegu FC), who was included in the final roster for the Hangzhou Asian Games, are also in the spotlight.
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has also expressed his interest in Korean players.
“There were rumors that we were interested in Lee Kang-in, but he ended up signing with Paris Saint-Germain,” Simeone said, “Korean football has grown and is recognized worldwide. We will watch the Korean players with interest in tomorrow’s game.”
Antoine Griezmann, Koke, and other Atletico Madrid stars will be in attendance. Simeone added: “We will give all the players plenty of time. We want to give the fans a chance to see all the world-class players,” Simeone said.
Sejingya (Daegu) said: “All the players are at a high level. If I had to pick one, I’d like to play against Griezmann because he dribbles a lot, so it will be a new experience.”