'AG Gold Medal' winner Seol Young-woo says, "Keep smiling and expect a gift"
Kim Tae-hwan being interviewed
Kim Tae-hwan of the South Korean national football team is interviewed before training at the Paju National Football Center (NFC) in Paju, Gyeonggi-do, on the afternoon of Oct. 11.
"I will aim to make the national team by the day I hang up my cleats."
Defender Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan), the eldest member of the national football team led by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, told reporters on the afternoon of Oct. 11 at the Paju National Training Center (NFC) before the national team's October A-match call-up training.
The team will play a friendly against Tunisia at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Oct. 13 at 8 p.m., followed by a match against Vietnam at the Suwon World Cup Stadium four days later on Oct. 17 at 8 p.m.
Kim Tae-hwan, born in 1989, is the oldest member of the national team to play an A match this October.
He is the same age as the "youngest" Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), who was born in 2001 and returned from the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou with a gold medal.
"I think coming to the national team will be my biggest motivation until I hang up my soccer shoes," Kim said of his future goals as a soccer player, adding, "I will continue to challenge and strive until the day I retire."
Kim Tae-hwan of the South Korean national football team is interviewed before training at the Paju National Football Center (NFC) in Paju, Gyeonggi-do, on the afternoon of Oct. 11.
He said, "I'm aiming to join the next call-up right away rather than the Asian Cup next year. If I am called up to the national team every time, I will naturally be able to play in the Asian Cup," he said, adding, "I will take good care of my body."
"He was smiling the whole time, and I think that improved the team atmosphere," Kim said of his teammate Seol Young-woo, who was a member of the Hangzhou Asian Games. I told him congratulations," he said with a smile, adding, "He said he was going to prepare a gift for me and Kim Young-kwon (Ulsan), so I'll look forward to it."
Kim Tae-hwan stamped his presence in front of the fans in an 'all-black overalls' suit when he joined the NFC on the first day of training camp.
"The national team is the place I want to be, and it's the most important place. I think it shows my attitude towards it," he said, explaining, "I dressed up in what I thought was the coolest outfit for the season."
"The juniors didn't mention it at all," he said with a bitter laugh, drawing laughter from the interviewers. 스포츠토토맨