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The performance of the European players was decisive for Korea's soccer and world powerhouses to stand tall at the Qatar World Cup.

It is pointed out that for a bright future, it is important to actively support players' advancement into Europe to close the gap between the main and non-main players.



This is reporter Kwon Ran.



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Starting with Ahn Jung-hwan, the protagonist of the 2002 World Cup semifinals, Park Ji-seong, who led the team to advance to the round of 16 for the first time in history, and Son Heung-min, the protagonist of the “Miracle of Kazan” who defeated world No. 1 Germany.



And from Heung-Min Son and Hee-Chan Hwang, who produced the miracle of Doha in Qatar, Europeans were at the center of joy in the past World Cups.



However, relying on a small number of Europeans had its limits.



Of the 26 players on the final list of Bentoho, there are only 11 players including 8 Europeans and domestic players who have experienced the European stage.



In the group stage centered on them, they stood up against the strong players on an equal footing, but as the best 11 played full-time in almost every game, when they reached the round of 16, their stamina was caught.



[Kim Jin-soo/Soccer team defender: My body didn't move.

I tried really hard to get it back somehow...

.]



Hwang In-beom, who ran the most distance in this tournament, expressed regret at the reality of Korean football, mentioning Japan, which the association supports to advance into Europe.



[Hwang In-beom/Soccer team midfielder: I don't think we have the same environment as Japan just because we had the same results as Japan.

It is true that there are so many (Japanese) players in any team or league in Europe.]



Japan has already launched the World Cup project 17 years ago to help them advance into Europe, and two years ago, they opened the Japan Football Association office in Germany. Opened and managed directly in Europe.



So, in this tournament, 19 of the 26 players in the final roster were filled with Europeans, creating a surprise by defeating Germany and Spain.



On the other hand, the Korea Football Association stopped the study abroad program that had been in operation since 2000 in 2009 when Cho Joong-yeon was president.



In order to go to a higher place in the World Cup stage, long-term goal setting and support at the association level are desperately needed.