<Anchor> In



this World Cup, the experience of the players who played on the European stage has been a great help to us to stand up against the world's strongest teams.



Reporter Kwon Ran pointed out what Korean football should prepare to go to a higher place in the future without being satisfied with the World Cup round of 16.



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Starting with Ahn Jung-hwan, the protagonist of the 2002 World Cup semifinals, “Captain” Park Ji-seong led the team to advance to the round of 16 for the first time in history.



And Son Heung-min, the main character of 'Miracle of Kazin', who destroyed the world's No. 1 Germany.



And Heung-Min Son and Hee-Chan Hwang, who directed the Miracle of Doha in Qatar.



In the past World Cups, the center of joy was the Europeans.



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, they got caught up in their stamina when they reached the round of 16.



[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 no matter which European team or league you go to, there are so many (Japanese) players.

Korean football is going to make it to the round of 16 by working really hard. Miracles like this don't happen. I think a lot of things need to change like Japan.]



Japan has already launched a World Cup project 17 years ago to help advance into Europe, Two years ago, we opened an office for the Japan Football Association in Germany, and we are directly managing the European faction.



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.



(Video coverage: Kim Yong-woo, video editing: Lee Jeong-taek, CG: Jegal-chan)