Hwang In-beom reminiscent of Zidane in play style

After Hwang In-beom made an international A-match debut against Costa Rica in September 2018 with former head coach Paulo Bento in charge of the South Korean national football squad, he cemented his status as a key player thanks to his energetic activity and airtight forward moves, nicknamed the “crown prince of Bento.” He ran the longest distance of 45 kilometers for the national team in four matches in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, helping the team advance to the round of 16.

Over the third qualifier round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, led by team manager Hong Myung-bo, Hwang has played as a key midfielder in a starting lineup in five matches. Sofascore analyzed that he outdid the rest of his team players by recording 13 key passes in the third qualifying round. “Bad results can affect the squad negatively,” Hwang said after winning the match against Kuwait. “Players must make a continued effort to produce good outcomes.”

Hwang was selected by the Dutch football league among the best 11 players for October just a month after he joined Feyenoord Rotterdam. Serving as a great commander-like athlete for the team, he has two goals and one assist in eight games this season as of now. “I was impressed with his outstanding leadership in Rotterdam,” Guus Hiddink, the former team manager who led South Korea to the 2002 FIFA World Cup semifinals, said in a local interview with a Dutch news agency.


Yun-Cheol Jeong trigger@donga.com