End of the Golden Generation?

Written by Paul Jeung.

Remember the hype before last year's Asian Cup? Our squad was dubbed “Korea’s Golden Generation.” Fast-forward to the present and things obviously didn’t go according to plan. We fizzled out earlier than expected. Was that foreshadowing for the players on an individual level? Given how things are currently, it may very well have been.

We had Son Heung-Min, the GOAT Korean player (go argue with a wall) at the tail end of his prime. He didn’t quite have the Asian Cup we were all hoping for, (struggled with his finishing) but in his 2nd year under Ange Postecoglou, we all thought he would have a great season. It started okay, but as injuries mounted for Spurs and Son’s physical decline became more and more apparent, his reputation as a player has never been lower. Many are predicting that Son will move on from Spurs this summer. Where will he land, and how much juice does he have left in the tank? It’s tough to watch, but it’s safe to say Son’s best years are most likely behind him. As the captain of our national team, everything starts with him, even the end of a truly short “golden generation”.

Then there’s Lee Kang-In – the next to take the torch. With Ping Pong Gate firmly behind us, everybody thought his 2nd year at Paris St. Germain would be magical. It sure as hell started that way. Kang-In was scoring goals right from the jump, but sadly he could not keep up that form. A lot of this has to do with players at PSG raising their level and new players stepping in and taking some of his shine. What was supposed to be a big leap for Kang-in may end up in disappointment, as far as individual performance goes. His team is crushing it right now, but unfortunately, he hasn’t had a big impact lately. Can he rebound and get his spot back? Maybe. But it won’t be easy, and that’s the harsh reality players have to face when playing at a big club like PSG.

Kim Min-Jae is probably having the most consistent success on the biggest team. He’s been a rock in the starting lineup for Vincent Kompany at Bayern Munich. That’s not to say that he doesn’t have his detractors. There are a lot of murmurs on social media that he isn’t good enough to be a starter at Bayern, and his match ratings from the German media have been pretty unfair and critical. He’s also had a few knocks here and there, which might be from being overplayed. One can hope that his body isn’t starting to fail him at what should be the prime of his career. Min-Jae might be one of the only bright spots right now for Korean football. I hope he can keep things together.

Please don’t search for Hwang Hee-Chan on Twitter/X. He may be the most hated KNT player playing in Europe right now. To be honest, I haven’t seen Hee-Chan look worse. He’s hurt way too often or made of glass, as some would say. Even when he was healthy enough to play this season, he hasn’t looked good. He’s struggling to find his place on a team trying to avoid relegation. Things have never looked bleaker for Hee-Chan, which is truly sad to see.

Hwang In-Beom has probably been our most consistent player in Europe. The downside is that he’s playing in the Netherlands (not quite a top-five league), but he has established himself well at Feyenoord. I honestly think when Son hangs up his KNT boots, In-Beom could be in line to take the captain’s armband (maybe Min-Jae too). Out of all the guys we have in Europe, he’s been the most dependable.

Lee Jae-Sung has been doing great at Mainz, in his typical “blue-collar” style. Unheralded and often overlooked, the issue here is that he is also up in age and his status with the KNT has always been a point of debate within Fighting Stripes/Bibimballers. He does a lot of the small things, things that go unnoticed, and still has something to offer, but an heir apparent has to be found sooner rather than later. His Mainz teammate Hong Hyeon-Seok, who transferred in from Gent this past summer, came in with some fanfare, but unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out. The manager doesn’t seem to rate him and his playing time has been very limited, with Hong almost as Lee’s backup. It’s surprising just how many times Hong has subbed in for Lee this season!

Seol Young-Woo has been balling out in Serbia, but just like In-Beom, he’s in a lower league. I still think he’s best suited for the left-back position. However, unlike most of the players mentioned, his best days are ahead of him.

So, with Son and Jae-sung at the tail end of their careers, the hope was that the new crop of young guns would come in and fill the void. There was a lot of hype, and it was unjustified for the most part. The likes of Eom Ji-Sung, Bae Jun-Ho, and company have not been having great seasons at the Championship level in England. We were all excited about Yang Min-Hyeok at Spurs, but he’s been loaned out to QPR as he tries to acclimate to life in England. It’s easy to hype up our young guys, but the unfortunate reality of excelling in Europe is harder to come by than most of us thought. They still have time to develop, but based on their current form, they’re not ready to step up for the KNT and replace Son, Lee, or Hwang in attack.

With that being said, our Golden Generation, which we were all enamored with before the Asian Cup, might have been a mirage. Only time will tell.