From Tottenham to the national team 18-year-old Yang Min-hyeok “Without being intimidated, bold”
From Tottenham to the national team 18-year-old Yang Min-hyeok “Without being intimidated, bold”
Blog Article
Yang Min-hyeok (Gangwon), who played an active role in the domestic professional soccer K-League this year and signed with Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League (EPL) at the age of 18 and even entered the senior national team, expressed his determination to show his own style of soccer with 'boldness' among his older brothers.
In an interview released through the Korea Football Association on the 3rd, Yang Min-hyeok said, "It's an honor to have made it to the national team. I'm grateful for the opportunity at a young age," and added, "As the youngest, I think I need to approach the older players first and become close with them quickly and take the time to adapt."
Yang Min-hyeok, born in 2006 and currently attending Gangneung Jeil High School, signed a semi-professional contract with Gangwon and debuted in the K-League this year.
Despite having played less than a season, Yang Min-hyeok has emerged as one of the league's top stars.
He has emerged as a top-class player by scoring 8 goals and 5 assists in the league and ranking 8th in total attack points (13), leading Gangwon's surge to the top.
At the Korea Professional Football League's July awards ceremony, 한국을 he won three individual awards, including Player of the Month, Young Player of the Month, and Goal of the Month.
He signed a surprise contract with Tottenham Hotspur at the end of July and is scheduled to join in January of next year. He was also chosen by coach Hong Myung-bo, who is taking charge of the national team again after 10 years, and spent his first day with the national team the day before.
"I haven't heard much from a few friends since I didn't go to school for a few days after the announcement of my enlistment, but I did receive congratulations from them," said Yang Min-hyeok shyly. "Yesterday was a simple recovery day, but I think it was systematic. I'm looking forward to the future because I trained with my hyungs with sincerity and enjoyment."
After joining the national team, he said, "(Lee) Jae-seong took good care of me and talked to me a lot. Since it's my first time joining the team with (Choi) Woo-jin, we're getting along well."
Yang Min-hyeok, who is 18 years and 132 days old and ranked 13th among the youngest national team players ever selected, will become the 5th youngest player to debut in an A match if he plays in at least one of the two A matches in September.
Hong Myung-bo, who was called up to Goyang the day before, will play in the first match of the 2026 North and Central American World Cup Asian 3rd qualifying round against Palestine at 8 PM on the 5th at Seoul World Cup Stadium, and the second match against Oman in Muscat, Oman at 11 PM on the 10th (Korean time).
Yang Min-hyeok emphasized, "I don't want to be intimidated by my age and I want to be bold," and added, "I want to maximize my dribbling and finishing skills, which are my strengths, by utilizing my speed."
One of Yang Min-hyeok's goals for this call-up is to become closer to the national team captain Son Heung-min, who will become his 'teammate' when he joins Tottenham in January.
He said, "(Son Heung-min) told me that I was doing well when I met him during the Coupang Play series and advised me that I should study English a lot. I'm even more excited since we'll be living together this time," adding, "I want to get closer and talk to him more, and I think I have a lot to learn."