Oh Hyun-kyu (22), who challenged the European stage at Celtic, a prestigious Scottish professional soccer team, scored his debut goal in 4 games after joining. As the 27th player without a uniform number at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it took only three months for him to reach his dream debut on the European stage.
On the 12th (hereinafter Korean time), Oh Hyun-kyu was replaced by Joao Felipe Jota in the 18th minute of the second half of the 2022-2023 season Scottish Cup round of 16 against St. Mirren at Celtic Park in Glasgow, Scotland, England, leading 1-0. In the 35th minute of the second half, when the opposing goalkeeper failed to properly deal with Callum McGregor’s shot, Oh Hyun-gyu, who was in front of the goal, jumped out without delay and shook the net. Celtic advanced to the quarter-finals with a 5-1 victory thanks to Oh Hyun-gyu’s performance.
This was unimaginable even three months ago. Oh Hyun-kyu was unexpectedly selected as the 27th player for the Qatar World Cup last November and accompanied the national team to Qatar. As a reserve player, he did not even receive a uniform number, but his potential was recognized by former coach Paulo Bento, and he did his best in training and helped Korea advance to the World Cup round of 16.
Bento wasn’t the only one who recognized his potential. Celtic, which had shown interest in Oh since last summer, continued to send love calls even after the World Cup. The final transfer fee offered by Celtic was known to be 3 million euros (approximately 4.1 billion won), and after persuading Suwon Samsung club, which he had been with since his youth days, he signed a five-year contract with Celtic and realized his dream of advancing to Europe.
The value of Oh Hyun-gyu, who scored his debut goal in 4 games after moving to Celtic, is expected to rise further. Glasgow Live, a Scottish media outlet, reported that “Oh Hyun-kyu scored his first goal in a Celtic uniform,” and “proven that he can show more.” Since he also solved the military service problem at a young age, it is expected that if he shows a steady appearance at Celtic, it is possible to enter the big leagues such as the English Premier League (EPL) early.
National team midfielder Lee Jae-seong (31, Mainz), who plays in the German professional football Bundesliga, took the lead in the team’s 3-1 victory by scoring multiple goals for the first time since advancing to the European big leagues in the 20th round of the Bundesliga against Augsburg the previous day. Lee Jae-seong, who has scored 4 goals in the last 4 games and is showing off his fierce scoring ability, is recording 6 goals and 1 assist in 20 league games this season. 먹튀검증