Still just 18 years old, South Korean defender Kim Ji-soo has been a rock for his team’s surprising run to the semifinals at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina.
The teenager, though, is his own toughest critic, giving himself a grade of 70 out of 100 on his performance so far.
“There are areas of the game that I’d like to improve,” Kim told reporters at Estancia Chica training complex in La Plata, eastern Argentina, on Wednesday. South Korea will take on Italy in the semifinals Thursday in the same city for a 6 p.m. kickoff — or a 6 a.m. Friday start in Seoul time.
“I think I can be better if I can get myself into better physical condition,” Kim added. “But drawing attention to myself isn’t important. My goal is to help take the team higher. It’s an honor to have made the semifinals, but we’re not going to be content with this. We will try to win the tournament.”
Kim has been groomed for success. He became the youngest player to appear in a K League 1 match last year for Seongnam FC. Earlier this year, Seongnam said Kim had received an offer from the Premier League side Brentford.
And Kim has acquitted himself well so far in his first international showcase since Brentford showed interest in him. And he said he is confident he can keep Italy, featuring the tournament’s leading scorer Cesare Casadei, in check in Thursday’s showdown.
“We’ve analyzed Italy in detail, and we’ve prepared defensive and offensive strategies against them,” Kim said. “If we can execute our plans, I believe we will have a good result.”
Kim said he’s been inspired by the goal-scoring prowess of his center back partner Choi Seok-hyun, who has netted two header goals over the past two matches.
“After watching him score goals, I felt like I wanted to get in on the action, too,” Kim said with a smile. “It seemed like he was having a great time scoring, and I’d love to score one myself when the opportunity comes. But since I am a defender, my primary goal is to keep the other guys from scoring.”
Kim has even drawn comparisons to Kim Min-jae, the national team mainstay recently named the Best Defender in Serie A for the Italian champions Napoli.
“That’s too much for me. Min-jae is just too big of a star,” the younger Kim said of being dubbed the “next Kim Min-jae.” “I’d just like to be called Kim Ji-soo.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency