“Stoke City players recognize Bae Junho, who is similar to our own Andersson.”

Suwon FC head coach Kim Eun-joong was delighted after his ‘protégé’ Bae Joon-ho (21-Stoke City) scored a brace against Hongmyeong Protection Jordan.

Kim, who led Suwon FC to the quarterfinals with Bae at last year’s U-20 World Cup and to a top-split finish in his first professional managerial role this year, is the coach who knows best how to use Bae. With captain Son Heung-min out of the squad due to a hamstring injury, Hong Myung-bo, along with Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Jae-sung, and Uhm Ji-sung, has the 2003-born Bae in mind as a left winger and a replacement for Son.

In a desperate situation against Jordan on the 10th,

When Hwang Hee-chan and Uhm Ji-sung collapsed one after another in place of Son Heung-min, Hong Myung-bo chose Bae Jun-ho, born in 2003, and Oh Hyun-kyu, born in 2001. Bae Joon-ho, the ‘youngest on-top’ who appeared under a cloud of dark clouds, did not miss his chance. Bae flashed relentlessly from the left side. His through pass that led to Oh’s wedge goal in the 23rd minute of the second half, and his shot in the 34th minute, when he dribbled down the left flank and drove into the center, were dazzling. It was a perfect performance, with a 100% pass completion rate (29 of 29), 100% key pass completion rate (2 of 2), 100% dribbling completion rate (2 of 2), and 100% ball winning rate (3 of 3).

After making his debut and scoring his first goal for the national team under interim head coach Kim Do-hoon in June in a 7-0 win over Singapore in the fifth match of Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup North America Second Qualifying Round in Asia, 파워볼사이트 Bae also recorded his first A-Match assist in the 2-0 win. In three matches, he already has one goal and one assist.

It’s exactly what coach Kim Eun-joong expected. “I’m always interested in watching (Bae) play,” said Kim, who traveled to Stoke City last winter to support the team. When I went to Stoke City, the players were looking for him,” he says with a smile. “He’s a player who can play anywhere on the attacking side, whether it’s attacking midfielder or left wing forward, but he shows his strengths best at left wing forward,” Kim said. “His one-on-one ability, his ability to subdue opponents and effectively break the line, and his ability to break up dense defenses,” he praised.

Kim is the coach who awakened the “left” talent of Bae Jun-ho, the No. 1 ranked attacking midfielder in high school.

“I thought about the best position to utilize Junho’s strengths and suggested a left wing-forward position before the U-20 World Cup trial against Portugal,” Kim recalls. Bae, who is good at one-on-one runs and dribbling, needs space to play to his strengths, but it’s not easy to break through the center to create space and opportunities. He quickly adapted to the change in position and was later recognized as a left winger at Stoke City.

Kim predicted that Bae would be able to prove his worth against Middle Eastern opponents such as Jordan and Iraq. “He did well against Saudi Arabia in the final qualifier for the Paris Olympics. At the U-20 World Cup, he faced South America and Europe, but he doesn’t care about any country or any player,” Kim said, adding, ”The time for that has passed. He is recognized by the players and fans at Stoke City. I have no worries. When he gets a chance, he always exceeds expectations.”

The South Korean legendary striker likened Bae Junho to Suwon FC ace Andersson, the best foreign player in the K League One this season. “Junho is one of the best strikers I’ve ever seen in terms of side-to-side balance, timing, passing, and dribbling. He is similar to Andersson in our team,” he said, adding, ”He is a talent that will be responsible for the next generation of Korean soccer.” “At the U-20 World Cup, Junho did everything he wanted to do. He is a player who is ready to seize opportunities when they come his way. He can play at a higher level than Stoke City,” he reiterated, before offering some meaningful advice to his protégé. “So you can be a little bit greedy on the pitch.” Youngji Jeon