“If I don’t say it first, they don’t know, they just think I’m Korean, and then when I tell them (I’m Chinese), they’re surprised.”
Sports are a mirror of society. The 57th Presidential Geumbae, which recognizes the best high school soccer teams, is no exception. Players from a variety of nationalities and backgrounds competed in the tournament, reflecting the growing number of multicultural families in South Korea.
Qian Zigang, a Chinese national and a sophomore at Suwon Gonggong High School in Gyeonggi, joined the tournament in a 토토사이트 순위 Gyeonggi Dongwon Weeknight jersey.
His parents are both from Qingdao, China, and came to Korea when he was in the first grade of elementary school. They own a sushi restaurant and support his soccer career. He has not yet acquired Korean citizenship.
In addition to Qian Zigang, there are three other players from multicultural families, including Wu Ruimin (Suwon Foreign School), whose parents are Chinese businessmen, and Houdaili Suleiman (Bucheon Jinyoung High School), whose father is a Moroccan who came to Korea for business. In the previous Youth Cup Bupyeong-Go match, Chen Zigang was replaced by Wu Ruimin. A foreign player was replaced by a foreign player. It’s a rare sight in the K League.
Suleiman, a high school junior, was born in South Korea and has lived in Morocco, but he has lived in Korea for much longer. As a child, Suleiman was teased for his exotic appearance, but he shrugged it off, saying, “There are people like that everywhere.” Among his friends, he is known as Reiman and has become a laughing stock. His Korean name is Kwon Ji-gang, and his appearance is not particularly distinctive, so his friends are surprised when he reveals that he is Chinese.
Thirteen of the players in the gold medal team are foreign nationals. If you include athletes from multicultural families like Suleiman, the number is even higher. The nationalities range from China to the Philippines, Ghana and Nigeria in Africa, and Spain in Europe.
Most of them went to school and learned to play soccer in South Korea, but the choice of nationality is a tough one. If they choose Korean nationality, they will have to serve in the military, which makes it difficult for them to continue their professional careers. There are few cases like Kadi, who was born in Russia but recently naturalized and made the U14 national team. Nepalese player Dang Munis, who made a name for himself at the 2020 Gold Medal, tried unsuccessfully to play professionally after high school.
Qian Zigang decided to pursue a professional soccer career. “I want to be a tough midfielder like Italy’s Gennaro Gattuso and Chile’s Gary Medel,” he said, ”I want to make my professional debut, even if it’s with K3.