"I’ll Be a Starting Player for World Cup"

The `last test` for Hiddink’s team has begun.

The Korean national soccer team, which has left to Europe for field training, finished its first session on the 7th. The team arrived in Spain last night (local time) and spent an hour for stretching, running, and passing practices during the afternoon today. This day’s training was quite light for overcoming jet lag and controlling physical conditions, but players seemed serious and tensed.

They all knew well that this would be the last opportunity to survive in `Hiddink’s division` and participate in the World Cup. That is why even Kim Tae-Young (Junnam Dragons), who is not completely well physically because of injury during the U.S. field training that continued from the year’s beginning to last month, and Lee Yim-Saeng (Buchon SK) joined to show their `eagerness`. Only that Choi Tae-Wook (Anyang LG), who is currently participating in recovery training, and Lee Min-Sung (Pusan Icons) missed the team training.

Coach Hiddink appointed Kim Tae-Yong as a temporary captain to encourage other players. He sincerely showed his concern for `the eldest` Hong Myeong-Bo (Pohang Steelers), who just returned to the team recently, by saying after the first training session, ¡°It will only be a burden for Hong Myeong-Bo to become the captain right now.¡°

Also after the training, Hiddink ordered the players to watch the finals of The Spanish Cup between Real Madrid and Deportivo de La Coruna on TV during the evening. The team is to discuss and analyze about this match in the afternoon on the 8th.

Meanwhile, several European league scouts appeared at the training field on the day. They included England Premier league Aston Villa’s Brian King, England’s Arsenal, and Netherland’s Feyenoord and Ajax Amsterdam. Spain’s local daily newspapers also held interviews with Hiddink to express their interests in the Korean team’s training.

Sung-Won Joo swon@donga.com