Wearing a red ‘Red Star’ jersey, Hwang In-beom immediately declared war on Manchester City upon joining the club.
He showed that he would not back down from the UEFA Champions League in five days’ time. As the highest transfer fee in history, Hwang put his pride as a signature player on the line and announced his intentions to fight against the strongest team in Europe. Hwang’s new team also has a history of European championships, making the matchup with Man City even more exciting.
After the A-match break, Hwang In-bum finally joined the prestigious Serbian club FK Zvezda. Zvezda officially announced the signing of Hwang In-bum through the club’s website on the 14th (KST), saying, “At the Stadion Raiko Mitic Media Center, we are pleased to introduce Hwang In-bum, who has signed a four-year contract with our club and received the number 66.”
Zvezda means “red star” in Serbian. Therefore, in Europe, Zvezda is commonly known as the Red Star. Hwang In-beom joined Klinsmann’s squad before the A-match break, having already finalized his move to Zvezda. The move came about because the transfer deadline in Serbia is a few days later than in Western Europe (September 2). Hwang In-bum became the first South Korean to join one of the most prestigious clubs in Eastern Europe.
Hwang, who wears the number 66, has a four-year contract. The transfer fee is 5.5 million euros (approximately 7.8 billion won).
Zvezda was home to a number of star players during the heyday of Yugoslav soccer in the 1990s. Sinisa Mikhailovic, who made a name for himself with his long-range free kicks, Dragan Stojkovic, one of the best technicians in Eastern Europe and a longtime manager of a Japanese J-League club, and Dejan Savicevic, a star striker for an era at AC Milan, all came through Zvezda.
In his signing interview, Hwang said: “I’m excited to come to Red Star and play in front of the fantastic fans. I’m grateful to the people at Zvezda for signing me and giving me the opportunity to play for such a big club,” said Hwang.
“I arrived in Belgrade (Serbia’s capital) last night and I’m really happy. I think my wife will love the city. I’m really happy to be here,” he added with excitement.
When asked about the history of Zvezda, Hwang showed his respect for the club, saying, “I know that Zvezda is not only the biggest club in Serbia, but also one of the biggest clubs in Europe.” “They won the Champions League in 1991, and not many clubs in Europe can boast of that,” he added.
Zvezda qualified for the UEFA Champions League again in the 2023/24 season. They will host defending champions Manchester City in the first leg of the group stage on June 20. Zvezda is drawn in Group G in this year’s Champions League alongside Manchester City (England), RB Leipzig (Germany), and BSC Young Boys (Switzerland).
“The Champions League is a big reason why I’m here,” said Hwang. We all want to play in the best competition in the world,” he said, adding, “I’m ready to play for Zvezda with my teammates to introduce myself to the fans.”
“There is no easy group in the Champions League. We’re a good team, and we’re happy to play against big European clubs like Man City,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it, and we’re not afraid of anyone. I think we can beat anybody in Group G,” he said confidently.
Zvezda will immediately face Manchester City, who won all three major competitions last season – the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup – in the first leg of their Champions League Group G tie at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England at 4:00 a.m. on October 20. For Hwang In-bum, it will be his Champions League debut against one of the most powerful teams in the world, City, on a stage that every soccer player wants to play on at least once.
Hwang In-Beom’s determination is unparalleled.
He has already tantalized fans by revealing that he sought advice from his Premier League teammates, including Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan, before facing City. “I asked them about Man City and they all said that I should be ready to run non-stop for 90 minutes. This is something I can do. We have to win in the Champions League, and we have to play for a draw through defense. I’m ready to help the team and I’m ready to run like a dog.”
On the pressure of being the club’s highest ever transfer fee, he added: “It’s good to have pressure. I’m happy to be at a big club and it doesn’t affect me if I’m the most expensive signing. The pressure is not because I’m paid a lot of money, it’s because I fit in with this club. I will do my best to help the team, to show my personality and to score a lot of goals with my assists,” he said.
Since the official announcement of his signing, Hwang has been working hard to fit in with the Zvezda team, even releasing photos of his training sessions. Local media outlets have also been following the news and expressing their excitement about Hwang.
Serbian daily Danas reported the news of Hwang’s signing on the 15th, calling him “Zvezda’s most expensive signing ever.”
“Zvezda paid the highest price ever for Hwang In-bum,” Danas said. He is excited to join the ranks of former European champions and to play in a Champions League match in front of passionate fans. He is expected to play in a No. 10 role, linking the back line and the attack.”
“Hwang In-Bum is one of many players representing South Korea in Europe alongside Tottenham ace Son Heung-Min. He was one of the favorite players of Paulo Bento, who led the South Korean national team to the World Cup in Qatar last year, and was nicknamed the ‘crown prince,'” he added, noting Hwang’s national team experience.
Earlier, Serbian media outlet Republika Srpska detailed the player’s history. “Red Star’s new midfielder is not an ordinary soccer player,” the newspaper said on May 5.
“Hwang has a very interesting biography, which will appeal to fans,” Repubblica said. He is the most expensive freshman in the team’s history. He started his career in Daejeon, where he became the youngest goalscorer in Daejeon’s history, and went on to make his mark in the MLS with Vancouver. He then returned to Seoul via Rubin Kazan and arrived at Zvezda from Olympiakos,” said Hwang In-bum about his soccer career.
The media outlet even mentioned details about Hwang Inbum. “He played soccer in buildings, even on the fourth floor of his apartment, and with the support of his father, he was able to play inside the apartment with blankets on the floor to reduce the impact of the ball. His dog was named coover because he loved the Canadian city so much,” Repubblica said, referring to his childhood and even his dog.
“He’s also an interesting character in love. He doesn’t have a girlfriend, but he has a wife. He’s already married. He is happily in love to this day, and he will have the greatest support from his other half in Zvezda,” he added, noting his marriage.카지노사이트
“He is loyal not only to his country, family, and wife, but also to the club he plays for. He gives his best in every game, and the fans love him and thank him publicly. So there is no doubt that he will do his best in a Zvezda jersey and that he will be loved by the fans,” he said, expressing strong faith in Hwang’s performance and loyalty.
Hwang In-Beom is now looking forward to playing in front of the ‘blue’ Man City after wearing red. It will be interesting to see how his bold declarations against the world’s most powerful team translate into play.
In addition to City, Zvezda is drawn in a group with German upstart Leipzig and traditional Swiss powerhouse Young Bois. With the first and second place finishers in each group advancing to the round of 16, the third place finishers dropping down to the Europa League, and the last place finishers being eliminated, it will be interesting to see if Hwang In-beom can be the center of the blue for Zvezda, who are classified as the ‘underdogs’.