Bentuho’s key fullback Kim Moon-hwan (27, Jeonbuk) said in a recent interview with Sports Chosun’s soccer YouTube channel ‘Ball Banchan Reporters’, “During the World Cup, we often gathered in Na Sang-ho’s room.” As it turns out, ‘Na Sanghobang’ was a kind of gathering place where the 95-97 line (born between 1995 and 1997), who were reborn as the main axis of the national team, gathered. Sang-ho Na (26, Seoul) Mun-hwan Kim, Min-jae Kim (26, Naples) Hee-chan Hwang (26, Wolverhampton) In-beom Hwang (26, Olympiacos) Seung-ho Baek (25, Jeonbuk) and others gathered in this room, what the hell happened? On the day Lionel Messi (35, Paris Saint-Germain) won the World Cup (19th), I met the owner of the room at a cafe in front of the Seoul World Cup Stadium and asked him directly.
Na Sang-ho laughed, saying, “Not only during the 2022 Qatar World Cup, but also when the national team is called up, everyone gathers in my room. Mainly we eat snacks and chat. It is a daily life that is no different from our men in their mid-20s. “There is something inconvenient. No matter how much I sleep, no one tries to clean up the food I ate. I had friends who didn’t clean up too. I’m a scary person when I’m angry,” he said with a good face and sent a warning message (?) to his ‘best friends’. It is unclear how great the impact will be.
I was curious about the other half of the ‘talk’ that took place in ‘My Room’. Because the ‘core’ will be in it. Na Sang-ho said, “My friends play in different countries and leagues. We talk about what we’re doing, what’s good and what’s not so good, and we talk about our worries.” Na Sang-ho, who dreams of advancing to Europe, probably has a few questions. He continued, “When I started my first game against Uruguay, Min-jae In-beom, Mun-hwan-i, Seung-ho, Hee-chan, and (Cho) Yu-min all said good things. We do it a lot, so (breathing in the stadium) works well. If we talk about what each other needs, we listen.”
The tight camaraderie of the 95-97 lines created a synergistic effect in the stadium. Na Sang-ho made a surprise appearance in the first game of the group stage against Uruguay, where key side striker Hwang Hee-chan was absent due to injury, and filled the void with 안전놀이터 vigorous activity and fighting spirit beyond expectations. Na Sang-ho played a big role in giving us an advantage against Uruguay. Hwang Hee-chan, who skipped the match against Uruguay and Ghana, was put in as a joker in the third match against Portugal, where the fate of the round of 16 was at stake, and scored a ‘final goal in the round of 16’. Baek Seung-ho scored Korea’s only goal in the round of 16 match against Brazil, which was his World Cup debut. Na Sang-ho gave a thumbs up, saying, “Hee-chan and Min-jae were injured during the competition. It would be unpleasant at times like that, but they overcame it well on their own without showing a single blemish.”
The 95~97 line was the link between the 92 line centered on Son Heung-min, Hwang Ui-jo, Lee Jae-seong, and Kim Jin-soo, and the juniors. Na Sang-ho said, “Min-jae plays the role of mood maker and jokes around with his hyungs, so I think the hyungs treated us comfortably. It was an atmosphere of free communication.” Our national team, which is inferior in terms of objective power, accomplished the splendid feat of advancing to the round of 16 in the World Cup for the first time in 12 years with this ‘one team spirit’. Na Sang-ho said, “In the group stage, we came together as a team and got good content and results against teams with good individual capabilities. But in Brazil, even if all the players did well, it was difficult because they did too well.”
Na Sang-ho noticed a lot of things he felt during his first World Cup experience at the age of 27 in Korea. He said, “While playing the game, I felt that there were definitely areas where I could do well against world-class players. At the same time, I felt that there were so many things I lacked. I was convinced that I could show good performances even overseas.” Na Sang-ho, who recalled his experience of failure in Japan (FC Tokyo), said, “I wonder how far my limits are.” However, he said that he had no intention of going to ‘Europe following his friends’ and that he would consider his future carefully as he had the heavy title of ‘Chief of FC Seoul’.
The 2026 World Cup in North and Central America, which will be held in four years, is a tournament centered on the 95-97 line. Na Sang-ho, who was thanked several times at the restaurant after returning to Korea, said, “It was the Qatar World Cup that I was grateful for just participating in the game. It was also a tournament where I felt that I could give joy to the fans while playing my favorite soccer game.” I want to shine the Republic of Korea at the same time,” he said, revealing his strong aspirations. However, the World Cup in North and Central America is still a long way off. Na Sang-ho, who is about to start the third season wearing a Seoul uniform, said, “I left fans disappointed with poor results last season. This time, the winter training period is long and there are not many ‘Pakshin Days’ where weekday and weekend games are held, so Seoul is doing well enough. I think I can do it,” he said. “Personally, I will try to make better use of my strengths, such as breakthrough and shooting, which did not come out well last season. Please look forward to the original Na Sang-ho.”