The paradox of naturalized players in the Korean national team

Jens Castrop is not highly rated in Korea.

Despite being one of the most high-profile stars in Korean football, playing regularly in the Bundesliga for Borussia Mönchengladbach, Castrop has yet to be given a real chance with the national team. This raises questions about how coach Hong Myung-bo is using his talent, and even raises suspicions of internal conflicts within the national team and the Korea Football Association (KFA).

In the 2-0 win over Bolivia on November 14, Castrop was only brought on in the 85th minute of the second half, playing for just five minutes. Previously, in October, Castrop did not even get a single minute of use in the 2-0 win over Paraguay.

Castrop officially transferred his German nationality to South Korea in August, witnessing the first time the Korean team used a naturalized German player. Since then, South Korea has played 6 friendly matches, but the defender has not played more than 45 minutes.

This has left many fans disappointed and confused. Despite the Korean squad being short-handed due to the injury of Park Yong-woo (who is out for the entire season with a knee problem) and the absence of key players like Hwang In-beom and Paik Seung-ho, Castrop is still ranked behind Won Du-jae and Kim Jin-gyu in the priority list.

Castrop plays as a mainstay in the Bundesliga for Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Coach Hong Myung-bo said he had limited use of new players because they needed more time to understand his tactics. However, this explanation did not ease expectations for Castrop, who quit the German national team to play for South Korea, to be tested more, especially when the midfield is in need of creativity and new energy.

Born to a German father and a Korean mother, Castrop was born in Düsseldorf in 2003 and played for Germany's youth teams from U16 to U21. Castrop joined Mönchengladbach in the summer of 2025 and quickly made his mark with the club's "September Player of the Month" award. However, Castrop was still not appreciated by coach Hong Myung-bo, having to be ranked behind several names playing in the K League.

Many believe that Castrop’s versatility and Bundesliga experience make him an ideal candidate to address the weaknesses in the current Korean squad. He is seen as a potential solution to two positions that coach Hong Myung-bo is struggling with: right-back and central midfielder.

However, coach Hong Myung-bo seemed too conservative when not using Castrop. Instead, Won Du-jae, coach Hong Myung-bo's former student at Ulsan HD was given priority.

Many believe that Hong Myung-bo’s approach reflects the division within the Korean national team, as there has been opposition to the naturalization of players to the national team. Korean coaches have long been known for their conservatism, tending to stick with familiar faces, instead of taking risks and experimenting.

That was unfair to Castrop. He had to go through a difficult naturalization process with the KFA. This process not only required the consent of both football federations (Germany and Korea) but also caused great controversy in his home country of Germany, where the media called him a "traitor".

The German Football Association (DFB) is even considering strengthening measures to prevent similar cases in the future, raising further doubts about whether the KFA is making full use of his potential.

Source: https://znews.vn/nghich-ly-cau-thu-nhap-tich-o-tuyen-han-quoc-post1603361.html