The 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup, which will determine the best in Asian football, will open on the 12th in three days. Korean soccer has great aspirations to win the Asian Cup.This is because they have not been able to lift the Asian Cup trophy for over 60 years since losing twice in a row in the first competition in 1956 and the second competition in 1960.The Korean national team, led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, will challenge for its first championship in 64 years with the strongest team of all time, including Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich).
Ahead of the opening of the tournament, the Korea Football Association introduced the Korean national team’s major records in the Asian Cup. The country that has won the most Asian Cups is their archrival Japan, who has reached the top four times.Korea ranks 4th after Iran and Saudi Arabia (3 times).Unfortunately, Korea finished second four times.It holds the record for the most in this category.In terms of overall record, Korea has 36 wins, 16 draws, and 15 losses in 67 matches.It ranks second in terms of number of wins after Iran (41 wins out of 68 matches).Third place in most wins is Japan with 30 wins.Korea’s largest goal difference victory in Asian Cup history was when they defeated Vietnam 5-1 in the 1960 tournament.The 2-6 loss to Iran in the 1996 tournament remains the record for the most goals conceded.
Among Korean players, the youngest scorer in all competitions is Son Heung-min (Tottenham).Son Heung-min scored his international debut goal against India in the Qatar Asian Cup in January 2011 when he was 18 years and 194 days old.He was studying abroad in Germany at the time, and if he had been attending school in Korea, he would have been about to graduate from high school.There is still no Korean player who has scored a goal in an A match as a high school student.The second and third youngest scorers are also ‘legends’ of Korean soccer.Second place is Suwon FC general manager Choi Soon-ho (18 years, 249 days), who scored against Malaysia in the 1980 tournament, and third place is former Suwon Samsung coach Cha Bum-geun (18 years, 353 days), who scored his international debut goal against Thailand in the 1972 tournament. .Meanwhile, the oldest scorer is the late coach Choi Jeong-min (33 years, 99 days), who scored in the 스포츠토토존 1960 game against Vietnam held at Hyochang Stadium in Seoul.