Lingard is not Lee Seung-woo. CIES is ranked No. 1 in the K-League market value, second Park Ji-sung Kang Sang-yoon is No. 2 Lee Ho-jae, and third is Shin Min-ha

Jul 22, 2025

The E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) match between South Korea and Hong Kong at Yongin Mir Stadium in Gyeonggi Province on the afternoon of the 11th. Kang Sang-yoon is cheering after scoring the first goal. Yongin = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.11/

'Second Park Ji-sung'Kang Sang-yoon (21, Jeonbuk Hyundai) has emerged as the best gem in the K League.

The International Football Institute (CIES) under FIFA recently revealed the estimated market value of players from major leagues around the world. Since 2013, CIES has valued players' markets through its own evaluation model. In the K-League, Kang Sang-yoon ranked first, beating Jesse Lingard from Manchester United and Lee Seung-woo from Jeonbuk Hyundai. Kang Sang-yoon's market value reached 3.6 million euros, or about 5.8 billion won. It was evaluated as a 'post-K-League class'. Of course, in the actual transfer, value does not lead to ransom due to various variables.

However, it is meaningful in that it exceeds the transfer fees of Yang Min-hyuk (Tottenham), Yoon Do-young (Excelcior), and Park Seung-soo (Newcastle), who recently left for Europe. This means that Kang Sang-yoon's skills and development potential are highly regarded.

Kang Sang-yoon is one of the best midfielders in the K-League this season. Kang Sang-yoon, who boasts tremendous activity, excellent sense and high-quality skills, is playing as the center of Jeonbuk's waist along with Kim Jin-kyu and Park Jin-seop in Gus Foye's trust. Kang Sang-yoon, who was called the `second Park Ji-sung' early on due to his similar appearance and play style, is exploding the potential he showed through the lease of Suwon FC last season.

The E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) match between South Korea and Hong Kong at Yongin Mir Stadium in Gyeonggi Province on the afternoon of the 11th. Lee Ho-jae is cheering after scoring an additional goal. Yongin = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.11/

Recently, even the A national team has been named. Kang Sang-yoon, who was additionally selected in the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup), made his A-match debut in the first match against China, followed by his A-match debut goal in the second match against Hong Kong. While playing on the left and right sides of Jeonbuk, he impressed coach Hong Myung-bo. Kang Sang-yoon will challenge for the final entry for the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup.

Kang Sang-yoon, who is only 21 years old now, has endless potential for development. If he wins a gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games next year and receives military service benefits, his value is expected to rise further.

After Kang Sang-yoon, Pohang Steelers striker Lee Ho-jae (25) ranked second in the K-League market value. Lee Ho-jae was rated 3.3 million euros (about 5.4 billion won). Lee Ho-jae, who has scored nine goals this season, even wore the national flag at the East Asian Cup. Lee Ho-jae, who has enormous physical strength and height, is a valuable target-type striker in Europe and is already highly regarded by the market. Recently, he also received an official proposal from Belgium's Jülter Barreham.

In third place is Gangwon FC defender Shin Min-ha (20). He was valued at 3.2 million euros and about 5.2 billion won. Shin Min-ha, who wore No. 47, the symbol of Gangwon's promising player Yang Min-hyuk, is actively playing as Gangwon's main defender this season.

Jeon Jin-woo (26, Jeonbuk), the top scorer in the scoring, who is drawing attention from the English Championship West Bromwich, ranked fourth with 2.1 million euros (about 3.4 billion won). Jeonbuk Park Jin-seop (30), Compagno (29), and Pohang Hong Yoon-sang (23) tied for fifth with 1.7 million euros (about 2.8 billion won).

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.