Borussia Mönchengladbach, a traditional German master, gained the status of a "pro-Asian club" in an instant.
Mixed-race midfielder Jens Kastroff was selected for the first time for the Korean national soccer A team on the 25th, transforming it into a club with three representative players from Asian countries. There are three players, including Dutch-born Indonesian national center back Kevin Diggs and Japanese national striker Machino Shuto. Mönchengladbach signed Kastrov, Dix and Machino from Nuremberg, Copenhagen and Holstein Kiel respectively in this summer's transfer window. He spent 4.5 million euros (about 6.7 billion won) in transfer fees to recruit Castrov, the center midfielder and side defender of No. 17.
Diggs, who served as a Dutch age-specific representative, naturalized as Indonesia's national team in October 2024 and has played five A matches so far. Machino, who scored 11 goals in the Bundesliga for Holstein in the 2024-2025 season, has four goals in eight A matches. Coincidentally, 'Asian Three Musketeers' was included in the replacement list against Hamburg and replaced in the second half side by side. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.
Born to a Korean mother and a German father, Kastrov sought naturalization to wear the national flag. It has been changed to within Germany to serve as a representative of various age groups in Germany.
FIFA stipulates that the reason for changing its association is to play for the national team. Kastrov left open the possibility of going to Korea, saying, `I have the German flag and the Korean flag.' The Klinsman and Hong Myung-bo observed the player in person one after another with Kastrov in mind. Coach Hong Myung-ho watched Castrov make his Bundesliga debut as a substitute in the second half of the opening match of the German Bundesliga in the 2025-2026 season against Hamburg on the 25th.
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| At the Seoul Shinmun-ro Football Center on the 25th, Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the national soccer team, announced the list of call-ups for the two consecutive A matches in September. Director Hong Myung-bo answers questions. Reporter Huh Sang-wook @sportschosun.com/2025.08.25/ |
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Coach Hong Myung-bo, who is preparing for the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup finals, which will open in June next year, suddenly selected Castrov to the A-match list in September on the 25th. At a press conference held at the Korea Football Center in the afternoon, Hong said, `He is young, but he has already grown steadily by experiencing it on the German stage. Above all, I appreciated that he showed a strong will and responsibility to join Korea. I hope you adapt quickly this time. He did not hide his expectations, saying, "His passion will be an advantage and revitalize."
He is a slightly different type of player from the center midfielder in the third line. There are Hwang In-beom, Kim Jin-gyu, Park Yong-woo, and Won Doo-jae, but (Kastrov) is a fighter. It's a very rough style in it. I think it would be good to think that the type is a little different from the third-term players now. I think it could be a plus for our team."
Kastrov will join the national team after an away match in Stuttgart on the 30th. The national team plans to compete in good faith in the midfield with Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), Park Yong-woo (Al Ain), and Kim Jin-kyu (Jeonbuk). South Korea will play two straight A-match friendly matches against the U.S. and Mexico on Sept. 6 and 9, respectively, in the U.S.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
