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You don't need to adjust. 'The Crown Prince'Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) has established himself as Feyenoord's ace in just one month.
Feyenoord announced on the club's official website on the 5th (Korea time) that `Hwang In-beom has been selected as the player of the month in September.' Feyenoord said `Hwang In-beom received his first individual award at our club, more than a month after he was announced to join the transfer market on September 2nd.' Hwang In-beom said, `I don't know if I deserve this award, but I will consider this award as a gift and use it as an opportunity to show better performance in the future.'
Hwang In-beom played for Serbia's Tsurvena Zvezda and moved to the stage early last month by wearing a Feyenoord uniform. Hwang In-beom was considered the MVP of the Serbian league last season and was recognized for his value. It is true that Hwang In-beom, who had been steadily knocking on the door of the European big leagues after overseas expansion, also waited for proposals from the so-called four major leagues (England, Italy, Spain, and Germany) in the transfer market this summer. Serbian media reported interest in Real Betis (Spain) and Crystal Palace (England). It has also been linked to multiple Bundesliga clubs.
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Hwang In-beom's choice was Feyenoord. He signed a contract with the club until 2028. The transfer fee is not known, but according to Serbian media, Hwang In-beom reportedly recorded a transfer fee of around 10 million euros (KRW 14.5 billion), the highest in the club's history. Hwang In-beom "I'm very happy to be here in Feyenoord. Teammate Urosi Spic told me that my decision to go to Feyenoord was right. Feyenoord is the biggest club I've ever played. Feyenoord is also the biggest club in Europe. I want to stay here for a long time. I know the stadium is full at every home game, so I'm looking forward to showing my fans what I look like."
Hwang In-beom instantly emerged as Feyenoord's best midfielder.
Hwang In-beom did not play immediately because he still has a transfer process. However, he made a strong impression as soon as he entered the tournament. Hwang In-beom played full-time for 90 minutes in a home game against NAC Breda in the sixth round of the Netherlands' Eredivisie in 2024-2025 season at Stadion Feyenoord in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on the 22nd of last month. This day was Hwang In-beom's debut in Eredivisie.
He supported his team's first scoreless victory of the season with 87 ball touches, four shots, an 82% pass success rate (53 successful), three key passes, four successful ground matches (7 attempts), two fouls, two fouls, two tackles, and two interceptions. Feyenoord won 2-0. Coach Brian Friske put Hwang in the sixth position, but he went back and forth between the second and third lines nonstop. A statistical company 'Sofascore' scored 7.4 points.
After his debut, he received a lot of praise. Friske expressed great satisfaction with "Exactly the player we were looking for" He then raised his thumb, saying, "Hwang In-beom plays with tremendous intensity, and his smartness stands out when he carries the ball and passes." On the background of putting Hwang in the sixth position, Friske said, "(A team with aggressive colors like Feyenoord) should have players with aggressive capabilities in place. Andrea Pirlo was like that, and Hwang In-beom was like that."
Center back David Hantzko, 27, said "Hwang In-beom should have joined sooner."I regretted my belated debut. "He plays a lot of distance, he moves back and forth for defence," Hantzko said, noting that Matz Biffer, 25, who moved to Brighton last summer for a club record €30m, and Hwang In-beom are similar in style.
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Global media ESPN revealed the team of Lee Ju to the Netherlands' Eredivisie. Hwang In-beom proudly made his name. Hwang was selected as a central midfielder along with billem's Cisse Sandra in the 3-4-3 formation. In addition to Hwang In-beom, Sandra, Malik Tillman (PSV), Ueda Ayase (Feyenoord), Ibrahim Sadiq (Alkmaar), Mohammed Naso (Sparta Rotterdam), Sem Steyn, Anas Salah Edin (Tvente), Gerrit Nowber, Mats Dale (Gorehead) and Fabian de Kaser (Hercules) were selected.
Hwang In-beom made his Feyenoord debut through the first leg of the European Champions League Leeds phase with Bayer Leverkusen on the 20th. Hwang In-beom ranked first in the team's rating, showing why Feyenoord paid a large amount of money to recruit him. Hwang In-beom is quickly proving his true value in the Netherlands, as he has done so far. Hwang In-beom will join the national team ahead of the third and fourth rounds of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 North-China World Cup after playing the eighth round of the Eredivisie with Tventor on the 6th.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
