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'New King of Feyenoord'Hwang In-beom conquers Eredivisie, Netherlands.
On the 8th (Korea time), global media ESPN unveiled the 8th round of Lee Ju's team to Eredivisie in the 2024-2025 season. Hwang In-beom proudly made his name. It's already the second choice. In particular, Hwang In-beom was selected as the best player this round and recognized for his ability. ESPN praised 'It's really impressive to be able to show your presence in such a short time.
Hwang In-beom scored his Feyenoord debut goal last weekend. Hwang In-beom started as a one-volanch in the 8th round of the Netherlands' Eredivisie 4-1-4-1 formation against Tvente at Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on the 6th. Hwang In-beom scored his Feyenoord debut goal and his first goal on the Dutch stage with a powerful left-footed mid-range shot in the 43rd minute of the first half when he was leading 1-0 due to Ayase Ueda's goal in the 28th minute. Feyenoord gave up a comeback goal to Sam Stein in the 34th minute of the second half, and Hwang In-beom's goal became the winning goal of the day. Hwang In-beom scored one goal, 67 times of ball touch, 91% of pass success rate, 7 long passes (five times of success), 5 times of competition (two times of success), 2 times of FIFA and 2 times of clear. The soccer statistics media Sofa Score gave Hwang In-beom a 7.6 rating, the highest in the team.
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Speaking to ESPN after the game, Hwang said "We scored two goals, and they scored only one. This is the car. I think both teams were a little tired last week because of the European match, but I'm proud of my team members for fighting until the end. "We were tough in the first half hour, but we recovered well and scored two great points. However, losing points at the end of the game is something we need to improve. It is especially important to concentrate until the end. Still, I'm happy with this victory."
Then "That's really cool. I've already come to love this club, the city, and the people. Everyone is so kind to me and my family. I want to show my wife and child how kind the people here are and how nice this city is. I'm very proud to be here, to be able to play for this club."Everyone should be grateful to be able to play for such a big club. You have to be mentally and physically prepared to play for such a big club. I'm glad to be here. Olympiacos and Zvezda are also big clubs. You shouldn't be tired when you see the fans filling the stadium here. I feel like I have to give everything."
There was a compliment relay after the game. Billum van Hanneham, a legendary Dutch midfielder and Feyenoord legend, praised Hwang after the match against Tvente. He said "I like Hwang In-beom the most (of Feyenoord players). His weak-footed goal today was a moment that made him believe he could make the team better in the future."
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Van Hanheum is considered to be a legend of legends such as Cha Bum-keun and Heo Jeong-moo in Korea. In the 1960s and 1980s, he was a member of the Dutch national team along with Joan Cruyff and led the team to the second place in the 1974 West German World Cup. He also started in the World Cup final against West Germany. Van Hanneham, who combined pass ability, sense and defense, played 52 A matches (six goals). In 1971, he won the Dutch Player of the Year award over Cruyff. Every word has a different weight.
Van Hanneham said on the 5th of last month that he watched the first match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup between South Korea and Palestine, where Hwang In-beom played, "If you are curious about Hwang In-beom (who he is), look at the play yourself. I can see that he is a very good player. Feyenoord recruited a really good player," he once said. Hwang In-beom is quickly making his mark as the legend expected.
Another Feyenoord legend, Kareem El-Amadi, said "I think Hwang In-beom is a true leader in every way. Sometimes he crosses the line with a foul, but he is very good even when it is almost impossible in terms of pressing and owning the ball." ESPN analyst Keith Kwakman "Hwang moved forward throughout the second half. That was the difference between Feyenoord and Tventor. Feyenoord's pressure really benefits when he is with Hwang In-beom. He was one of the players moving forward when he applied pressure, and as a result, Tventer could not play his own football"Hwang In-beom is a good soccer player who makes good choices. A player who sometimes goes beyond his limits and adds something to his team."
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Quinton Timber added "Hwang In-beom immediately completed his adjustment not long after he joined the team. He is good at communicating and quick at judging situations. I also give a lot of coaching to my team members. He's a really good player who can use both feet freely. I'm so glad to be on the same team as him. I always talk about high pressure intensity, and he's the most ideal model to match it," he said with a thumbs up.
Hwang In-beom doesn't need an adaptor. Hwang In-beom was previously named Player of the Month in just one month. Feyenoord announced on the club's official website on the 5th that Hwang In-beom was 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.
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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.
Hwang In-beom's debut made a strong impression. ESPN revealed Lee Ju's team in the sixth round to Eredivisie, and Hwang In-beom was proudly named. 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.
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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.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
