South Korea have picked Jens Castrop for their upcoming friendly matches against the United States and Mexico. He is the first foreign-born player to be selected for the men’s national team.
Castrop was born in Germany to a German father and South Korean mother. He used to play for Germany’s youth teams but recently asked FIFA to let him switch to play for South Korea instead.
The 22-year-old midfielder now plays for Borussia Monchengladbach and has also played for Koln and Nurnberg. He joins well-known players like team captain Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in in the 26-man squad.
South Korea’s manager Hong Myung-Bo included Castrop as the team begins getting ready for the next World Cup, which will be their 11th in a row.
It is not very common in South Korea to pick players born abroad, unlike in countries like China and Japan. However, this is slowly changing. Last year, striker Casey Phair became the first mixed-heritage player to play for South Korea’s women’s team at the World Cup.
