Center back Kim Ji-soo (20), who is drawing attention as the future of Korean soccer, has finally made his debut in the first division after advancing to Europe. It is the first time in a year and three months since he moved to the European leagues in June last year.
Kim Ji-soo played as a substitute in the 32nd minute of the second half of the 2024-25 Carabao Cup 토토사이트 (League Cup) third round (32 strongest) home game against Leyton Orient (third division) at G-Tech Community Stadium in Brentford, England on the 18th (Korea time) and played 20 minutes, including extra time. He has been on the replacement list several times but has not been able to reach his European debut.
Kim Ji-soo played for Seongnam FC in the K-League 1 before moving to Brentford in June last year. During his first season, he was promoted to the first team frequently while playing for Brentford B team, and was listed as a substitute in eight English Premier League matches. However, he had little chance to make his European debut, but after officially being promoted to the first team ahead of this season, he was put to the test for the first time on the day.
Though she played for a long time, Kim maintained stable defense line and displayed her presence. There was one competition between ground and air balls, all of which were successful in winning the ball. Various indicators also showed positive performance, including one interception and 94 percent pass success rate (17 attempts, 16 successful attempts). The score of SofaScore was 6.8 and the score of Potmob was 6.5.
Brentford used social media to highlight former B team players Kim Ji-soo and Tony Yogone. Kim drew attention by using the "brick" emoticon. Wall, which means firm defense, is also the most welcome expression for a defender.
Following Lee Han-beom (Mit Willan), who made his European debut in November last year, Kim Ji-soo will also make his European debut, which will brighten the prospects of the next generation of center backs who will lead the future of Korean soccer. Lee Han-beom recently joined the A team at the request of Hong Myung-bo, and Kim Ji-soo was already called to the A team under former coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
Brentford, meanwhile, advanced to the fourth round after a 3-1 come-from-behind victory over Leyton on the day. Depending on the match, chances are high that Kim Ji-soo will be put to the test again. On the same day, Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City, Division 2) also started in the League Cup match against Freewood Town (division 4) and played 63 minutes. Stoke City also qualified for the fourth round after a close penalty shootout.