The future of ‘Crown Prince’ Hwang In-beom, who seemed to be in a twist, has suddenly been decided. The destination is Crvena Zvezda, ‘Serbia’s prestigious city’.메이저사이트
Zvezda officially announced on the 5th (Korean time) that they had signed a four-year contract with midfielder Hwang In-beom. Hwang In-beom’s transfer fee has not been disclosed, but according to local media, it is estimated to be 5.5 million euros, or about 7.8 billion won. As a result, Hwang In-beom, who has been at the center of issues all summer, will continue his new soccer career not in the big league, but at Zvezda, a prestigious club in Eastern Europe.
Hwang In-beom’s transfer previously surfaced through reports in Greek and Serbian media. Greek sports media ‘Gazzetta Greece’ simultaneously reported the news of Hwang In-beom’s transfer. The media reported that the transfer fee was 5.5 million euros. At the same time, it was explained that Olympiacos felt burdened by the prolonging dispute with Hwang In-beom, so they allowed the transfer to Zvezda, a team with which they had maintained a good relationship. Another Greek media outlet, Sportal, also said, ‘Olympiacos preferred to earn transfer fees rather than engage in a legal battle with the player.’
Politica, a leading Serbian daily, quoted Tanjug News Agency and said, ‘Hwang In-beom will become a new member of Zvezda. He signed a four-year contract, saying, “About 5 million euros (approximately 7.12 billion won) will be paid over three years.” It was reported as ‘the highest transfer fee in the club’s history’. Politica reported, ‘In-beom Hwang, who had a conflict with the club over the contract period, had already left Olympiakos about a month ago,’ and ‘While the two sides were at a stalemate, Zvezda intervened and succeeded in recruiting In-beom Hwang.’ He continued, ‘Hwang In-beom is the best player in Asia. ‘Zvezda has made the biggest boost to his power in the last 10 years,’ he added.
Hwang In-beom, who played for Kazan, Russia, wore the Olympiakos uniform after playing for FC Seoul in the K-League through special regulations of the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. He was a regular at Olympiacos, appearing in 32 league games, 5 matches in the UEFA Europa League qualifying and final matches, and 3 matches in the Greek Cup. He scored 3 goals and 4 assists in the league, 1 goal in the Europa League qualifiers and 1 goal in the cup competition. Hwang In-beom boasted a strong position to the point where he was selected as Olympiakos’ Player of the Year’ by the league secretariat starting from his debut season, the 2022-2023 season, but he has not been able to appear in an official match even once since the conflict with the club.
Hwang In-beom left Olympiacos and wanted a new challenge. According to soccer industry officials and Greek media reports, In-Beom Hwang directly requested a transfer to Olympiacos and then showed differences of opinion with the Olympiacos team over contract matters. Hwang In-beom claimed that he signed a one-year contract with an option (two years) when he joined the prestigious Greek club Olympiacos in July 2022. Hwang In-beom, who was a member of the Russian club Rubin Kazan at the time of his transfer, recognized that he could not sign a contract for more than one year in accordance with special regulations set by FIFA due to Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine, and reportedly signed a contract with Olympiacos accordingly. . This is the reason for pushing for his transfer this summer, when his one-year contract expires.
A soccer official said, “I understand that a buyout clause was inserted into the contract. Hwang In-beom seems to believe that if a club offers a buyout, he can transfer without consulting with Olympiacos.” The known buyout amount is 3 million euros (about 4.3 billion won). It is understood that there is a club in the German Bundesliga that has shown specific interest in signing him.
Olympiacos is said to be countering that it is a three-year contract without options and that in order to transfer, an appropriate transfer fee must be offered. The club is known to have set the value of Hwang In-beom, who showed irreplaceable performance last season, at more than 10 million euros (about 14.6 billion won). Olympiacos has been using the strategy of ‘buying cheap and selling high’ players for a long time. The position is that Hwang In-beom cannot be sent for a low transfer fee.
It has been reported that both sides have had difficulty finding an agreement as Olympiacos has expressed a hard-line stance through the Greek media, saying it will fight in court. Hwang In-beom, who entered Korea in the middle of last month for reasons such as treatment for a back injury, hoped that this situation would be resolved smoothly and that he could take on a new challenge. He went to Munich, Germany at the end of the transfer window and conducted final negotiations. But in the end, he seemed unable to achieve his goal.
Zvezda extended his hand to Hwang In-beom, who seemed to be in an ambiguous situation. The European transfer market for the big league was already closed, and since Olympiacos was effectively classified as out of the league, Hwang In-beom did not have many options. Zvezda, based in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, is a prestigious team that has won the regular league and cup competitions for three consecutive seasons. They have a history of winning the ‘Yugoslav First Division’, which was the highest league in the region before Yugoslavia collapsed due to civil war in the 1990s, 19 times. They are the strongest team in name and reality, having won the Serbian Superliga nine times. This is their 6th consecutive loss since the 2017-2018 season. As such, they are regular guests at club competitions hosted by UEFA. In the 1990-1991 season, he also took the throne in the European Cup, the predecessor of the European Champions League (UCL).
Hwang In-beom is one of the best midfielders in Korea. Hwang In-beom, who started his professional career with Daejeon Citizen in 2015, began his overseas career in earnest after winning the gold medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. Hwang In-beom played 94 games in Daejeon, scoring 15 goals and 13 assists. In-beom Hwang later joined the American Major League Soccer Vancouver Whitecaps (Canada) in 2019. He quit his job in Vancouver in 2020 and joined Rubin Kazan. Hwang In-beom, who played consistently, established himself as the core of the midfield. He made 38 appearances in all competitions, scoring 6 goals and providing 7 assists.
But an unexpected variable arose. In 2022, war broke out between Russia and Ukraine. The soccer world imposed sanctions on Russia, which started the war, and Hwang In-beom had to quickly find a new team. The destination was FC Seoul of K League 1. A short-term contract was signed. Hwang In-beom played 10 games in two months in Seoul, proving his unique class. Hwang In-beom, who maintained his senses in Seoul and planned for the future, joined Olympiacos, the most prestigious team in Greece.
During this time, Hwang In-beom expanded his position as a member of the national team. He was called the crown prince by coach Paulo Bento and defended the midfield of Korean soccer. Hwang In-beom, who roamed all over the field based on his high activity level, showed outstanding performance with his outstanding soccer sense and skills. He was recognized for his abilities to the point where he was selected by every team he played for. He also played in all matches at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, helping Korea advance to the round of 16. He continues to play an active role as a key midfielder under newly appointed coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Hwang In-beom was also named on the A team’s European expedition list this September. His starting position is likely. Hwang In-beom, who played for the national team at each level, played 45 international matches and scored 5 goals.
It was reported that Hwang In-beom initially received love calls from Italy’s Inter Milan, Atalanta, Napoli, and Turkuy’s Galatasaray, and Germany’s Freiburg, Frankfurt, Augsburg, and Mönchengladbach. He even reached out to Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, which has recently been pouring astronomical sums of money into the company. Although it is not the team I expected, Zvezda is still a team with the best career history in Eastern Europe. Above all, by joining Zvezda, I was able to participate in the UCL. Zvezda is in the same group as defending champion Manchester City in the UCL this season. Hwang In-beom is also expected to have the opportunity to face Manchester City if he moves to Zvezda. In addition to Man City, Zvezda was placed in Group G along with RB Leipzig (Germany) and Young Boys (Switzerland).
After the transfer, Hwang In-beom posted on his SNS, “Thank you to the Olympiacos fans for everything,” and “I will never forget the love I received from the fans.” ‘When I think of the support and love I received last season, all the criticism I’ve received is nothing,’ he said. ‘I would also like to thank my teammates, coaching staff, and support staff. “I am happy to see that they are achieving good results at the beginning of the season,” he said, adding, “I hope they regain the title and achieve success in the Europa League.”
Hwang In-beom’s new challenge has begun. In-beom Hwang finishes his national team schedule and begins his full-fledged career at Zvezda.