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Hong Myung-bo eyeing Jens Castrop for Korean national team

Published: 12 Mar. 2025, 10:20

Jens Castrop [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Korean national team manager Hong Myung-bo discussed the potential naturalization of multiracial German midfielder Jens Castrop during his squad announcement for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Monday, noting that while he has been observed, his integration is more complicated than just recognition of his on-field abilities.

Hong confirmed that he had watched Castrop, was born to a German father and Korean mother, play in Germany. A member of Hong's coaching staff has also briefly spoken with Castrop’s mother.

The discussions surrounding Castrop’s eligibility for the Korean national team are not new. Last March, former national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann had pushed for Castrop’s inclusion. Hong traveled to Germany in January to observe Castrop during a match between 1. FC Nürnberg and Schalke. Castrop recorded an assist in that game.

Despite these observations, Hong was cautious about integrating a naturalized player into the team.

“National teams get two or three days of training before a match, and I don’t want the team’s direction to shift significantly," he said. "I am thinking more long-term.”

Hong’s approach reflects his concern about disrupting the team’s stability, especially after a period of uncertainty.

Castrop currently plays for 2. Bundesliga club 1. FC Nürnberg. He primarily plays as a central midfielder or fullback, positions where Korea has traditionally been weak. While he has represented Germany at youth levels, he has yet to be called up to the senior national team. In football, appearing in a competitive FIFA sanctioned senior-level match permanantly ties a player to that country. If Castrop ever makes it to the German squad in a competitive game, the door is closed on Korea forever.

The case of naturalized players does have precedent even in Korea. Casey Fair, with a Korean mother and an American father, represented Korea in the women’s World Cup. However, attempts to naturalize Brazilian players like Masiel in 2002, Éninho in 2012, and Sérgio in 2022 have all failed.

In 2021, U-20 national team coach Chung Jung-yong also pursued the naturalization of Marvin Park, a multiracial player for Spanish club Real Madrid. However, complications led to the plan being abandoned.

Las Palmas' Marvin Park, left, in action against Sergio Gonzalez of CD Leganes during a La Liga match at Estadio Municipal de Butarque in Leganes, Spain on Aug. 25, 2024. [EPA/YONHAP]

There has also been talk of naturalizing players from the K League under the “homegrown” initiative. Bato Samuel, a 19-year-old player for FC Seoul, is one example. He was born to parents from the Ivory Coast but grew up in Korea and is treated as a domestic player in the K League.

For Korean men, the biggest barrier to naturalization is the military service issue and questions over how dual citizenship in sports interacts with Korea's strict military service law.

Outside of Korea, naturalization in football is very common.

Indonesia has recently naturalized three players, including Italian-born goalkeeper Emil Audero, after appointing Patrick Kluivert as coach.

Korea is one of just four countries that did not field a naturalized player at the 2022 World Cup, alongside Argentina, Brazil and Saudi Arabia.

BY PARK RIN [[email protected]]