Ulsan Hyundai defensive midfielder Won Du-jae, arguably Asian football’s most exciting defensive talent for the future, had already impressed his coach Kim Do-hoon without kicking a ball. He took on a challenge head on in the 2020 AFC Champions League East Zone centralized tournament being hosted in Qatar.
The Most Valuable Player of South Korea’s win at the 2020 AFC U-23 Championships in January had kept up a positive demeanour while in quarantine in the 2022 FIFA World Cup host nation after arriving from the national team camp in Austria where there was an outbreak of six COVID cases prior to the 17 November friendly against Asian champions Qatar.