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There's a new Son on the rise: FC Seoul's star rookie has sights set on goals and glory

Published: 09 Apr. 2026, 07:00

FC Seoul's Son Jeong-beom poses during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at GS Champions Park in Guri, Gyeonggi, on April 2. [JOONGANG ILBO]

A Korean football star with the last name Son is not new.

Unless it's at FC Seoul, and it's a 19-year-old named Jeong-beom, who was born just a year before Son Heung-min headed off to Germany to join Hamburger SV's youth side.

The breakout rookie has emerged as one of the driving forces behind the club’s unbeaten start to the season, playing with the confidence of a veteran as the team chases its first K League 1 title in a decade.

“Football ability isn’t determined by age. If you underestimate me on the pitch because I’m young, you’ll pay for it,” he said.

FC Seoul is off to an unbeaten start through five matches this season with four wins and one draw, sitting alone at the top of K League 1. As the club continues its sharp rise, including its first four-game opening streak since the team was founded in 1983, expectations are growing in the dressing room and in the stands that the club could clinch its first title since 2016.

Son has been one of the key figures behind the blazing start.

The youngest player on the team, born in 2007 and developed through the club’s youth side at Osan High School, Son earned the trust of manager Kim Gi-dong and almost instantly became a regular starter .

It is the first time in 19 years that an FC Seoul rookie has moved straight into a starting role since Ki Sung-yueng did all the way back in the 2007 season.

FC Seoul's Son Jeong-beom poses during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at GS Champions Park in Guri, Gyeonggi, on April 2. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Son had already drawn attention at Osan High School as a prospect marked for success. At 184 centimeters (6 feet) tall and with speed, work rate, shooting, passing and football intelligence, he was viewed as a well-rounded midfielder with all the essential tools.

Even after joining the K League, Son has caught the eye of club staff by handling intense pressure and physical battles with ease. Word has also spread among the backroom staff of European clubs. Before even making his professional debut, Son received an offer from Bournemouth, a midtable side in the English Premier League. The rookie chose to remain in Seoul because he wanted to sharpen his game further before taking on that challenge.

The signs from Son's debut season have also been striking. In an away match against the Pohang Steelers on March 18, Son recorded an assist for the first goal contribution of his professional career.

Then, in a home match against Gwangju FC on March 22, Son scored his first professional goal with a sharp header after sliding into a gap in defense and rising high.

“I wanted to repay the manager,” the player said about sharing an emotional hug with Kim right after the goal. “Like my role model Jude Bellingham, the Real Madrid midfielder, I want to become a player who can compete both physically and technically.”

FC Seoul's Son Jeong-beom poses during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at GS Champions Park in Guri, Gyeonggi, on April 2. [JOONGANG ILBO]

It would be a mistake to dismiss Son as simply a natural talent. He has worked relentlessly to avoid remaining only a hot prospect.

As the youngest of three, Son grew up facing what felt like impossible expectations, what with an eldest brother who is a retired footballer and a second brother who plays for the Steelers.

Unable to match the pace of his brothers, he focused on developing a powerful and accurate kick as his secret weapon. Son said that during his school days, after team training ended each day, he stayed alone on the grounds to complete 100 shots. “If you add up one to two hours a day, it becomes hundreds of hours over a year,” he said. “I believed in the value of the sweat I put in. As my kicking improved, I gained confidence in every part of my game.”

Son also mapped out a career blueprint early. The plan is to win a trophy and the Young Player Award with FC Seoul, earn a call-up to the national team and then move to a European league after proving enough quality to compete there.

So far, things are moving smoothly. FC Seoul is thriving early in the season and Son was selected last month for the under-23 national team. There is also a strong chance that he will play at the Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya in Japan this September.

“I have two goal contributions, but I’m not satisfied at all,” Son said. “I think I’ll only be satisfied if I produce 15 goal contributions in a season. If I do that much, maybe the fans will start calling me ‘K-Bellingham.’"

FC Seoul's Son Jeong-beom poses during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at GS Champions Park in Guri, Gyeonggi, on April 2. [JOONGANG ILBO]

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PIH JU-YOUNG [[email protected]]