According to statistics from Korean media outlet ‘Chosun Ilbo’, the number of Japanese players in the Premier League has surpassed that of South Korean players, with the arrival of Daichi Kamada and Yuta Sugawara. This has caused concern in South Korea, as the Premier League has not seen a new South Korean player in three years, while nine years ago, South Korean players were leading with 13-7.
The Premier League, as the premier league of the top five leagues, has seen many notable players from both Japan and South Korea. With the arrival of Daichi Kamada and Yuta Sugawara to Crystal Palace and Southampton respectively, the number of Japanese players to have played in the Premier League has reached 15, exceeding the number of South Korean players (14) for the first time.
Currently, there are five Japanese players in the Premier League: Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton), and Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal). Meanwhile, since Hwang Hee-chan joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2021, the number of South Korean players in the Premier League has remained at 14, with only Hwang Hee-chan and Son Heung-min currently playing in the league.
It’s worth noting that in 2015, South Korea had 13 players who had played in the Premier League, while Japan only had 7, making South Korea twice as many as Japan. Compared to Shinji Kagawa’s rotational role at Manchester United, Park Ji-sung was a true legend at Manchester United, participating in the Champions League final with the team. At that time, many Japanese fans envied Son Heung-min’s status at Tottenham Hotspur.
However, in the following years, as Ki Sung-yueng and Lee Chung-yong left the Premier League, the presence of South Korean players in the league gradually decreased, while Japanese players continued to enter the Premier League. Although South Korean players still lead in terms of total appearances in the Premier League with 1075 games (190 goals) compared to Japanese players’ 637 games (52 goals), it’s only a matter of time before they are overtaken by Japanese players.
However, Korean media have stated that if players like Kim Min-jae, Lee Kang-in, and Hwang In-beom also join the Premier League, in addition to Yang Min-hyeok who has already signed with Tottenham Hotspur, it could reverse the trend in this “silent rivalry” between South Korean and Japanese players.
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