ethernetacademy.netNa Sang-ho saw his omission from the national team roster as motivation, not frustration.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) released the roster for the men’s A team’s September friendly tour of Europe in a press release on March 28. Some players, such as Kang Sang-woo and Lee Dong-kyung, made their first appearance in a long time, while others, such as Kim Ji-soo, Kim Jun-hong, and Lee Soon-min, made their first appearance in the national team, including a surprise call-up.먹튀검증
Na Sang-ho’s name was not among them. He has been a regular in the national team for nearly five years, having been called up to the squad since the days of Paulo Bento, earning the title of “Bento’s crown prince” alongside the likes of Hwang In-beom and Kwon Chang-hoon. With the exception of a few injuries and COVID-19 outbreaks along the way, Na Sang-ho has consistently been called up to the national team regardless of his performance and was considered a strong candidate for a call-up.
In addition, he was also called up for the March A-Match and June A-Match after Jürgen Klinsmann took over as head coach. All the more reason for Na to be disappointed with his omission from the roster for the September A match.
He hasn’t been called up to the national team in nearly five years, but he’s more motivated than frustrated. He acknowledged that his recent form hasn’t been as good as it was at the beginning of the season, and he’s ready to accept his exclusion.
Speaking at the Mix Zone after the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 Round 29 Super Match against Suwon Samsung on February 2, Na said, “Actually, I think I lacked a lot. I think the first reason is that I have to find it in myself. I thought I wasn’t selected because I wasn’t good enough. If I maintain my current performance, it is actually difficult to be selected for the national team consistently. Changing myself is the first goal. I think I need to try to perform well,” he said, adding that he had to improve his performance because it was difficult to be selected for the national team with his current performance.
Na Sang-ho is not discouraged. “Being left off the roster can be a motivator,” he said. In fact, I could have gotten discouraged if I thought about it wrong. But rather than being discouraged, I want to improve myself through motivation,” he said.
That determination translated into performance, as Na Sang-ho’s steady play on the day helped Seoul win their third SuperMatch of the season.