Meet Han Kwang-song, the North Korea star compared with Cristiano Ronaldo before rejecting Liverpool and becoming victim of political sanctions
North Korean forward Han Kwang-Song was once compared to and even trained alongside Cristiano Ronaldo but has seen his career derail due to politics. The forward famously turned down a move to Liverpool while playing in Italy, where his career in Europe took off.
In football, geography often plays a huge role in how successful a player often becomes, and the story of Han Kwang-Song is proof of that. The forward was sent to Italy in 2015 as part of a talent scheme by the North Korean government, and he trained with the Perugia academy before joining Cagliari.
While at the academy, Han was approached by Liverpool officials, who wanted him to join the club and tried to use the name of Steven Gerrard as an incentive. The teenager was completely unaware of who Gerrard was and refused to move to the Premier League, instead joining Cagliari.
Han went on to make his professional bow for Cagliari and even scored for them in Serie A before moving to Juventus on loan in 2019. He mostly played for the U-23 side but made the squad for the trip to Lecce in October 2019, a game where Cristiano Ronaldo was rested.
Juventus signed him permanently in 2020 for €3.5 million before selling him to Al-Duhail in Qatar for €7 million. Before his exit from Juventus, though, the United Nations had issued a sanction on North Korea as a result of their nuclear weapons programme.
All North Koreans working abroad were required to return home by 2019, but Italy refused to comply. On moving to Qatar, though, the forward was deported in 2021, with his contract terminated because of the sanctions.
Han Kwang-Song was put on a plane to his country, but COVID-19 regulations saw North Korea close down its airspace just before he arrived. It meant that Han had to spend months living in an undisclosed embassy before the borders were reopened.
Now 25, his present club is unknown but is likely in his own country. He appeared for North Korea in the most recent international break in November 2023 in a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Myanmar and could feature again this month.
Cristiano Ronaldo to miss Sweden friendly for Portugal
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo will not feature for the Selecao when they face Sweden in a friendly on Thursday. The 39-year-old was not included by manager Roberto Martinez in the squad.
Martinez invited 32 players for the pair of friendlies against Sweden and Slovenia but has dropped eight for the game against Sweden. Ronaldo, along with, Joao Felix, Otavio, Danilo Pereira, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Neves, Diogo Dalot and Vitinha, will miss the first game.
The eight players will return to the squad against Slovenia four days later, on March 26. Cristiano Ronaldo will look to add to his 128 goals in 205 international appearances for the Selecao.