Han was a subject of UN sanctions as his last club, Al Duhail in the Qatar Stars League, were forced to terminate his contract in 2021 due to UN sanctions against North Korea, which have stopped him from playing for foreign clubs since.
Early life
Han Kwang-song was born on 11 September 1998 in Pyongyang, North Korea, to a working-class family.[2] Han's early interest in football led him to study at the Pyongyang International Football School, a youth academy that annually accommodates 200 aspiring footballers, and was part of a group of athletes sponsored by the North Korean government that afforded them the opportunity to receive training overseas.[3]
His journey in football began in 2013 when he was on a training tour in Europe with the North Korean U-16 national team to identify the best academies for the young footballers.[4] Han travelled to Barcelona that autumn, where he trained at the Marcet Academy (also known as Centro Europeo de Tecnofutbol). During his brief time in Spain, Han and his teammates underwent training, fostering their mentality and honing their talents before their participation in the AFC U-16 Championships in Thailand.[2][4]
The following year, in 2014, Han returned home with the Chobyong Club before joining Perugia's ISM Academy who offered a student visa, allowing Han to move to Italy.[5][6] However, due to FIFA regulations regarding underage players, Han was unable to register with any Italian club at the time and his time in Perugia primarily focused on training, tryouts, and learning Italian.[7] During this period, Han found support and mentorship from Mauro Costorella, a coach at the academy, who recognised Han's immense potential and took him under his wing, offering guidance and providing him with a place to live for the two years he stayed.[2]
It was not until 2017, as Han turned 18, when reported interests and offer from multiple European clubs including Liverpool and Manchester City came in.[8] Eventually, Han went on a meeting with Liverpool's chief scout, Barry Hunter who, after a presentation, tried to lure him with an offer to meet Steven Gerrard, but failed in the end due to the forward never hearing of him.[2] Sticking with the Italian roots, Han accepted an eight-week trial offer from Cagliari after being advised of his decision from his agent, Sandro Stemperini, and ISM Academy's sport director, Stefano Capozucca.[7][9]
Club career
Cagliari
2017: Debut year
On 10 March 2017, Han Kwang-song signed a contract with Cagliari on youth terms, joining their Primavera squad in the process.[10] This signing made him the first Asian and North Korean player to play for Cagliari.[11] Additionally, Han became the second North Korean player to join a Serie A club, following in the footsteps of Choe Song-hyok who had signed with Fiorentina the year before.[12]
Initially, Han started earning the minimum federal income for training, which amounted to €1,500 per month and was required to go to Han's personal bank account.[5] Concerns were raised by the Italian Parliament regarding the destination of this money, as there were suspicions that a significant portion of the salaries of North Korean workers abroad was funnelled directly to the North Korean regime. However, no action was taken in Han's case at the time.[5][13]
On his first day after arriving at Cagliari, he scored a hat-trick in a friendly training match, impressing the coaching staff who decided to promote him to the first team.[2] Han went on to make three more appearances for the under-19 side in the Torneo di Viareggio before finally making his full debut on 2 April.[9] He featured for the final four minutes of a 3–1 victory over Palermo, becoming the first North Korean player to compete in Serie A.[14] A week later, in his second appearance, Han scored his first goal for the club, after netting a 95th-minute goal past Joe Hart in a 3–2 away defeat to Torino,[15] thereby becoming the first North Korean to score in Serie A.[16][17] His impressive start in the first team led to a renewal just four days later, earning his first professional contract with Cagliari until 2022, that was set to commence on 1 July 2017.[18][19][20]
2017–2020: Loans to Perugia and Juventus U23
On 7 August 2017, he was loaned to Serie B team Perugia.[21] He debuted for the club in the Coppa Italia third-round game against Benevento, which Perugia won 4–0.[22] On 27 August 2017, Han scored a hat-trick on his Serie B debut for Perugia in a 5–1 win over Virtus Entella.[23] Han scored seven league goals for Perugia in 17 games during the 2017–18 season,[24] before returning to Cagliari on 1 February 2018.[25]
Han's first game as a starter for Cagliari, and in Serie A, came on 27 February in a 5–0 home defeat against Napoli.[26] He played seven league games in the 2017–18 season.[24] On 15 August 2018, Han joined on loan to Perugia for a second time.[27] Initially unable to play due to an injury,[28] Han scored his first seasonal goal against Ascoli in a 0–3 away win.[29] He ended the 2018–19 season with four goals in 20 league games.[24]
On 2 September 2019, Han secured a deadline day move to Juventus on a two-year loan from Cagliari, with an obligation to purchase at the end of the term.[30] The Serie A champions moved him to their reserve team playing in Serie C: Juventus U23.[31] On 26 October, Han was called-up to the first team for the Serie A game against Lecce,[32] becoming the first player from Asia to be called-up for Juventus.[33] On 6 November, he converted a penalty to beat Alessandria 1–0 in a Coppa Italia Serie C match.[34] That was his lone goal for Juventus U23 with the addition of two assists in 20 matches.[35]
Al-Duhail
On 2 January 2020, Juventus bought Han from Cagliari for €3.5 million, before selling him to Qatari side Al-Duhail six days later for €7 million.[36][37] He made his debut for Al-Duhail in the Qatar Cup semi-finals on 10 January, in a 2–0 win over Al-Sailiya, coming on as a substitute for Edmilson Junior in the 83rd minute.[38] He lost the final 4–0 to Al Sadd seven days later.[39] Han made his Qatar Stars League debut on 24 January, in a 3–1 win over Al-Arabi.[40]
Han's first goals for Al-Duhail came on 6 February, scoring a brace against Muaither in the Emir of Qatar Cup quarter-finals; his side won 4–0.[41] On 11 February, Han debuted in the Asian Champions League against Persepolis, helping his side win 2–0.[42] Han's first league goal came on 22 February, scoring the maiden goal of the match against Al-Wakrah.[43] He scored in the following two consecutive games, on 27 February and 7 March, against Al-Shahania and Al-Sailiya respectively.[24]
Han scored five goals in 14 domestic games, helping his side win the Qatar Stars League. He also played in two Asian Champions League games.[24][44] Despite Han signing a contract with a Qatari bank that prevented him from sending money to North Korea, Al-Duhail was forced to terminate his contract in 2021 due to sanctions against North Korea preventing North Koreans from working abroad.[45]
With the North Korea U16, Han won the AFC U-16 Championship held in Thailand in September 2014.[47] He scored four goals in the competition, including the equaliser in the final which North Korea won 2–1 against rivals South Korea.[47]
Due to the COVID-19 restrictions in North Korea, their national team did not play a match after the 2022 World Cup qualifiers until the 2026 qualifiers.[55] Han started in his nation's first game in a 1–0 loss against Syria.[55] He scored a goal and provided an assist in a 6–1 win over Myanmar in the second game of qualifiers.[56]
Style of play
An ambidextrous player, Han's main characteristics are his dribbling, eye for goal and vision of the game.[57]
Personal life
Han is subject to the politics of the North Korean government; he cannot give interviews. It was once alleged that most of his salary was sent to the government, but Han had signed a contract at his last club preventing him from sending any money to North Korea.[45][58] Due to United Nations (UN) sanctions, which prohibit North Korean citizens from working abroad due to the country's nuclear programme, Han has been unable to play overseas since 2021.[59][45] His last transfer from Juventus to Al-Duhail was stated by the UN to be a violation of their international sanctions and his contract was terminated.[59] He was due to return to North Korea, but was stuck in the North Korean embassy in China due to COVID-19 restrictions in North Korea, where he trained by himself for a few years, according to former North Korean international An Yong-hak.[45][60] He played for North Korea in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match against Syria, which was the first match North Korea had played in years.[55]
^"Lecce-Juve, Han è nella storia del club". Juventus News - Ultime Notizie Juve - il BiancoNero (in Italian). 26 October 2019. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
^Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Qatar vs. North Korea (2:2)". www.national-football-teams.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
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