Hwang In-beom

Hwang In-beom (황인범; born 20 September 1996) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serbian SuperLiga club Red Star Belgrade and the South Korea national team.

Daejeon Citizen
Hwang signed with Daejeon Citizen in 2015. He scored his first goal in a league match against Pohang Steelers on 30 May and became the youngest scorer in Daejeon history. Daejeon had been relegated to the second division after his first season, but he grew into one of notable young footballers in South Korea.

Hwang joined police's football team Asan Mugunghwa to perform alternative service instead of mandatory military service in 2018, but was discharged from the service after winning a gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Hwang interested 2. Bundesliga club Hamburger SV after showing positive prospects in Daejeon and national team, but Daejeon sold Hwang to Vancouver Whitecaps FC who offered a higher transfer fee than Hamburg. On 30 January 2019, Hwang joined Major League Soccer side Vancouver Whitecaps as a Young Designated Player on a two-year contract, with club options for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He made his debut for the Whitecaps against Minnesota United on 2 March, and scored his first goal for the side in a 1–0 win over Los Angeles FC on 17 April. In the 30th week of the 2019 season, he was selected for the Team of the Week after providing three assists against LA Galaxy.

Rubin Kazan
On 14 August 2020, Hwang transferred to Russian club Rubin Kazan. Hwang ranked favorably in statistics for chances created across the Russian Premier League until the first half of the 2020–21 season but suffered coronavirus and heel injury afterward.

On 3 April 2022, Hwang's contract with Rubin was suspended until 30 June 2022 according to special FIFA regulations related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The regulations allow foreign players in Russia to suspend their contracts until the end of the 2021–22 season and sign with a club outside of Russia until that date. Hwang joined FC Seoul on 5 April.

Olympiacos
On 29 July 2022, Hwang joined Super League Greece club Olympiacos. On 18 August 2022, he scored, on his debut, the equaliser in a Europa League playoff fixture away at Apollon Limassol, which finished 1–1. On 10 March 2023, he was named the Super League Greece Player of the Month for February. After the end of the 2022–23 season, he was selected as the best Olympiacos player and the second best Super League Greece player by league fans.

However, Hwang was in conflict with the club just before the next season due to problems related to his contract, and it was possible to become a court fight. He claimed he held a one-year contract with an option for a further two years, whereas Olympiacos claimed a three-year deal. Some clubs in the Serie A and the Bundesliga were interested in him at the same time, but their interests were not large enough to making offers for him.

Red Star Belgrade
On 4 September 2023, Hwang joined Serbian SuperLiga club Red Star Belgrade on a four-year contract for a club and league-record €5 million fee. He was brought alongside with Burkinabè centre-back Nasser Djiga and Senegalese winger Cherif Ndiaye in advance of the club's 2023–24 UEFA Champions League campaign. On 9 December, he won a penalty and scored his first goal for Red Star, helping his team gain a 3–1 victory over Mladost Lučani. Red Star extended their unbeaten home run in the Serbian SuperLiga to 122 games with this victory, setting a world record for the longest unbeaten home run in a domestic league. On 13 December, he scored his first Champions League goal and assisted another goal from a corner kick in a 3–2 defeat to Manchester City. On 21 May 2024, he provided an assist from a corner followed by Uroš Spajić's winning goal in the 2023–24 Serbian Cup final against Vojvodina. He was voted SuperLiga Player of the Season for his contributions to Red Star's Double.

International career
Hwang played a vital role in leading South Korea to the 2018 Asian Games title. As a reward, he was discharged from Asan Mugunghwa less than halfway through his military service and returned to Daejeon Citizen.

Hwang made his senior international debut in September 2018, and later that year, he scored his first senior international goal in a 2–2 friendly home draw against Panama on 16 October.

In the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, Hwang showed impressive play and was selected for ESPN's Team of the Tournament. He was also named the Most Valuable Player of the 2019 EAFF Championship after leading South Korea to the title.

Nicknamed the "Bento's crown prince", Hwang was one of South Korean players whom Paulo Bento trusted most, and he participated in the 2022 FIFA World Cup as expected. He played all four of South Korea's World Cup matches until the round of 16.

Hwang played for the national team under Jürgen Klinsmann in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. He had a goal and an assist in a victory over Bahrain, and enticed an opponent to score an own goal in a draw with Jordan. He successfully performed his role in the first two group stage matches, but his fans were disappointed with his mistakes responsible for conceding goals to opponents in the other matches. During a 3–3 draw with Malaysia, he lost possession of the ball in front of his team's penalty box and the mistake was followed by opponent's goal. He also allowed opponents' counter-attacks and goals with his inaccurate passes in the knockout rounds against Australia and Jordan.

Style of play
J.J. Adams of The National Post noted that Hwang "can play centrally or on the wing, but thrives as an attacking mid — a box-to-box No. 8. He’s known for precision passing, aggressive tackling, possession composure and a willingness to take on defenders with the ball at his feet".

International

 * Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first.

Honours
Red Star Belgrade
 * Serbian SuperLiga: 2023–24
 * Serbian Cup: 2023–24

South Korea U23
 * Asian Games: 2018

South Korea
 * EAFF Championship: 2019

Individual
 * K League 2 Best XI: 2016, 2017, 2018
 * EAFF Championship Most Valuable Player: 2019
 * Super League Greece Player of the Month: February 2023
 * Olympiacos Player of the Season by Super League Greece: 2022–23
 * Serbian SuperLiga Player of the Season: 2023–24
 * Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season: 2023–24