HAN KWANG SLEEP. Photo: Reuters

In the sphere of interest “Juventus” has got the North Korean striker “Perugia” Han Kwang Sleep.

Young player only 19 and he’s from North Korea. Not the football of the country, which is not seen in stable upbringing to the world of stars and their export to leading international Championships. Reasons known to all. But there are exceptions.

In recent years, the DPRK, for example, sends young players to study in “Perugia” for partnership programmes with local academies. In Italy it is the ISM Academy. The players have the opportunity to gain valuable experience, and then pass it to my country. Pioneers in 2014 were 15 young men, among whom were Han Kwang Sleep.

Of course, the most talented guys began to get on the stick to the clubs of Serie A. the First to enter the football market, the DPRK tried the “Fiorentina”. In February 2016, the club signed a contract with 18-year-old at the time, Cho son Hyuk and included it in the application of the second team. But then the violet regretted it. Intervened by political factors (for example, it was reported that most of the salary of a football player goes into the budget of the DPRK), and therefore the agreement was terminated at the initiative of Fiorentina, who was afraid of the sanctions for the violation of human rights.

Our hero Han Quan Son – the same age as Cho son, his partner and youth teams. He was the captain of team U-16 won the Asian Cup in 2014, and one of the brightest stars in the world Cup U-17 in 2015, where the DPRK team sensationally withdrew from the group.

Italian football striker came through an eccentric Senator Antonio Razzi who is friends with North Korean leader Kim Jong-UN and is an ardent supporter of the local regime, as well as scout and Director of ISM Academy Alessandro Dominica. Even in 2014, immediately after training, the young man wanted to move to the Apennines on a regular basis, but then the Khan was not yet 18 years old. Had to return home.

In 2017 the move of talented young men in Italy still held. First, he was in the youth team “Cagliari” and then, after their impressive performance at the Viareggio Cup, was transferred to the main structure.

A curious story connected with the Han Quan, a Dream, in November, published by the British newspaper the Sun. In 2015 the scouts of Liverpool, noticing a talented young man at ISM Academy, tried to lure him. He arranged a meeting, invited not only the player but the Director of the Academy of Dominica. And the Korean said: “I Want to see you in our club”. Striker sat and thought.

– Liverpool – the club where played great Steven Gerrard, added to be more convincing negotiators.

Who’s Gerrard? – sincerely was surprised the Khan.

To extract information about foreign football and its legends guy was simply nowhere. “The meeting was awkward,” recalled later Dominica.

Spring 2017 was Han Kwang-Seong takeoff. On 2 April he made his debut for Cagliari when he took the field in the 86th minute of the match with “Palermo” and became the first player from North Korea who have played in Serie A. And after a week, the second meeting, Khan scored his first goal in gate “Torino”. Of course, also historical.

The new season Han Kwan the Dream began in a series B, “Perugia”, where he moved on loan. In the 1st round in the game, “the Virtus Entella” forward scored a hat-trick, then scored goals in the gate “Pescara”, Parma, Brescia and Carpi. Today, with seven goals striker second scorer of the team. In the “Perugia”, incidentally, is not boring, because the Khan was reunited with Cho son Hyuk.

Now Han Kwang Dream certainly knows who the Gerrard and Totti, have adapted to life in a European country and Italian football. However, it is unlikely to become a public personality because she’s afraid to give an interview: North Korea does not understand. In September, the footballer was invited on local TV, but at the last moment he called and said, “will Appear in the live – ‘ll fly back.” Say, Han cried.

The main contender for the striker can be called “Juventus” which has been eyeing the North Korean talent.

“We are very proud of information about the interest of Juventus, incredible the club said the player’s agent Stefano Zamparini in an interview with TuttoJuve. – At the moment I operate the same information that you have. While no official talks had not been.”

Also there were rumors of a possible move Khan in “Milan”, “inter”, “Fiorentina” and in September there was reported interest from Everton and Arsenal.

Mikhail GONCHAROV, Sport-Express