However, there is one particular position which the 19-year-old Kim sees as the path he will endeavour to pursue as the Seoul-born charts his journey in the footballing world. 

“The position that best showcases my strengths is the shadow striker because my strengths are linking up play and ball control,” said Kim to the-AFC.com.

“I find it more comfortable to operate one step deeper in that role. Also, in shooting situations, I can face forward and take my shots, which makes it easier for me.”

Following a well-traveled route of Koreans playing their club football in Europe, Kim joined Portuguese second division side Portimonense SC immediately after completing high school. 

“Right after finishing high school and graduating, I moved to a professional team, and I was really nervous. As I went along, I realised that they were much stronger and had a different mindset about football, so I think it took me a while to adjust to all of that.

“First of all, the environment was different. When I was in high school, I trained a lot on artificial pitches, but when I moved to the professional team, I trained mostly on grass, so even the setting felt different. Also, the training methods were quite different.”

The experience, however, has helped Kim develop and it was his assist which kickstarted Korea Republic’s campaign as he laid the ball on for Shin Sung to net the opener in their Group D match against Syria before scoring twice against Thailand to book his side’s place in the knockout stage.

It was a test of character for Kim and Korea Republic in the quarter-finals against Uzbekistan, with the forward scoring once and also converting in the penalty shootout as the East Asian side marched into the semi-finals.

“I think the level of competition (at China 2025) is really high. The teams we’ve played against were all tough, especially Japan and Uzbekistan— but we really gave it everything, and I believe that’s why we were able to win. The level is definitely very high.”

While Kim is determined to steer Korea Republic to the title, he is also focused on matching his predecessors in stamping his mark in Europe, with the likes of Cha Bum-kun, Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae just three of numerous of his compatriots who have excelled abroad. 

“Right now, my goal is to win the AFC U20 Asian Cup, and also to make it to the first team and settle in. There’s also the U-20 World Cup, and in the future, I want to become a famous player and play in a top league.”