João Aroso on Hwang In-beom: “He really reminds me of João Moutinho” | OneFootball

João Aroso painted a detailed picture of Hwang In-beom, a midfielder linked with FC Porto for 2026/27, and he did so through a comparison that immediately helps explain the type of player involved. In an interview with Record, the South Korea national team’s chief assistant coach spoke about the South Korean’s technical quality, placed him within Francesco Farioli’s model, and explained where he can be most effective — and where the fit requires nuance. Along the way, he delivered major praise and assured: “he really reminds me of João.”

At a time when FC Porto are surveying the market and looking for profiles capable of meeting their coach’s demands, João Aroso offered a particularly sharp reading of Hwang In-beom. He did so with the authority of someone who works closely with the player and with a central idea running through his entire assessment: this is a midfielder of great quality, but with very specific characteristics that require context and understanding.

The strongest comparison came when Aroso was challenged to describe the South Korean international’s style of play. And the name he chose was no ordinary one: João Moutinho, a major reference point in Portuguese midfield and a former Dragons player.

“I already knew Hwang In-beom before, but when I started working with him, after watching him in training and getting to know his characteristics better, one day I told him that he really reminded me of the best midfielder I’ve ever worked with, João Moutinho,” he said. “Because he really does, he reminds me a lot of João in the way he plays and even in the way he runs. And it was curious because he replied saying he was happy with that comparison, because he admired João Moutinho a lot,” João Aroso said.

The parallel is not merely decorative: it points to a player of vision, judgment and tempo, more inclined to think the game than to tear it open. Aroso did not limit himself to praise; he sought to place Hwang at a very high level of demand, which helps explain the enthusiasm with which he speaks about him.

When the conversation turned to the player’s qualities and his potential fit at Francesco Farioli’s FC Porto, Aroso detailed strengths and reservations with the same pragmatism. The picture is that of a versatile midfielder, but not a one-size-fits-all one.

“He is a player of enormous technical quality, he passes equally well with both feet, he is extremely intelligent and understands the game very well,” the coach explained.

Then, when projecting Hwang into Porto’s structure, Aroso refined the analysis between what the player can offer and what the model may ask of him.

“He is a midfielder who can play as a 6 and can play as an 8… In our team, in a 3x4x3, he was one of the two central midfielders, but a midfielder who gets into finishing areas,” he explained. “In fact, if you look at the plays from our two goals against the Czech Republic, he scores the first and provides the assist for the second, showing exactly that: arriving in finishing areas. And translating this to FC Porto’s way of playing, at least last season, you have to understand what is expected from each midfielder,” he analyzed.

The South Korea national team’s chief assistant coach also highlighted the difference between the offensive and defensive phases of the “6” role.

“As a ‘6’ he fits perfectly into FC Porto’s model in the offensive phase. However, in the defensive phase, given that in a low block the player in the number 6 position drops into the back line to make the fifth man, In-Beom is not a player who is particularly strong in the air. But then again, Alan Varela, who often plays in that position, isn’t either. In any case, that point should be noted,” he stressed.

There is a broader idea here that matters more than the positional label. Hwang can fit in more than one role, but the value of using him will always depend on the exact function he is asked to perform within the system.

That is why Aroso also spent time on the possibility of the South Korean being used as an “8.” And, once again, the analysis avoided simplifications: the position may suit him, but not in the same way it would suit other profiles.

“He can absolutely do it, but in FC Porto’s model, the two inside midfielders are often in that area between the lines, that is, between the opposition’s defensive line and midfield line, often playing with their backs to goal or making runs in behind,” he specified. “And I would say that he is not really that kind of player. He is more of a player who likes to face the game head-on, to organize, to create play and then, yes, as I said before, to also appear in finishing areas, but more from deeper positions moving forward, rather than already being in the final third making runs in behind,” he explained.

The picture therefore becomes very clear: less of a combative midfielder or one constantly breaking lines, more of an organizer who can arrive in advanced areas. In a midfield designed to alternate rhythms and heights, Aroso sees a player facing the game, capable of bringing clarity to what the team builds.

That led to an almost inevitable question: is Hwang a ball carrier in possession, like an inside midfielder more given to progression? The answer was direct and without any room for romanticism.

“No, he’s not that kind of player. He is, essentially, a player with passing quality, very intelligent in the way he organizes the game, but not one for big runs, not one to carry the ball forward for many meters, not one to progress through dribbling,” he concluded. “He’s not that kind of player. FC Porto’s inside midfielders also occasionally drop deeper and that is a more regular habit for In-beom. Then he appears, yes, from deeper positions moving forward, but those arrivals into finishing areas are more occasional,” he added.

It is an important distinction, because it defines not only what Hwang does well, but also what should not be confused with his game. Aroso sketches a midfielder of passing, judgment and positional intelligence, someone who organizes more than he accelerates through carrying.

In the final assessment, the praise rose even further. Asked to evaluate the player’s overall stature, João Aroso did not hide behind caution or half-words.

“I think he is one of the best midfielders playing in Europe, I think he can play for any team because of the quality he has and I’m not exaggerating. Now, that does not change the fact that, in FC Porto’s playing model, taking into account the observations I’ve already made, everything matters…,” he said.

He also left a note on the South Korean’s human and competitive profile, closing the portrait with an unreserved assessment.

“In terms of attitude, he is a strong-minded, experienced player with character, and he adds that to the team. In fact, I have only positive things to say about Hwang,” he praised.

Between the comparison with João Moutinho, the versatility to play as a “6” or an “8,” and the certainty that he is not a long-carry midfielder, Aroso offered a clear x-ray. In his account, Hwang In-beom emerges as a player of brain and execution, one of those players who need less noise and more well-used possession.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.