FC Porto host Arouca with South Korean duel between Hwang and Hyun-ju Lee | OneFootball

The third round of the league could set up a special reunion between two compatriots, with the Dragão as the stage. Hyun-ju Lee will once again come up against Inbeom Hwang, now on opposite sides and on one of Portuguese football’s biggest stages. In 2022, while taking his first steps at Bayern Munich, Lee spoke of his admiration for the midfielder who joined FC Porto this season from Feyenoord.

At just 19, the midfielder then representing Arouca was seen as one of the Bavarian club’s brightest prospects and pointed to Hwang as a role model. Lee highlighted his compatriot’s qualities and admitted he wanted to incorporate them into his own style of play. Four years later, the two South Koreans are close to meeting in Portuguese football, in a reunion that could turn the blue-and-white home into a point of connection between them.

“His touch and quality are remarkable. He is a very complete player, calm both without the ball and in defensive duties. I have learned a lot by watching him,” Hyun-ju Lee told Sports Seoul, at a time when Inbeom Hwang was playing for Olympiakos and the young midfielder was beginning his adventure in Germany amid great expectations.

Despite the changes that have taken place since then, admiration remains the link between the two players. Lee, now 23, swapped Pohang Steelers’ academy for Bayern Munich in January 2022, initially on loan. The German club later exercised the purchase option, before the midfielder sought competitive experience through loan spells at Wehen Wiesbaden and Hannover 96 in the 2. Bundesliga.

After that spell, Arouca completed the biggest signing in its history by securing the South Korean midfielder from Bayern for €1.5 million in the summer of 2025. Capable of playing as an attacking midfielder, in a more advanced central role, or deeper on the pitch, Hyun-ju Lee arrived in Portugal aiming to prove in the top flight what he had already shown in Germany: mobility, ball progression, as well as the strong work rate and discipline characteristic of Eastern players.

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