Looking for the 'North Korean Messi'

North Korea made the 1966 World Cup quarter-finals and want to have a committed, high-quality National Team again as soon as possible. That is one of Kim Jong-un's targets and something that he is working for practically every day

In his second year in power, as recalled by 'Goal', he already created an international football school in which the government would leave about 16,000 euros per year for each player who enters the program.

"We will train our youngsters to become more talented players than Leo Messi," Ri Yu El said four years ago when the project was launched. 

North Korea are currently in Group H of the Asian World Cup qualifiers and will have to look for these talents.

One of the promises to come out of it was Han Kwang-song, who started at Cagliari, then to Perugia and Juventus under 23s, until he signed for Al-Duhail at 21.