S. Korean captain eager to take on Spain, Czech Republic

South Korean men’s national team midfielder Ki Sung-yueng (C) runs with his teammates during training at the National Football Center in Paju, north of Seoul, on May 23, 2016. (Yonhap)

PAJU, South Korea (Yonhap) — South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-yueng said Monday he wanted to play against Spain and the Czech Republic so much that he even decided to postpone his basic military training.

The 27-year-old, who plays for English Premier League (EPL) side Swansea City, will lead the 54th-ranked South Korea against No. 6 Spain on June 1 in Salzburg, Austria, and the No. 29 Czech Republic on June 5 in Prague.

“As the team captain, I didn’t want to miss this opportunity to play against these European powerhouses,” Ki said at the National Football Center in Paju, north of Seoul. “Personally, I also wanted to play against these two teams.”

The friendlies are South Korea’s first matches against European nations since Uli Stielike became head coach in September 2014. They’re also designed to help South Korea prepare for the final Asian qualifying tournament for the 2018 FIFA World Cup starting in September.

Ki earned his military service exemption by winning the bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. South Korean male athletes who earn an Olympic medal are exempt from the country’s mandatory two-year military service, but they still have to complete the four-week basic basic military training.

Ki was supposed to have the training in late May. But in order to play in the friendlies, he returned to his homeland on May 10 and handled the administrative work to delay his training.

“As the captain, I wanted to play with my teammates before military training,” he said. “So I decided to enter the military training camp on June 13.”

Ki, who has eight goals in 82 matches for South Korea, said that he didn’t want to waste his free time after the end of his EPL season. The former Celtic and Sunderland player was one of seven overseas-based players to begin voluntary training at the NFC Monday.

“I think it’s not right to face these strong European teams with only three days of training after resting for two weeks,” he said. “If we are to face these teams, I want to be in the best form possible.”

Ki said that the friendlies will deliver a big boost of confidence to the South Korean players ahead of their final Asian World Cup qualifying round.

“It’s a pity that our team can’t show everything because some players are out with injuries,” he said. “Even if we lose, I think we will able to learn many things.”

Ki had a tough season in the EPL as he suffered a major drop in playing time from the previous season with assorted injuries. He ended the season with two goals in 28 matches.

“Football is a sport where you have ups and downs,” he said. “But I will try to be careful about getting injured and work harder to be in good shape next season.”