Newly appointed South Korean football captain Jang Hyun-soo is confident that they are going to reach the medal podium of the Rio Olympic Games. He said they are determined to equal or beat the record they had set in 2012 where they won the bronze medal at the London Olympic Games.

“I am really grateful,” Jang told Yonhap News Agency.

“It’s a great honour to be the captain in a tournament as big as the Olympics. Our goal is to reach the podium. We’ll do our best to play well as a team and deliver good results.”

The Koreans are pooled with the Roy Krishna-led Fijian side, defending Olympic gold medallists Mexico and world champions Germany.

Jang’s appointment according to head coach Shin Tae-yong was made after gathering opinions from the players.

Jang, 24, plays for Guangzhou R&F in the Chinese Super League. He is one of three overage players on the 18-man squad, along with forwards Son Heung-min and Suk Hyun-jun. The Olympics are open to players U23, but each team can select up to three players over that limit, known as “wild cards.”

Because of his club commitments, Jang only arrived in Sao Paulo, the team’s base camp, on Monday. He noted that Suk and midfielder Lee Chan-dong, who left Sunday’s practice match against Iraq with injuries, aren’t seriously hurt. Suk was diagnosed with bruised ribs and Lee with a sprained right ankle earlier in the day.

South Korea will face Sweden in their last tune-up match tomorrow, also in Sao Paulo, before flying to Salvador, the site of their first two group matches against Fiji on August 4 and Germany on August 7.

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