The surprising soccer career of Han Kwang Song

North Korean soccer player Kwang Song Han (left) moved to Europe to pursue a professional career in 2015. He first played for Perugia in Italy and is here seen controlling the ball in a Serie A match against Ternana in November 2017.

From Perugia, Han moved to Cagliari, where he started to garner attention through his skill and unusual status as a North Korean national playing in Europe.

In 2019, the forward moved to famed Italian club Juventus, though he never made a first-team appearance.

Han left Italy in January 2020 to join Qatari club Al Duhail. That was the last professional team he would play for as, unable to return to North Korea amid the Covid-19 pandemic, he was forced to return to Italy later that year.

Since then, Han, who has also represented his national team, was last reported to be living in an unspecified North Korean embassy in 2021.