'Language barrier, criticism from strangers — you still did great': Friend's warm words for Jens Castrop

Jens Castrop, the mixed-heritage South Korea national team player who made his World Cup debut in Thursday's Group A match against South Africa, blamed himself for the goal that cost his side the game — but a warm message from a friend has drawn attention online.

A social media user believed to be a close friend of Castrop posted a photo Friday showing the two embracing, with the caption: "You still did great."

"You jumped in out of nowhere and trained and lived with people you did not know and could not even talk to," the user wrote. "In a country that sees itself as ethnically homogeneous, you endured criticism for being a foreigner, wore the Taeguk mark anyway, and made it all the way to the World Cup — and you finally made your debut."

The post also included a passage from a letter written by Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo, offered as encouragement.

"You work hard, then grow lazy; you hold on, then grow impatient; you fill with hope, then fall into despair — and the cycle repeats. Still, you keep trying. If it had been easy, there would have been no joy in it," the user quoted, adding: "Everyone goes through despair. What matters is the will to keep moving forward."

South Korea suffered a 0-1 defeat to South Africa in the Group A third-round match at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey on Thursday, conceding the decisive goal to Tafelo Maseko in the 63rd minute.

Castrop came on at halftime and met reporters in the mixed zone after the match. "When the opponent took the shot for the goal, I failed to close my legs in time," he said. "Ultimately, I allowed the goal."

"That was my mistake," he said, adding: "Every single moment on the pitch gets a little harder."

Born in Germany, Castrop came through the German youth national team system before choosing South Korean citizenship — his mother's nationality — to pursue a senior international career, stepping onto a World Cup stage for the first time in his life.

"Making my World Cup debut is personally such an honor," he said. "But the team lost in a heartbreaking way, and I feel heavy about it."

Jo Won-hee, a former South Korea international now serving as a KBS commentator, assessed Castrop's performance on the KBS program "Togeunkil World Cup." "I want to be blunt," Jo said. "Jens came on in the second half, but I never saw him break past anyone. He should have been active, getting forward and delivering crosses in one-on-one situations."

"When Son Heung-min or Lee Kang-in had the ball, Jens needed to push up and offer himself as an option," Jo said. "But he could not get forward and stayed deep the whole time. There was no movement from him — it looked like his legs simply would not move, as if lactic acid had completely built up."

Jo added that Castrop is normally a box-to-box player who constantly pushes up and drops back, but on Thursday he could not get into attack at all. "It was painful to watch. I think there was a fitness issue," he said.