It's just over two decades since Scot Gemmil l was part of a Scotland side offered an insight into South Korean football by being on the receiving end of a four goal drubbing.
That 4-1 loss to a side led by Dutch coaching great Guus Hiddink during the Berti Vogts era was also a prelude to the 2002 World Cup which saw the Taegeuk Warriors introduce themselves on the global stage by reaching the semi-finals. As a memory of his time in the dark blue, Gemmill admits a lightbulb moment to the ability of Asian players and beyond, to the shrinking world of planet football and he believes the increasingly cosmopolitan approach to recruitment which is being deployed at Celtic is testimony to a growing appreciation of Far Eastern talent.
With the Hoops preparing to unveil Oh Hyeon-Gyu from South Korean side Suwon Bluewings on a £2.5million deal, the Scotland under-21 boss was given a reminder of his last visit to that country. He said: "On that day I remember South Korea being really ready and so well prepared ahead of the tournament.
"You could see they had invested a lot into those players in terms of their preparation of a World Cup they would have known for a while they would co-host the event with Japan. That investment was also targeted at the coaching staff with Dutchman Guus Hiddink brought in to lead the national team and as a nation this was the World Cup where they introduced themselves as a country capable of producing quality footballers.
"As a Scotland player I saw that for myself in Busan as they were far better than us on that day and I wasn't as surprised as some when they went on to beat Italy and Spain at the World Cup before being knocked out by Germany at the semi-final stage. That World Cup was the formulation of what they'd worked so hard to get to"
South Korea's class of 2002 contained JI-Sung Park who would make his name at Manchester United who was arguably the best Asian player in the British game before Heung-min Son burst onto the scene at Tottenham and Gemmill believes Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou signing reach with six Japanese recruits is redrawing the traditional recruitment boundaries.
He said: "Back then it was very rare for Asian footballers to arrive in Britain but I remember South Korea had JI-Sung Park in their side when they beat Scotland and he was something of a trailblazer when he signed for Manchester United. I was lucky enough to play at a high level and you know when you are coming up against a really high level of opposition and South Korea certainly were that in that game.
"It's a football culture based on professionalism with a focus on team ethic. East Asian players test you tactically, physically and mentally and there's no question that we were nowhere near their level back in 2002 It's only natural that we are all immersed in everything to do with British and European football but you can see from the current recruitment trends that the football world is shrinking. .
"The British game is increasingly multinational when you take a look at squads across all of the major leagues and recruitment is truly global. Celtic's expertise in the Japanese market is an example of the geographical barriers being reduced and it's to their credit that these players have been able to assimilate so well and prove to be successful.
"There may also be value in the Asian market which is more attractive than in Europe where transfer fees and salaries continue to skyrocket."
Celtic had also made an offer for Oh's international team-mate Gue-Sung Cho, but talks have stalled with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors after the player decided to weigh up his options. Gemmill is convinced the Asian market is proving less of a gamble for British clubs who decide to move outside their comfort zones when rolling the dice on recruitment.
He said: "When you look at the temperament and skill-set of the Japanese players at Celtic as an example then you see individuals who appear to thrive in an environment which is about team values and not the individual. That professionalism and work ethic shines through in performances but like any club looking to Asia for potential signings, a lot of homework and research will go into creating a profile of that player.
"Being able to move from a different continent and be able to settle is another aspect which always impresses me and again you can look at Celtic as a positive example of that."
The sting in the tail from the influx of players from across the globe is the reduction of genuine pathways for young players to achieve first team ambitions and that fact isn't lost on Gemmill. He said: "I think that is definitely linked to how hard it is now for young players and their pathways to try and get the opportunity to play for clubs.
"If you look at a breakdown of the nationalities, not only in the Scottish Premiership but in the English Premier League then you see it's becoming harder and harder because of the greater reach with world-wide recruitment."
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