When South Korea finalised their 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, all eyes were on Son Heung-Min as he was selected to feature on football's biggest stage for a fourth consecutive occasion.
But as his nation's captain and talisman, Son was always going to be on the plane to North America.
Instead, there was another -- also ever-present and arguably equally influential through the Asian qualifiers for the tournament -- who was a far greater uncertainty.
As Hwang In-Beom's name was announced in the South Korea roster, their hopes of going far at the World Cup were immediately lifted.
An ankle injury back in March ruled Hwang out for the remainder of Feyenoord's season and immediately raised doubts if he would recover in time for the summer.
At the time, it also led to questions on whether South Korea could be forced to field a drastically-undermanned midfield at the World Cup.
Midfield enforcer Park Yong-Woo, the first-choice when it comes to a shield for the defence, had already been ruled out. Paik Seung-Ho, who would have been next in line, was also an uncertainty due to an injury of his own -- although he too has since been passed fit and named in the squad.
It meant that there was a distinct possibility that, from the primary midfield combination that had gotten South Korea to the World Cup, only the most advanced of the trio in Lee Jae-Sung might be featuring at the tournament.
With Hwang's inclusion, all of South Korea -- and especially coach Hong Myung-Bo -- can breathe easier.
Now 29, Hwang still is rarely mentioned in the same breath as not just Son, but other compatriots such as Bayern Munich's Kim Min-Jae and Paris Saint-Germain's Lee Kang-In.
But one does not play for notable European clubs such as Rubin Kazan, Olympiacos, Red Star Belgrade and, now, Feyenoord by just being an above-average footballer.
Perhaps the only reason why Hwang does not get the recognition his ability deserves is the fact that his soft-spoken, unassuming nature off the field exactly mirrors the understated but effective manner in which he plays on it.
In an era where players are defined by specific modern roles, be it inverted wingbacks or wide playmakers, Hwang is a bit of a throwback given he is simply a central midfielder. And a really good one at that.
He does not have one standout attribute but does everything well, be it tackling and breaking up opposition attacks or distributing and instigating his own team's forward forays.
He specialises in the pre-assist. So often, it is his initial probe from a deeper position that picks the first lock before someone like Son, Lee Kang-In or Lee Jae-Sung delivers the key pass that leads to a scoring opportunity.
All throughout the qualifiers, when Park was recycling possession on the edge of the South Korea box while Lee Jae-Sung was waiting further forward in the No. 10 role to identify a killer pass, Hwang was the one who connected back to front -- methodically and with clinical precision.
South Korea do look like they could employ a different system to the one that got them to the World Cup. Some unconvincing displays in the build-up has now seen Hong opt for a five-man defence rather than their previous 4-3-3 formation.
It does potentially mean that Hwang could have slightly different duties as before, especially given a 5-2-3 system means South Korea may no longer field an out-and-out anchorman -- adding more defensive responsibility for the remaining duo in central midfield.
Still, when South Korea do have the ball, little will change.
When Son or Lee Kang-In are on one of their trademark charges forward, it is likely that it would have been a penetrating pass from Hwang that has sent them on their way. And when South Korea are camped on the edge of the opposition box trying to find a breakthrough, it is almost certain that Hwang will be the one with the ball at his feet looking to find the one gap that exists.
For the lack of recognition he gets compared to some of his teammates, Hwang is undeniably South Korea's midfield metronome.
And now that he has recovered in time for the World Cup, he will certainly be pivotal to his team's fortunes.