Gwangju FC midfielder Jung Ho-yeon is a favorite of Gwangju head coach Lee Jung-hyo. So much so that he wants him as his son-in-law.
His calming presence on and off the pitch is an inspiration to his teammates. His teammate Uhm Ji Sung says that his strength is his consistency, but he also has a good understanding of tactics, instantaneous judgment, and the ability to carry the ball. It’s a style that modern coaches would love to have. That’s why he was included in the national team for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. He will partner with Lee Kang-in, Baek Seung-ho, and Hong Hyun-seok in the center.
When I met him in Gwangju the other day, he was as calm as you’d expect. However, there was a clear direction to his words. He cleverly articulated what he wanted to say. The same sense of purpose he had on the field came through in the interview.카지노
You can watch the video of the interview with Jung Ho-yeon on the YouTube channel ‘Liberation Village Soccer Company’. Here, we’ve captured some of his ‘tales of woe’ that we couldn’t capture in the video.
B11: Is there a chance that he could win the K League 1 Young Player of the Year award this year?
“I’m not greedy for individual awards, I just want the team to go a little higher, and I want to help them achieve their goals.”
B11: Gwangju has a lot of unique characters, but who does Jung Ho-yeon recognize?
“(Kim) Han-gil (laughs). We share a room together, and he laughs a lot by himself, and he makes weird noises, and he says, “Let’s do it together.” Last time, he said, “If you don’t do it together, I won’t do it, and I won’t pay attention to you anymore,” and then he pouts again. He’s like that only in the room. Outside, he’s making the image quiet. I don’t know how many people are like this (laughs).”
B11: Do you watch European soccer often?
“I watch it a lot, and my team shows it a lot, especially Manchester City and Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion. All three teams have their own characteristics – Brighton’s build-up, Manchester City’s strength in the final third, and Arsenal’s defense. My personal favorite club is FC Barcelona.”
B11: Players are going to Europe from a young age these days, and I’m sure it’s a lot to think about.
“I envy them, but I also want to be realistic about it. It seems amazing to go to a place where you’re the only person from another country, and adapt to the culture and language. I think it’s hard if you don’t prepare beforehand, if you don’t get to know the culture. Anyway, I want to face reality with my soccer, I want to see what level I’m at, what I can do, make mistakes, learn and grow. I’m comfortable in Korea, I know the language, but I think if I get complacent, I’ll die. I want to be a learner.”
B11: A quick question, how long do you think it will take for you to become as famous as Jung Ho-yeon, who starred in ‘The Squid Game’?
“That’s probably going to be difficult (laughs). …. But let’s say about 5 years?”
B11: What do you do when you’re not working?
“I like to stay at home and play League of Legends (LOL) or watch dramas. I watch all dramas except for horror, because I can’t watch anything scary. When I watch it, I think about it when I go home in the evening alone. I recently watched ‘Kingdeland’.”
B11: I see you’re also on Instagram, but your feed doesn’t look very active.
“I made it to look at other people’s (laughs). I’m embarrassed to show it, but I posted one when I went to Gimpo FC’s Cho Sung-kwon’s house because I was getting yelled at. He said if I didn’t have one, he wouldn’t know it was you….”
B11: What kind of play would you like to show at the Asian Games?
“A play that the team wants rather than a play that stands out. A play that helps. I will do my best not to be criticized by the fans.”
B11: What was it like the first time you went to the Paju National Team Training Center?
“Honestly, I didn’t want to go at first because I didn’t know anyone there. I was nervous and my heart was beating fast, but now I’m fine because my brothers take good care of me. (How do you play in a tense game?) You have to make a living, it’s a job (laughs).”
B11: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
“I hope I’m still playing soccer in 10 years. I don’t know what the future holds, day by day, year by year.”
B11: What did you want to be when you grew up?
“Historian. When I was a kid, I loved history because it was fascinating, who wrote it, how did they write it, what language did they speak at the time, and I had questions about every single thing. Then I started to like history, but the deeper I got into it, the harder it got, and then I realized, “Oh, this isn’t right,” and I started playing soccer (laughs). I still love historical dramas and movies, and I’ve watched ‘Gwanggaeto the Great’ three times because I love Goguryeo. I always wonder why Gwanggaeto the Great didn’t unify the three kingdoms.”
B11: I’m sure there are many people you’re grateful for while playing soccer.
“I’m very grateful to my family. My parents have helped me a lot. And in my family, all my brothers played soccer, so they help me find the right exercises and nutrition for me. They keep telling me when I’m doing well and when I’m not doing well. They come to watch me play every day and tell me. They used to play soccer, so they know the path. They’re my brothers, they’re always there for me when I’m struggling, when I’m in pain, they’re always there for me, they give me advice, they give me a lot of their time, so I think it’s right for them to tell me, you know, when they tell me that I couldn’t do something that I thought I couldn’t do, I accept it, because they’re very blunt about it, and I don’t think they tell me what I’ve done well, I don’t think they tell me that (laughs).”
B11: Come to think of it, all three of your brothers must have played soccer!
“Well, what happened was, in our house, the oldest brother started playing soccer, so he went to tryouts, and the second brother who followed him ended up playing soccer, too, and then I was the only one in the house, right? So my dad said, “You should play soccer, too,” and that’s how I got into the soccer team, because my parents both worked, and they thought that if I was going to be young and have to go to school, I might as well stick with my older brothers. (Did you start playing soccer because you wanted to?) I didn’t like sports (laughs). I liked to stay at home, and that’s how I played soccer, and then I let go of my studies, and eventually I realized that this was the only thing I could do.”