Jeonbuk Hyundai’s ‘center back duo’ Hong Jeong-ho and Park Jin-seop knew in advance that Cho Kyu-seong, who became a World Cup star, would do well. The reason is that I have been dealing with Cho Kyu-seong over and over again at the training ground, and I know how fast he is developing.
2022 was a special year for Jeonbuk striker Cho Kyu-seong. Cho Kyu-seong, who enlisted as a managing director in Gimcheon to solve military problems early, raised his confidence after coach Kim Tae-wan’s training and grew into the best goal scorer in the K League 1. In September 2022, he returned to Jeonbuk and won the K League 1 scorer and FA Cup. , FA Cup MVP, etc.
The best stage for Cho Kyu-sung was the World Cup. Cho Kyu-seong, who made his A-match debut in September 2021, received the trust of Bento coach and established himself as the number 2 striker following the signboard striker Hwang Eui-jo, and eventually his dream came true. In the first game against Uruguay, Cho Kyu-seong was put on the ground with Lee Kang-in and Son Jun-ho in the 29th minute of the second half, and showed active movement. Here, he was able to give good scores, such as creating sharp shooting chances.
The story of Cho Kyu-sung’s life reversal was not over. A bigger leap was waiting. When Hwang Ui-jo was sluggish in the first game, Bento coach boldly took up his sword and used Cho Kyu-seong as a starting card in the second game against Ghana. Cho Kyu-seong lived up to Bento’s trust. Cho Kyu-seong scored two goals alone in the second half when he was trailing 0-2, becoming the first player in World Cup history to score two goals in one match.
In a word, it is a life changer. Now, beyond the K-League, he has become a striker that Europe pays attention to. Specifically, Celtic (Scotland), Mainz (Germany), and Minnesota (USA) handed over official offers, and several other clubs kept an eye on Cho Kyu-sung.
Cho Kyu-seong was cautious. He discussed and negotiated with the Jeonbuk club and technical director Park Ji-sung, but decided that it was better to transfer in the summer, and it became influential to remain in Jeonbuk. Currently, Cho Kyu-seong has joined the training camp in Jeonbuk Spain to improve his physical condition and is sweating with his teammates for the new season.
Teammates Hong Jeong-ho and Park Jin-seop lavished praise on Cho Kyu-seong, who is focusing on Jeonbuk. Since both players are in the center back position, they have to face Kyu-Sung Cho directly during training, so they knew the speed of Cho Kyu-Sung’s growth better than anyone else.
Hong Jeong-ho said, “I knew Kyu-seong would do well. While training with Kyu-Sung, he felt that he was a real good player. Since I am a center back, I often have to face off in training, but I always ask about position selection. Ask how to make a header difficult for a defender to block, and how to move to make a defender sway. I conveyed my personal opinion, and I think I did really well in the World Cup. He is an attacking player who always has a learning attitude and a strong will to improve. Even when he trains, he really practices shooting with his left foot and right foot. I thought that if I could only play, I would show it at the World Cup.” 스포츠토토
Hong Jeong-ho said, “I was happy to show it as a result. I had a hard time coming to Jeonbuk for the first time, and I was eliminated from the Tokyo Olympics list. After seeing that, he was happy to see his success in the World Cup, and felt that his efforts did not betray him. I heard Kyuseong was ringing the bell on December 31st. It felt like starting the new year with Kyu-seong. (Laughs) Although the location suddenly changed, I always train with the same posture. In a way, it can be condescending, but there is no such appearance at all. The person itself is good. He is a player who can shine more,” he replied.
Park Jin-seop, who was selected as the K-League 1 Best 11 last season, said, “I knew I would do well, but I didn’t know I would become a star like this. (Laughs) I’m afraid to talk to you now.” Although I am a senior, I am learning a lot from Kyuseong. Kyu-seong is a player who constantly studies and develops. Although he is a striker, he is difficult as a defender because he has a lot of activity. I believed that Kyu-seong would do it if he played in the World Cup, and scored two goals against Ghana. He felt that if he worked hard, his dream would come true.”