“World Cup Legends FC is where legends who played from the 1986 World Cup in Mexico to the 1998 World Cup in France voluntarily gathered to create the right culture of donation and to do social contribution activities through soccer. It is rewarding to give joy and hope to someone through soccer. This is why World Cup Legends FC was created.”
It was clear why World Cup legends such as Ha Seok-joo, Choi Soon-ho, Kim Joo-sung, and Lee Sang-yoon gathered in Yeongdeok. It was to return what was received through soccer to soccer fans and to create a right donation culture.
“Best Eleven,” a traditional soccer media founded in 1970 and celebrated its 54th anniversary this year, held a “World Cup Legend FC Charity Event” as part of the Yeongdeok Football Festa with World Cup Legend FC (CEO Kim Joo-sung) and Yeongdeok County (Governor Kim Kwang-yeol) in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province on the 3rd.
The “World Cup Legend FC Charity Event” is an event in which Korean soccer legends who participated in the FIFA World Cup as a national soccer team hold charity games and soccer clinics with local residents to repay the love they received from their fans, and the fund raised through this was a meaningful charity competition that was returned to the local community.
The charity event was hosted by “Best Eleven” for the second time since last year, sponsored by Yeongdeok-gun, and sponsored by global sports brand Puma, as well as Saka, Ayoung FBC, Hotel the Foraswitz, Sizunov, Brg, Offside, and Aloys, enriching the competition.
A total of 19 World Cup legends participated in the charity event, including CEO Kim Joo-sung, Cho Byung-deuk, Lee Tae-ho, Kim Yong-se, Choi Soon-ho, Park Kyung-hoon, Byun Byeong-ju, Kang Deuk-soo, Koo Sang-beom, Jung Ki-dong, Lee Sang-yoon, Hwang Storage, Shin Hong-ki, Ha Seok-ju, Lee Sang-heon, Choi Sung-yong, Seo Dong-myeong and Jang Dae-il.
The atmosphere was hot. When World Cup Legends FC (FC) entered the stadium, many fans welcomed them with loud cheers and applause, and legends took commemorative photos with the players of Yeongdeok County’s Ganggu Elementary School, Ganggu Middle School, and Yeongdeok High School. Afterwards, Legends’ soccer clinic was also held. Ganggu Elementary, Ganggu Middle School, and female club players gathered on the playground to receive the Legends’ One Point lesson and had a precious time.
A meaningful charity match was held from 4:30 p.m. Thursday. For a total of three quarters, each lasting 20 minutes, the Yeongdeok County Office and its club members shed deep sweat on the ground with the legendary players. The team’s speed and stamina decreased compared to its heyday, but the team still showed sense and skills in soccer. Notably, when legendary players such as Ha Seok-joo, Choi Sung-yong, Park Kyung-hoon, Koo Sang-beom and Kim Ju-seong showed off their great skills, audience members cheered. On top of this, commentator Lee Sang-yoon even held the microphone and displayed his unique talking skills.
The result of the match was 6-1 victory for World Cup legend FC. In the first quarter, Kim Yong-se, who set the genealogy of tall strikers, scored two goals, and Ha Seok-ju and Byun Byeong-ju scored one each. In the third quarter, Lee Tae-ho scored two goals to win.
Kim Yong-se Legend, who was selected as the most valuable player (MOM) of the tournament by scoring two goals, said, “I’m happy to receive a good evaluation on such a special day. As I was with my teammates, I remembered a lot about the past, and it was a meaningful day. I didn’t feel pressured because I was constantly exercising. Since World Cup legends met, I played hard so that I wouldn’t be embarrassed. I scored two goals, but I also scored well when I was active. Recently, there are many strikers who are so good in physicality. I hope a tall striker like Oh Se-hoon will grow further and compete in good faith with Cho Kyu-sung. As I serve as a K-League match supervisor, I think I have broadened my horizons while watching a good game. I feel really good to see my junior players working hard,” smiling brightly. 메이저놀이터
Kim Joo-sung, head of World Cup Legend FC, said, “I felt like I was back in active roles and wanted to keep playing. It was a great time. Players don’t have many opportunities to exercise after retirement, but it was good to be able to play with former World Cup teammates through this time. As expected, Lee Tae-ho still had a sense of goal, and Park Kyung-hoon is still agile. His speed is alive. Shin ran well because he is still young. Commentator Lee Sang-yoon said, “I think I will succeed more in words than in soccer. I had fun.”
In fact, the victory or defeat of this game did not matter much. It was more important to create the right donation culture through this charity event, and in fact, it selected soccer players from elementary, middle and high schools in Yeongdeok County, who are growing steadily in difficult environments, donated scholarships and raised welfare funds for social welfare groups. In particular, some of the donations raised at the event will be used as welfare funds for soccer players, including encouragement funds for local elementary, middle and high school leaders.