“The director’s words gave me courage”.
Ulsan Hyundai’s new captain Jeong Seung-hyun made a firm commitment to challenge for the championship.
Ulsan started field training in Portugal on January 21st. The average temperature these days in the Algarve is 17 degrees Celsius, which is perfect for training. The atmosphere is top notch.
Last week after arriving in Portugal, the entire team had time to build teamwork while touring Lisbon, the capital, which is a short distance away, to relieve the accumulated fatigue.
Jeong Seung-hyun, who met at the lodging after winning the first game of the Atlantic Cup against the Brentford B team, said, “I really didn’t know if I could claim it. In particular, a good player like (Lee) Cheong Yong-hyung claimed and won the championship,” he said. “The coach told me to be comfortable. Also, seniors help a lot. I will try to win again through dialogue with the entire team, including vice-captains Park Yong-woo, Lee Myung-jae, and Lee Kyu-seong.”
“It was my first time winning the league. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League has been won twice. I have experience while playing in Ulsan and Japan,” he said. “But there is no memory as good as winning the K-League 1. I really want to win again.”
His goal as captain was clear. To rise to the top of the K-League 1 once again. Jeong Seung-hyun said, “Until now, it was enough to play through personal thoughts, but now it is different. I have to think of the team, not me. The responsibility is heavy, but the expectations are also high. Because our team has the ability to win again.”
The story of director Hong Myung-bo had a great influence on Jung Seung-hyun taking on the captaincy.
“I couldn’t join the national team during the A match period in October of last year. At that time, the director called me separately and talked to me. He said the director never gave up. He encouraged me a lot, saying that he was a good player for the national team. It wasn’t a special statement, but it was different from other people’s stories. It gave me a lot of courage because it was the words of coach Hong Myung-bo, a great player in Korea. Hearing those words made him dream bigger”.
Jung Seung-hyun also said, “I was very envious of not being able to participate in the World Cup. But he gave me a chance to look back. As the coach said, he just needs to work harder and become a player who is consistently selected for the national team again. He has no other thoughts. If he can recreate Ulsan’s victory, he will definitely be able to make it to the national team,” he explained.
Jeong Seung-hyun clearly explained why he can challenge the top of the K-League 1 again. He said, “If you look at Jeonbuk, which always won the K-League, the existing members always stayed. But so did we. Along with the members who won the championship last season, the new members are also high-level players. So don’t worry too much. He emphasized that he will be able to show a stronger appearance because there are no problems with the existing power and there are many plus factors in the team.” 카지노