Jesse Lingard (England), who played for the Manchester United and the England national team, looked back on the first season he spent in FC Seoul. Satisfied with his Korean life, he made commitment to return to good health next season.
Lingard started in an away match against Gimcheon Sangmu in the 38th round (Final B 5th round) of Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Gimcheon Stadium. Lingard played full-time and spearheaded the attack on Seoul, including a sharp kick that helped Cho Young-wook score the first goal, leading his team to a 3-1 victory.
“I was really happy in Korea. I enjoyed every moment both inside and outside the stadium. There were times when I looked back on the season, and there were times when I felt bad. Especially, it was tough to have five consecutive wins at home. Still, the team showed great personality, and we won the game strong while maintaining courage and confidence,” Lingard said after the game.
Asked how he would spend time after the season and before the pre-season, he said, “I think I will spend time with my family. Especially since I haven’t spent much time with my daughter, I will spend most of the time with her,” adding, “It’s a little cold in England, but I’m going to meet my friends in Manchester and London and be with my family. Of course, the most important thing is to come back healthy next season.”
With Lingard’s emergence, he proved that the K-League is also a league that can recruit big stars. With Korean soccer fans hoping for more stars, Lingard joked that he would come up with a list of recommendations. When asked by reporters if he had any stars to recommend him to go to the K-League, Lingard replied, “I will make a list for Christmas.”
Seoul, which won the final match of the league, maintained its fourth place and increased its chances of advancing to the AFC Champions Elite (ACLE). Although it is a complicated situation to watch the ACLE and ACL2 winners after the season, Lingard expected to advance to the Asian match next season.
“Football itself gives me motivation. I always want to play games in my heart. I got motivated by continuing to play games in this season,” Lingard said. “If I play in the ACL next season, I will be able to play big games, and I was most excited when I played big games as a player. I want to feel that feeling again.”
Finally, Lingard applauded his teammates for scoring after a long time. Seoul added three more points against Kim, as Cho Young-wook, Lim Sang-hyup, and Ronaldo both tasted the score. “I want to congratulate the three players, Lim Sang-hyup, Cho Young-wook, and Ronaldo. The three players had a rough season, but they practiced harder than anyone else at the training site every day,” Lingard said.
He immediately finished the interview by saying, “Especially after scoring, I told Ronaldo, ‘You deserve to score.’ I’m so grateful for the three players who scored, and it was great to be able to fight together as a team and family for a season.” 메이저사이트
He also expressed his sincere gratitude to the fans. “I want to say thank you to the fans. They always bought tickets and gave us wonderful support, whether it be at home or away,” Lingard said. “I was especially surprised to see so many guardian gods come to each away game. We have a duty to play well since the fans paid to watch the Seoul game.”
“Thank you for giving us such wonderful support regardless of home or away games. I don’t want to think too much about next season. What I want to do now is go back to Seoul, have fun with my teammates and enjoy the day,” he added.