Hong Myung-bo (54), manager of Ulsan Hyundai, is a South Korean soccer legend. He is the first player to be inducted into the Korean Football Association’s Hall of Fame.바카라사이트 He made his professional debut with Pohang in 1992 and won the league title, Best 11, and MVP in his first season. He played 156 games in the K League. He won one league and one League Cup title. Hong has become the face of Korean soccer beyond the K League. He played 136 A-match matches under the Taeguk-mark. He led South Korea as captain at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. He also played in the American and Japanese leagues. Hong has been invited to participate in various events as an “All-Time All-Star. He has been named to the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian All-Stars, and the Japanese J-League Division 1 All-Stars.
The ‘All-Star regular’ is back for another All-Star game, as he took the helm of Team K League All-Stars, Team K League, against Atletico Madrid (Spain) on July 27. “Our opponent is a team with clear tactical colors, and their defensive organization is world-class. We have to do it with different teams, no time to train, and no idea of our personal characteristics. But we’re not afraid. The only language in soccer is the ball. It’s all about what you do with the ball. I will prepare to show the team’s K League language perfectly.”
The lid was lifted. Team K-League was up and down at the start of the game. They conceded an early goal and were shaken. There was no giving up. They pounded, pounded, and pounded until the end. Coach Hong threw a game-changing move by playing a 180-degree different lineup in the first half. It worked, as Team K-League won 3-2 thanks to a dramatic goal by Lee Sun-min (Gwangju FC) in stoppage time. The fans cheered and chanted “goodbye” to Atletico Madrid.
Hong Myung-bo, Se Jing-ya, and Kim Young-kwon of Team K League, which is playing a friendly match against Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Primera Liga, pose for a photo after a press conference at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Sangam-dong=Jung Jae-geun Reporter cjg@sportschosun.com/2023.7.26/
Hong Myung-bo, head coach of Team K-League, which plays a friendly match against Spanish Primera League side Atletigo Madrid, holds a press conference at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Sangam-dong=Jung Jae-geun Reporter cjg@sportschosun.com/2023.7.26/
After the match, Hong said, “I don’t like the idea of an all-star game. That doesn’t mean we set a strong tone. What we can realistically do is to do our best, which is quite possible. I asked the players to show their best, and the foreign players followed suit.”
Hong took the All-Star Game seriously for a reason. “I think it’s a very important game to give young players a dream, to look to the future. “The All-Star Game is played by the best and most popular players in the league. There’s a lot of interest in it. I think it’s a good event game that can create a boom. What has changed a little bit is that overseas teams are coming and playing against the K League, so I hope it doesn’t just stop at the All-Star Game.” Playing against overseas teams is a matter of pride for the League, but it also opens the door for some players to go overseas.
Hong, who gave it his all until the end, even laughed at his opponent’s manager after the game. Diego Simeone, the manager of Atletico Madrid, could not hide his excitement on the bench throughout the game. After the game, he walked off the field without shaking Hong’s hand. “It’s a friendly game, so why should I be so unhappy with the referee,” Hong laughed. From his attitude to the result, Hong had a lot to smile about.