In 2015, Suwon’s captain Yeom Ki-hoon’s skills and popularity reached their peak.
Immediately after captain Yeom Ki-hoon’s great success in a super match against Seoul, where he won 5-1, as expected, Yeom Ki-hun’s song of praise rang out in Big Bird, and Hong-cheol, who belonged to Suwon at the time, threw out a word filled with envy.
“What, is Suwon Yeom Ki-hoon’s team?”
In 2023, 8 years after that. Yeom Ki-hoon, who is 41 years old and is spending his last active season as a playing coach, proved that Hong-cheol’s jealousy still works.
“It’s still Yeom Ki-hoon’s team”
Yeom Ki-hoon, who was 41 years old and earned the sad nickname안전놀이터 of ‘Yeom Old Man’ in ‘Yeom Giggs’, played the first game of the season with Kim Joo-chan, a rookie with a 20-year age gap, Suwon washed away the long sluggishness and enjoyed the joy of the first victory. .
At the moment, his speed was noticeably slow, but Yeom Ki-hun, who proved that he was still alive with his left foot and ball guarding ability, led the team to a 3-1 victory in the FA Cup round of 32 against Ansan, with two assists.
Yeom Ki-hun, who entered the press conference, showed a tired expression on his face. As if age cannot be faked, Yeom Ki-hun clenched his teeth and stuck out his tongue, saying he played the game.
“It seems like it’s been a while since I played a full-time official match, but honestly, it’s very difficult. The same goes for my muscle condition. After 80 minutes, I was told that I had to play all 90 minutes on the bench, so I think I gritted my teeth and played. It’s hard, too. It’s very hard…”
On weekdays, about 1,000 Suwon fans who filled one side of the Ansan Wa Stadium welcomed Yeom Ki-hoon’s debut game as a playing coach by singing Yeom Ki-hoon’s long-awaited song. Yeom Ki-hoon said that he almost shed tears and thanked the fans who were still waiting for him.
“It’s been a while since I heard a cheering song and I was a little bit teary-eyed when I ran, but I held it in. I had to cry at a really happy moment. Today, I felt embarrassed if I cried, so I held it in. I was very happy with myself, and even though it was difficult, I was satisfied with just playing for 90 minutes. Fans Thanks to your support, I think I jumped one more step.”
Ki-Hoon Yeom has never been on the substitute list this season, encouraging players on the bench more than on the pitch.
Coach Lee Byeong-geun, who had suggested Yeom Ki-hoon as a playing coach expecting a good influence as a symbol of the team rather than performance, also began to turn complicated by Yeom Ki-hoon’s unexpected (?) performance.
“Yeom Ki-hoon, who led and played with his young friends in this difficult game, played well. Ki-hoon’s good performance has other players to follow and learn from. I think he will have a better influence on our team.
” The joking remark, “Are you a team?” shows the bitter reality that Suwon is currently facing, but Suwon fans may be hoping that there will be more singing of Yeom Ki-hoon’s song this season, holding the belief that “Yeom Ki-hun’s time goes backwards”. .