Soccer fans are paying keen attention to whether Joo Min-kyu, who wore his first Taegeuk mark at the age of 33, will bloom late.

 

 

 

Joo Min-kyu, the front-line striker of Ulsan HD, was listed on the men's soccer A team list, which Hwang Sun-hong temporarily coached, on the 11th, for the first time in his career at 33 years old and 333 days. After the second leg of the Asian Champions League ACL quarterfinals against Jeonbuk Hyundai on the 12th, the very next day, he made up his mind, saying, "I'll think I'm the youngest and run eagerly." Fans put up banners with the words "The late bloom is more beautiful" at Munsu World Cup Stadium in Ulsan, where the game was held, and prayed for the "late bloom."

 

 

 

Joo Min-kyu has been Korea's best striker for many years, becoming the top scorer in the K League 1 in the 2021 and 2023 seasons, but he had no connection with the national flag. Following former coach Paulo Bento, Jurgen Klinsmann also failed to call in Joo.

 

 

 

As interim coach Hwang Sun-hong, a former member of the national team's flagship striker, will lead the second consecutive round of qualifying matches in Asia for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Thailand in March, hope is hanging over Joo Min-gyu. The fact that players who have been in charge of the national team's front-line strikers, such as Cho Kyu-sung Mitt Whelan, Oh Hyun-kyu Celtic, and Hwang Ui-jo Alagaspor, have been struggling one after another also worked in the advantage of Joo Min-gyu.

 

 

 

"There are many factors in soccer, but I think scoring ability is a different area," Hwang said when asked about the background of his selection. No player in the league has scored more than 50 goals in the past three years. There is no need for further explanation." Hwang reportedly wanted to use Joo as a "hidden loser" at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. Hwang checked his performance by watching an ACL game between Ulsan and Jeonbuk even after calling out Joo.

 

Cho is the only player on the A team's front-line striker list along with Joo Min-gyu. The two had fierce competition for the top scorer in the K-League 1 in the 2022 season as well. Joo Min-gyu then Jeju and Cho Kyu-seong then Jeonbuk scored 17 goals each in the corresponding season, but Cho 31 games was the first scorer as he played fewer games than Joo 37 games. At the time, the two players were ranked as the "Best 11" together.

 

 

 

Joo Min-gyu is showing off his skills and skills in the 2024 season, which has recently opened. It is said that during the training last winter, he focused on reducing body fat and increasing speed and activity. In February, Joo scored multiple goals in the first leg of the ALC round of 16 against Japan's Banpo Re Gofu, and a decisive goal just before the end of the second leg, bringing Ulsan to the quarterfinals of the tournament. In the opening match against the Pohang Steelers of the 2024 K-League 1 on the 1st, he also showed off his unique ball guard and activity, leading the attack.

 

 

 

If Joo Min-gyu plays in the third match against Thailand in the second round of the North-China World Cup on the 21st, he will also set the record for his A-match debut 33 years, 343 days. Expectations are high on how beautiful the flowers he will bloom late will be, as he said after the second leg of the ALC quarterfinals, "There were many moments when I was hurt, but I think I did it until the end without giving up."  토토사이트 순위