"I am a challenger" The initial intention of Hong Jeong-ho, 36, who stole Foye's heart...the struggle for a third prime

"I am a challenger" The initial intention of Hong Jeong-ho, 36, who stole Foye's heart...the struggle for a third prime

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"Hong Jeongho! Hong Jeongho!"

In the 36th minute of the first half of the eighth round of the "Hana Bank K League 1 2025" between Jeonbuk and Jeju at Jeonju World Cup Stadium on the 13th, a space pass stabbed by Jeju midfielder Lee Hae-ro headed into the back space of Jeonbuk's defense. Jeju striker Yuri Jonatan, who caught the ball, immediately entered the penalty box. Just as Yuri Jonatan tried to shoot with his right foot after controlling the ball, Jeonbuk defender Hong Jeong-ho, who was following, threw his body with his teeth and stretched his legs long. He blocked the shot with a "predictive tackle" that accurately grasped Yuri Jonatan's shooting timing. Jeonbuk players rushed to Hong Jeong-ho and praised him for the "best play," and Hong's name rang out from the audience. Yuri Jonatan also approached Hong Jeong-ho and raised his thumb.

Hong said, "I thought Yuri (Jonathan) would have a physical fight, so we collided with each other. I believed in my judgment that I would have to tackle in the next situation, but luckily, I think I blocked it well. It's too bad that I lost a point and ended up tying the game 1-1. This scene is a 'skill' that Hong often showed when he played for the national team and in Europe. This shows how much Hong Jeong-ho, who has recently taken the position as Jeonbuk's main defender, has improved. "If he shows the same form (performing capability as he is now, there is no reason not to appoint Hong Jeong-ho," Jeonbuk coach Gus Foye said. "I am a 'competitor' who must appeal to the coach in order to survive," said Hong, who started in the sixth round of the K-League 1 against Anyang for the first time in three consecutive games last month when his team was on shaky ground after being excluded from the plan since the opening of the season. "I am a 'competitor' who must appeal to the coach in order to survive. I am trying hard to show good performance in every game as well when training," he said, adding that he is challenging himself with a stance of his initial commitment. Jeonbuk has rebounded by garnering seven points (two wins and one draw) by banking on its stable defense, in which it conceded only one goal in the last three games in which Hong kept the back door.

Jeonbuk lost the first point to Yoo in the 41st minute of the first half. In the 41st minute of the second half, when the score was 0-1 for nearly 45 minutes, Compagno tied Hong Jeong-ho's header assist with an equalizer in the 41st minute of the second half. "I thought Seung-woo would post a short corner kick. I tried to score with a header right away, but it was an assist after a mistake," Hong said. "It's unfortunate that the winning streak was cut off, but I think it's positive that we tied the game that we were losing." Compagno (who scored after seven shots) said, "I was sorry that it was tied because of me," but he said, "It was tied because of you."

At the age of 36, 메이저놀이터 it is not easy to compete for a starting player. People of the same age are either retiring or preparing to retire one by one. Koo Ja-cheol, who was born in 1989, ended his career as an active player last year. "I thought it would be nice if (former) Ja-cheol played more. On the other hand, it is bittersweet, but I want to keep the memories together," Hong said. "I also sincerely hope that the day will come when I leave the game as cool as Ja-cheol does. Rather than ending my career in the background, I want to retire while shining in the front, so I have to do my best until the end." Hong, who has been playing Jeon Ju-seong for six years since 2019, said, "I hope my uniform color is green when I retire, but I think I have to work harder for that to happen."