Kim Seung-seop couldn’t smile after his first K League 1 goal. He simply bowed his head to the Daejeon Hana Citizen fans.

Jeju drew 1-1 with Daejeon Hana Citizen in the 19th round of the ‘Hana OneQ K League 1 2023’ at Jeju World Cup Stadium at 6 p.m. on April 24. Jeju took the lead with a goal from Kim Seung-seop, but had to settle for a point thanks to a late goal from Thiago. 메이저사이트

Despite the draw, it was a meaningful game for Kim Seung-seop. Seung-seop left Daejeon this year to join Jeju. It wasn’t an easy decision for him. Kim was a one-club man who was loved by Daejeon fans. He played for Daejeon since he was a Daejeon Citizen and was instrumental in the team’s promotion to the K League 1 last season through a relegation playoff with Gimcheon Commerce.

Daejeon fans have been with the team from the beginning of their struggles to their moment of glory. They wanted him to play in the K League 1 after a long absence. It wasn’t a decision he made right away. He went through a long period of time where he thought, “Should I leave Daejeon?” and chose a new challenge and joined Jeju.

After playing for a long time in Daejeon, Kim had a tough adjustment period in Jeju. In a phone conversation with ‘Interfootball’ on the 27th, Kim Seung-seop said, “The first time I had a meeting with the coach in the winter, he asked me to play as a wingback, which was so unfamiliar that I panicked. I told him I would do my best, but I had a lot of personal problems at the beginning of the season because I was struggling. I had a lot of headaches. I’ve only played as a striker throughout my career, so it was hard to adjust,” he recalled of his early season.

Now that he’s over his adjustment period, Kim has been playing as a winger and a wingback, giving Jeju’s defense a boost. “After a while, it wasn’t a matter of pride. The coach had a clear idea and put me in that position, and I made up my mind that I would be a player who could be utilized as a winger and a wingback. I think that mindset leads to good performances,” he said.

The goal against Daejeon was Kim Seung-seop’s K League 1 debut and his first league goal for Jeju. It was a sweet reward for Kim, who had a tough time adjusting to the position. “I had injuries during the season, and I applied to Gimcheon, but I was rejected and had military problems. My performance wasn’t improving and I wasn’t scoring goals. I had a lot of complicated problems that came at me all at once, and it was really hard.”

Kim Seung-seop, who headed home Ahn Tae-hyun’s cross, roared that the hardships he’d endured were like a beacon. As he said, he was overwhelmed with emotion in the moment because of all the problems he had faced since coming to Jeju. Afterward, he realized his mistake. The team that scored the goal was Chinjeong.

메이저도메인 “I scored my first goal in the K League 1 and it felt different, and I was so desperate and hard, so I let out a roar. I shouldn’t have done that. I apologized to the fans of Daejeon after the game, but there are still some people who feel sad. I understand and I’m really sorry. I can only apologize to the Daejeon fans,” he said. When asked about his performance, Kim continued, “I’m happy, but I shouldn’t have done that. I’m really sorry to the Daejeon fans,” he repeated.

Despite his mistake with Chinjeong, this goal could be the catalyst for Kim to soar again. Jeju often refer to Kim as the Seogwipo Son Heung-min. When asked how he felt about the nickname, he laughed and said, “It started in Daejeon. Daejeon fans used to call him Hanbad Son Heung-min, but when he came to Jeju, he became Seogwipo Son Heung-min. I will do my best to live up to the nickname Seogwipo Son Heung-min and perform well so that we can get closer.”

Although he plays as a wingback, his natural position is a winger. He will have to compete with the in-form Hayes and Seo Jin-soo. “When coach Nam Ki-il first tried to bring me in, he said, ‘We don’t have your style. If I play my style, I’ll feel more empowered and we’ll have better synergy. Now that I know the team’s style, I will try to incorporate my style. I think I have better movement, breakthrough, and physical strength. I can also play in any position. If we have healthy competition, the team will be stronger,” he said.

“I love being a part of the Jeju team. We were at the bottom of the table at the beginning of the season, but we’ve rallied together to get to where we are now. We don’t doubt each other and our trust is strong, so we’ve come this far with a winning streak and an undefeated record. It’s an important time, so we’re more focused. Our goal for the season was to finish second in the league. We’re not there now, but there’s not much difference. We’re trying to catch up and not fall behind. We are very motivated to get back to second place,” he concluded, showing his determination.