’21-year-old military fullback’ Hwang Jae-won “Every player dreams of Europe, I want to be there someday”

Hangzhou AG establishes presence as next big thing…”I can afford to be on the big stage”짱구카지노 주소

Hwang Jae-won ‘I can never go’
Kim In-cheol looks on during the men’s football quarterfinal match between South Korea and Uzbekistan at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at Huanglong Sports Center Stadium on Thursday in Hangzhou, China. Hwang Jae-won of South Korea defends against Ruslanbek Ziyanov of Uzbekistan.

While the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games showcased the “young blood” of Korean soccer, including Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) and Chung Woo-young (Stuttgart), the player whose stock has risen the most is Hwang Jae-won, a fullback for K League 1 Daegu FC.

He was already making a name for himself as a mainstay in Daegu, and despite being the youngest of the ‘Hwang Sun-Hong Ho’ generation (born in 2002), he made his presence felt more widely as a mainstay, with a high volume of activity and active participation in attacks.

In particular, in the final against Japan, he helped Jeong Woo-young tie the game with a header in the 27th minute of the first half when Korea was trailing, and in the 11th minute of the second half when Cho Young-wook (Gimcheon) scored the game-winning goal, he connected the ball to Jeong Woo-young between two Japanese players to lay a foothold.

The emergence of a new generation of national-level fullbacks, who have shown their skills on and off the field and solved the problem of military service with a gold medal, has raised expectations of ‘going to Europe’ early.

Speaking to Yonhap News Agency at DGB Daegu Bank Park on the 21st, the day of the first match of the K League 1 Final Round against Jeonbuk Hyundai (Daegu 1-2), Hwang Jae-won said, “I’m grateful for the love,” but added, “Actually, at the Asian Games, the team did well as a whole, and I didn’t do much. There were times when we conceded goals due to my mistakes, and I wasn’t 100 percent perfect.”

Hwang Jae-won poses for an interview with Yonhap News Agency after the match against Jeonbuk on Nov. 21.
[Photo by Choi Song-ah].

Still, he said, “I was grateful to represent Korea in the tournament, and I felt a sense of responsibility. I didn’t know when I would experience such a big competition again, so I always went into it with the idea of doing it without regret.” Looking back, he said, “I think running amidst the boos of 50,000 spectators gave me a little more space to overcome the pressure of a big stage with a large crowd.”

When asked about his dream of playing in Europe, which has become a hot topic after his Asian Games performance, he did not hide his ‘dream’.

“Europe is a stage that every soccer player wants to go to,” he said, “and I always have a dream to learn there.”

The Hangzhou Asian Games team includes a number of players who play in Europe, including Lee Kang-in and Jung Woo-young, giving Hwang the opportunity to gain “second-hand experience”.

“I heard from my teammates that Europe is definitely different from Korea. Of course, there is a lot to learn in Korea, but there are things you can experience and learn in Europe,” he said, adding that he heard a lot of positive things.

But he remained firmly in the ‘now’.

Hwang Jae-won signs an autograph for a fan on his way home from the game.
[Photo courtesy of Daegu FC. Resale and DB prohibited].

“I belong to Daegu, so it’s my job to keep winning with this team,” Hwang said. “I think if I work hard, I’ll get my chance one day. I don’t think it’s something to rush into, but I want to fulfill my role in Daegu,” he said.

“I still have a lot to work on,” he said, adding, “I’m a defender, so I need to work on my defense, and I want to improve my crossing accuracy.”

At the sold-out Jeonbuk game, which was packed with more than 12,000 fans, the Daegu home fans celebrated the gold medal victory and welcomed Hwang Jae-won back to the team at the start of the second half by unfurling a rug that read ‘Welcome back Golden Jae-won’. Even on his way home from the game, he received more cheers and autograph requests than anyone else, demonstrating his increased interest and popularity.

“Our home fans came out to support us in the first game of the final round, and I’m very disappointed that we couldn’t repay them with a win,” said Hwang Jae-won. “We will definitely win the next game and continue our challenge for a spot in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) for the rest of the season.”