“I wonder if I will be helpful to the team in the future… .”
Ki Sung-yong (34), FC Seoul’s veteran and ‘spiritual leader’, looked confused. He started as a central midfielder in the home game against Gangwon FC in the 34th round (1st leg of Final B) of ‘Hana One Q K League 1 2023’ held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 22nd, and played the full 90 minutes, leading the team to a 2-1 victory. I added strength.
Now in his mid-30s, he is showing off his consistent class, ranking 4th overall in successful passes in the league this season (1,948) and 5th in key passes (42). He played as one of the European Taegeuk Warriors representing Korean soccer in the 2010s, ended his time in Europe in the summer of 2020 and returned to his former team, Seoul. Before he fell away from his prime, he showed great determination to return to the K-League, interact with the fans, and bring the championship trophy to Seoul.
However, it was not an easy journey. Regardless of his individual performance, the performance of Seoul, which dreams of ‘rebuilding a famous family,’ was not good. The head coach also changed twice. Ki Sung-yueng reached the FA Cup final last year and even scored a goal in the first game, but eventually lost the trophy to Jeonbuk Hyundai. In the first half of this season, the team was once in second place in the league, but lost 0-2 to Jeonbuk in the final game of the regular league (round 33) on the 8th, falling to 7th place, equivalent to Final B, and staying in the lower league for four consecutive years.
Ki Sung-yong, whom we met immediately after the victory in Gangwon, said ‘I’m disappointed’ six times. He said, “I’m glad I won. However, he personally did not feel disappointed (about going down to Final B). He believed he would go to the top league (Final A) this year. However, it went astray due to our shortcomings. I just feel sorry for my fans. “Personally, it is still very difficult and recovery is not going well,” he confessed.
He said, “The bus has already left. In fact, it felt like the season was over. “It was meaningless,” he said. “(Ahead of the Gangwon match), I told the players, ‘I want them to think about their own value as professionals. “I don’t know if that was motivation, but I was glad that the players did their best.”
The reason why I feel particularly sad is because my contract with Seoul ends this year. Known as Seoul’s ‘Living Legend’, he secretly wanted to return from Europe, win the trophy during his contract period, and have an honorable second career in soccer. The Seoul supporter is hoping to chart a different future with Ki Sung-yong by signing a contract extension.굿모닝토토 주소
What are his thoughts? Ki Sung-yueng said, “Actually, we did well in the first half of the year. I was personally very disappointed as I was defeated (to Final B). “I can’t just ignore this because I am a member of the team, and I am in a position,” he said. “What I worry about the most (regarding extension contract negotiations) is whether I will be helpful to the team or not. “I think about that a lot,” he said. Also, “My contract ends this year, but I actually don’t know what the team will need. I think FC Seoul also needs a generational change. I am thinking about whether I can really be of help in that regard. “That kind of time can come to anyone, so I think I need to think clearly and decide my future,” he emphasized.