The rivalry of the Hyundai family, which divides professional football into two, became more heated in the new year. Ulsan Hyundai coach Hong Myung-bo (54), who lifted the trophy last year, made a statement about the sudden departure of Jun Amano (32) to Jeonbuk Hyundai, who ate a pot of rice.
Coach Hong met with a reporter at the Ulsan clubhouse on the 11th and said, “Amano is the worst Japanese I have ever met.”
Japanese midfielder Amano played 30 games as a loan player in Ulsan last year, scoring 9 goals and 1 assist. He did not simply record a lot of attack points, but faithfully served as a link in the attack, contributing to Ulsan winning the K-League 1 championship in 17 years.
Manager Hong agreed with the player to extend the rental contract with Amano’s original team, Yokohama, again this year, but suddenly left for rival Jeonbuk and was shocked. It is known that Jeonbuk offered Amano $100,000 more in annual salary than Ulsan.
Director Hong said, “Originally, pros move with money. But Amano said, ‘Money doesn’t matter’ and said he wanted to stay. If he had talked about money from the start, he could have helped negotiate.”
Coach Hong left unstoppable criticism of Amano, but his transfer story became a story that added interest to the championship competition. Jeonbuk, which finished runner-up last year, not only recruited Amano but also Lee Dong-jun (26) from Ulsan from Hertha Berlin in Germany to boost their strength. Dongjun Lee played for Ulsan in 2021 and scored 11 goals.
Coach Hong said, “If you talk about investment, we cannot compare with Jeonbuk.” 1 Expressed confidence in normal Mercury.
What coach Hong believes is the joining of Joo Min-gyu (33), who is also called the best goal scorer in the K-League 1. Joo Min-gyu, a native of Ulsan, became the top scorer (22 goals) for the first time in 5 years as a Korean player at Jeju United in 2021, and also scored the most with 17 goals last year along with Cho Kyu-seong (25, Jeonbuk). 온라인카지노
Joo Min-gyu said, “Is there any player who would refuse after receiving an offer from coach Hong Myung-bo?” I want to hear that I became stronger after joining,” he laughed.
There is a high possibility that the rivalry of Hyundai, which has been burning since the start of winter training, will clash even before the opening game. The Professional Football Federation is promoting the Big Bang, the opening game between Ulsan, the K-League 1 champion, and Jeonbuk, the Korea Football Association (FA) Cup champion.
Coach Hong and Joo Min-gyu both look forward to meeting Jeonbuk in the opening game. Director Hong said, “It is a good card for the K League 1 box office success,” and “Ulsan will return in 2023 with a stronger appearance.” Joo Min-gyu said, “I want to win a big win in the opening match against my rival. That will increase your chances of winning.”