K리그1・2의 최신 소식을 모두 확인 할 수 있는 공간입니다.
The 2021 Hana 1Q K League season rolled on with jaw dropping goals, last minute winners, and global superstars shining bright. K League United highlights the best of the previous month in the official April Newsletter.
After three goals in three straight matches, including the winner in the Gyeongin Derby against Incheon United, and a stunning equaliser in the Super Match against Suwon Bluewings, FC Seoul captain Ki Sung-yueng was named as EA Sports Player of the Month for March. Ki also bagged a late winner in Seoul's home fixture with Gwangju, sandwiched between the two derby wins.
Ki beat three candidates for the Player of the Month award: Daegu FC forward Cesinha, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors midfielder Kim Bo-kyung and Ulsan Hyundai FC goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo. Ki was top in all three voting categories: 24.71 percent of support from the K League committee, 12.87 percent from fans and 12.64 percent from FIFA Online 4 players.
From one Super Match captain to the other, Suwon Bluewings skipper Kim Min-woo picked up the Gatorade G Moment Award for March. The versatile, left-sided player scored a sumptuous volley in Suwon's home victory over Seongnam FC on 7th March. Kim beat Incheon's Negueba to the award with a total of 6,792 votes (59.4 percent). The winner was decided 100% through fan voting on K League's official Instagram and Facebook channels.
Nearly 70% of Paulo Bento's Korean National Team squad which faced Japan in a friendly on Thursday 25th March 2021 was made up of players from K League. The K League club with the most players selected was Ulsan Hyundai with seven, followed by Suwon FC, Gangwon FC and FC Seoul with two each, and Daejeon Hana Citizen and Gyeongnam FC with one player.
Among the current K League players, 146 caps have been won - averaging out at 9.125 caps per player. The most capped K Leaguer is Park Joo-ho with 40 appearances for the national team, followed by Hong Chul with 30. Lee Dong-jun (Ulsan), meanwhile, made his full national team debut.
[READ: K League Internationals: Japan vs South Korea]
"I'm falling in love with football again" - Valentinos Sielis
"We're really enjoying Busan. It's a beautiful city, has a combination of the nature and big city vibes with the beach. So it's great. Last year was a really hard year for me - generally for everyone in the start of the Coronavirus. So having them here is just a boost for me and making me feel more comfortable and we're really really enjoying our time here.
"It's always good to be on the score sheet. Especially if your team wins. So yeah, I can't wait to be on the scoresheet again. It was a hard year for me last year, but I learned from every experience, I only keep the good stuff - I learned a lot in Jeju. It's important for me now that I get a full support of Busan. And I'm really, really enjoying my time. I'm falling in love with football again."
[READ: "I'm falling in love with football again": Valentinos Interview]
"I wouldn’t say that our culture as a team changed entirely, but the atmosphere in and around the squad has changed. When I first arrived, it almost seemed like our players didn’t know how to smile, and there was a depressing feeling all around. I jokingly asked myself if I had made the right decision to come here,” he remarked with a chuckle.
"I made an effort to relieve that sort of atmosphere. I played with our team in training and started to put a smile on my face first. We also played games to hit the crossbar, and whenever I won, I exaggerated my celebrations to make the players laugh. To help our guys laugh and have fun, I needed to put a smile on my face first. I also spoke to each player individually and helped them drive up their confidence to grow further. I made sure to let everyone know that they have the qualities to grow as players. I think that’s what helped us to create the change we needed to produce the results on the pitch," he said.
[READ: Nam Ki-il Interview on Jeju United's 2021 Season]
