Kwon Chang-hoon, who pledged his allegiance as a “one-club man” for Suwon Samsung, has left for another team. He went to Jeonbuk Hyundai, one of the teams Suwon fans hate the most. Kwon Chang-hoon, a member of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, has decided to make a comeback in Jeonbuk. The Jeonbuk club officially announced on Tuesday that it has recruited Kwon Chang-hoon, who became a free agent after the last season.
Kwon Chang-hoon was once a top-rated midfielder who shined out Korean soccer after Son Heung-min on the European stage. A native of Samsung Youth Matango in Suwon, Kwon Chang-hoon, who made his professional debut in 2013 wearing a Suwon uniform, boasted the best skills among K-League midfielders before moving to Dijon in early 2017. He then moved to Freiburg in the German Bundesliga in 2019, and moved to Suwon in 2021 for military service before joining the army.
Kwon Chang-hoon spread his wings widely as one of the best attacking midfielders in League 1 at Dijon. Some even predicted that if he maintained his upward trend, he would be able to move to bigger leagues such as the English Premier League. However, his soccer life changed a lot when he suffered a major injury such as a ruptured Achilles tendon in March 2018, just before the World Cup in Russia. Not only did he fail to make it to the roster for the World Cup in Russia, but he also failed to participate in the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games in September of that year. He played as a wild card for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but when Korea failed to win a medal, he returned to the domestic stage and went to Sangmu.
Kwon Chang-hoon was discharged from military service last fall and returned to his original team Suwon, but his contract expired after failing to play a single game due to injury. Among free agents this season, Kwon was considered one of the most sought-after players but ended up moving to Jeonbuk. Considering his past when he returned from Freiburg without any difficulties and was loved by Suwon fans, his fans deserve to be angry. However, Suwon also experienced a humiliating experience of being demoted to the secondary league. In addition, the team has been making unprecedented moves in K-League history, as it failed to announce its general manager and manager even in the new year.
At this juncture, it is not unreasonable for Kwon Chang-hoon, who became an FA, to choose to join Jeonbuk, one of the best teams in Korea. Kwon, who is still injured, is known to have significantly lowered his salary due to the mindset of Baek Ui-jong. “Korea’s best doctors and medical teams will make all-out efforts to make Kwon return to the ground quickly,” the Jeonbuk club said. Kwon also said, “After much thought, I decided to go to Jeonbuk. It was a really important decision in my soccer life,” adding, “I will deeply thank the Jeonbuk club for their consideration and will definitely repay them. I will prove my worth to myself.”
Immediately before the announcement of his joining in Jeonbuk, Kwon Chang-hoon said on his SNS, “I would like to share my situation with those who are curious about my news. I was injured while serving in the military this year and was discharged from the military in that state. Suwon was in a very difficult situation at the time, and I tried my best to get treatment and rehabilitation as I wanted to return quickly. However, my condition did not improve, so I had no choice but to make the final choice of surgery,” adding, “I really did my best for rehabilitation with the hope that I could play even for a minute after the surgery.” “I wanted to tell you my situation after greeting you on the ground as a soccer player. However, I couldn’t return within the season, and I had no choice but to accept the result of being out of the season.”
Kwon Chang-hoon said, “I thought a lot about whether I should tell you my situation in the middle, but most of all, I didn’t want to make the atmosphere of the team chaotic when the team was in a difficult situation,” adding, “I’m so sorry and deeply reflecting on my decision because I think I only gave frustration to the fans as a result.”
Kwon Chang-hoon explained it in detail, but some Suwon fans are unable to accept his explanation. However, Jeonbuk and Suwon cannot compete unless they win the FA Cup this season. Usually, when such a transfer story occurs, there is a fierce war of nerves and punishment when the two teams collide, but since Suwon has been demoted to the second division, it is difficult to face off this year. 메이저 토토사이트
For reference, examples of transfers to rival clubs in European football include Luis Figo, who moved from FC Barcelona to Real Madrid in Spain in 2000, Sol Campbell, who changed his uniform from Tottenham to Arsenal in England in 2001, and Gonzalo Higuain, who moved from Naples to Juventus in Italy in 2016.
