In 2021, the world is full of turmoil and unrest due to the covid-19 pandemic. This year, some people have made countless people worship and follow with a full sense of existence, and some people have been frustrated or even left forever to make countless people sad. Looking back on this year, in addition to the top ten events in Korean football that have left our mark on the year, the top ten figures can also arouse our memories and touches. Let's take a look at the top ten people in Korean football in 2021 with our perspective.
Sun Zhunhao (29 years old, Midfielder of Shandong Taishan Team of Chinese Super League)
Last season's K League MVP Sun Junhao chose to leave South Korea to "pan for gold" this season, but because he is no longer young, he did not choose to go to Europe to develop, and the destination he chose was Shandong, China. Before Sun Zhunhao went to Shandong, the former Chinese league giants had not tasted the taste of the championship for many years, so for Sun Zhunhao, the pressure on him was actually greater on this transfer. But in fact, it was a "win-win" transfer. In Shandong Luneng, Sun Zhunhao played as the core of the midfield, which not only made up for the shortcomings of Shandong's previous weak midfield defense, but also staged the "single-riding savior" drama many times. In the championship stage of the league, Sun Zhunhao scored a series of world waves in two games against Beijing Guoan and Shanghai SIPG, helping Shandong team to win consecutive victories while also holding the initiative of winning the championship in his hands. On December 26, Shandong defeated Hebei 2-0, and Sun Zhunhao tasted the championship again after a year. As of now, he has played 19 league games and contributed 4 goals and 4 assists, and he is likely to also win the MVP title in China. For South Korean football, the "Sun Junhao phenomenon" may inspire more elderly Local Players in South Korea to regain their dream of going to China to "pan for gold", while also envisioning their own championship dreams.
Kim Ha-bum (61 years old, South Korea's Olympic team manager)
Coach Jin Hefan, who bore the aura of the 2018 Asian Games champion and the 2020 Asian U23 Championship champion, did not expect that on the stage of the Tokyo Olympic Games, he would end his coaching career as the coach of the national Olympic team with such a terrible ending. With a 3-6 rout, Kim Hak-bum set the record for the biggest scoreless loss since the South Korean Olympic team entered the Olympics. For a coach, success is a plus, but the results of failure are terrible. In the case of the expectations of the South Korean people, the South Korean Olympic team ended up with an incomparably bad result, and Kim Hefan admitted that he could not escape the blame. After the Tokyo Olympics, the 61-year-old coach rejected the Korean Football Association's proposal to continue to coach for the Paris Olympic Games and retired.
Baek Seung-ho (24 years old, Korean K1 League Jeonbuk Hyundai Motor Midfielder)
In the 2021 season, one of the biggest "anti-globalization" phenomena in Korean football is the resurgence of a large number of Korean players in Europe. The most eye-catching and successful of this is Bai Shenghao of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motor. After Sun Junhao's transfer to Shandong, Jeonbuk's back position became the team's biggest weakness. In order to fill this gap, through the mediation of Park Ji-sung, the minister of strategy in Jeonbuk, Baek Seung-ho, who played in Darmstadt in the Bundesliga, resolutely chose to return to South Korea. However, due to a "contract dispute" with Suwon at that time, the transfer has not been smooth. Due to the lessons of Qi Chengyong's transfer last year, this time Jeonbuk chose to communicate privately with Suwon, and finally the two sides reached an agreement on April 2, and Bai Shenghao transferred to Jeonbuk. After joining Jeonbuk, Bai Shenghao became the thigh of the team, and so far he has scored 4 goals in 33 games in all competitions, especially at the key moment of the championship group, Bai Shenghao scored key goals in succession, and finally made a great contribution to the team's championship. It is also because of Bai Shenghao's success at the club that he also returned to the national team roster after 1 year. Of course, I believe that if there is no military service, Bai Shenghao will one day return to the European arena.
Hwang Hee-chan (25 years old, Bundesliga RB Leipzig forward / Premier League Wolves forward / South Korea national team centre forward)
Who will be the most dramatic character of the 2021 season? Nature is Huang Xican. In the first half of the season at Red Bull Leipzig in the Bundesliga, Huang Xican continued to sit on the bench, but dramatically in the semi-final of the German Cup, he actually scored a goal off the bench, helping the team to finally advance to the final. The mentor who used to be at Red Bull Salzburg was forced to leave the team because he brought the Hungarian international Sobosloy, who was in the same position as Huang Xican. And he never dreamed that he was actually "blessed by misfortune" this time, and the Premier League Wolves, who had undergone a coach change, threw an olive branch to him and loaned him to the team. Huang Xican immediately gave an unexpected performance, making his Premier League debut against Watford on September 11, Huang Xican made his debut as a substitute to kill the game for the team. After that, Huang Xican was out of control and gradually sat firmly in the main position. So far, Huang Xican has scored 4 goals in 14 league games, and this data has made the Management of Wolves on loan Huang Xican happy, and they immediately issued a full transfer contract to Red Bull Leipzig, hoping to keep Huang Xican permanently. In the battlefield of the national team, Huang Xican also ushered in his first goal in the World Preliminary Round, and in the match against the United Arab Emirates, Huang Xican completed the point kill to help South Korea win the opponent. Unfortunately, In the 17th round of the league away match against Brighton, Huang Xican left the game with injury, which also fixed his entire 2021 Premier League stats at 4 goals in 14 games, and thus missed the World Cup away games against Lebanon and Syria in January next year. Huang Xican's 2021 is like a roller coaster, full of variables and endless possibilities.
Hong Myung-fu (52 years old, K1 League coach Ulsan Hyundai)
If you want to choose the most frustrated coach of the 2021 season, it is Hong Mingfu. If the tragic life is like a coffee table, then Hong Mingfu's 2021 can be fully explained by cups. At the beginning of the year, Hong Mingfu, who brought Ulsan Hyundai for the first time, refreshed the worst record of the last Club World Cup in Ulsan, ranking at the bottom of all teams. With the team's run-in and personnel replenishment, Ulsan Hyundai began to gradually get back on track, and had the strength to win the championship in the league, the FA Cup and the AFC Champions League. Especially in the league big score away to slaughter the sworn enemy Jeonbuk, the AFC Champions League is another city at the opponent's home stadium, the cup is facing the only K2 team Jeonnam Tenryu, it can be said that the opportunity of Ulsan Hyundai is not too good. But what no one expected was that in October, tragedies would unfold one after another. Ulsan Hyundai was eliminated by Pohang Ironman, a sworn rival in the East Coast Derby, on October 20, and then lost 2-1 away to Seongnam in the league on October 24, returning the top spot to Jeonbuk before the title group arrived. What is even more tragic is that 3 days later, in the semi-finals of the Korean Football Association Cup, Ulsan Hyundai actually overturned the ship at home, and they were shamefully eliminated by K2's Jeonnam Tenryu 2-1 and missed the final. Within 8 days, Hong Mingfu's fate took a sharp turn for the worse, the third line collapsed, and finally Ulsan Hyundai could only relegate to the second place in the league again. The fourth line of the season was all routed, and Hong Mingfu refreshed the lower limit of the team, which can be described as extremely unlucky. In the new year, if he can't win any championship, then he can only be greeted by the fate of being off class again.
Choi Yong-so (48 years old, K1 League coach Gangwon FC)
Since leaving FC Seoul in the middle of 2016, the name Choi Yong-so has been linked to the "firefighting coach". After ending his coaching career in China, Choi Yong-so moved to the entertainment industry and commentary circles, returning to his coaching position as the "firefighting coach" of his former owner FC Seoul. After class, I was idle for a long time, and this time I returned for the same reason. Due to poor results, Gangwon coach Kim Byung-so was dismissed by manager Lee Young-woo. In desperation, Lee Young-woo invited his old friend Choi Yong-sook to fight the fire, and on November 16, Choi Long-soo officially took office. He led the team to a 0-0 away draw with old club Seoul on his debut, and then won the league home game to enter the play-offs. Even more amazing was the 0-1 away defeat in the first leg of the play-offs, when the home court was forced into a desperate situation shortly after the opening of the second leg. The "Vultures" did not choose to retire, but chose to tear their opponents apart with their claws, and Choi Yong-so openly signaled the players on the sidelines to press forward on the sidelines when he was behind, and still chose to play against the opponent after the team scored consecutive goals. With the tactics of 352, the play of the opponent Daejeon Hana citizen was completely limited. 4-1, Choi Yong-so completed the impossible task and led the team to successful relegation. Two consecutive "firefighting" have ended in success, it seems that this hat he can not take off, I wonder if this is the beginning of the transformation of his coaching career?
Hong Cheng (32 years old, Korean K1 League Jeonbuk Hyundai Motor Centerback)
Who is the biggest contributor to Jeonbuk Hyundai's victory in the 2021 season? The answer is that the 32-year-old veteran Hong is just right. In the past season, Hong has played in exactly 36 games, scoring 2 goals and having 2 assists. If there were no injuries, that number would have improved. This season, Jeonbuk Hyundai's biggest problem is injury and defensive instability, in the case of center-back partner Kim Min Hyuk long-term serious injury and recovery, Hong just took on the core responsibility of the team's defense, whether it is with Cui Puqing or Gu Zilong and other people, Hong is just the big brother who can be reassured. As the captain of the team, Hong's sense of responsibility and mission gave the team the belief that it still maintained its high morale in the face of difficulties, and in the key battle of the championship group, Hong just took the lead and scored in the away game against Daegu to bring the team victory. Although it is said that the victory of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motor in the 2021 season is somewhat accidental, the spiritual role of veterans such as Hong Zhengzheng cannot be ignored. Because of this, Hong just became the MVP of the 2021 Korean K1 League, which is the second time since the professionalization of South Korea that the MVP has been obtained by the center back in 24 years. Hong is just right and well deserved.
Ji Xiaoran (30 years old, Chelsea midfielder in the Premier League Women's Football League / South Korea national team midfielder)
Speaking of the ace players of the Korean women's football team, it is not Chi Xiaoran. The 30-year-old midfielder continues to set his own record in 2021. At the club level, he and his teammates achieved two consecutive Premier League women's football league titles, and reached the final of the Women's Champions League for the first time in history, although he was second in the second place, but in the whole process of women's football Champions League, Chi Xiaoran was indispensable. Although at the national team level, Ji Xiaoran was not able to lead the Korean women's football team to qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, but in terms of personal records, Ji Xiaoran still wrote history. In the A-class friendly match between South Korea and new Zealand women's football team held at the Goyang Sports Complex on November 30, 2021, Ji Xiaoran scored a key goal, becoming the first football player in the history of Korean football to score 60 in the A-class match, which is also rare in men's football. In the Asian Cup qualifiers against Mongolia women in September, Chi Xiaoran has surpassed the 58-goal record held by the men's famous car Fangen for many years, raising the record to 59 goals. At the end of the year, she successfully completed a score of 60. For her outstanding performances this year, she was named the best player by both the AFC and the Korean Football Association, and was also named to the Asian Women's Team of the Year by IFFHS. As the saying goes, "thirty and standing", at the age of 30, Chi Xiaoran gained too much glory.
Son Heung-min (29 years old, Premier League Tottenham Hotspur striker / South Korea national team striker)
Speaking of the best person of the year, how can it be less than Sun Xingyu's name. Only this year, compared with the club's achievements, Son Xingyu is more amazing than the excellent record of the national team. Sun Xingyu, who has always been weak in the national team, has unlimited scenery in the international arena this year, and in the case of the qualifiers facing lebanon's home lag, Son Xingyu has the courage to take on heavy responsibilities and score penalties to lay the foundation for the team to reverse defeat and win. In the round of 12 home match against Syria, the opponent is about to get 1 point, and Son Xingyu stands up at a critical moment to complete the kill. In the away match against arch-rival Iran, Son Heung-min received a pass from Lee Jae-sung and calmly pushed the empty goal, countering the doubts of Iran's extreme fans before the game. In the away match against Iraq on November 17, in the face of the sneers of Iraq and the poster insults of the fans, Son Heung-min completed the counterattack with practical actions and scored again. If the previous Son Heung-min was sentenced to two in the club and the league, then this year, Son Heung-min can be said to have done as well as the club in the national team. Although the club has not yet won a championship, but in the first half of the year 18 games 6 goals and 6 assists plus the second half of the 16 games 8 goals and 3 assists, what else can anyone gossip? Asia's Best Player, South Korea's Player of the Year, this award is well deserved.
Yoo Wan-tetsu (died at the age of 50, a famous korean football player)
This year, a great heart in Korean football stopped beating forever. On June 7, 2021, 50-year-old Coach Liu Xiangtie left his beloved ones after battling pancreatic cancer for 2 years. As a famous star in Korean football, whether it is a player period or a coaching period, Liu Xiangtie is a well-deserved "iron man". As with the word "iron" in his name, this is a tough guy, a man who will not be intimidated by any difficulties. During the fight with the disease, Coach Yanagi Wantie was still concerned about the football career, and he also went to the base of in-Power, the last club of his coaching career, many times to visit the camp, despite his physical fatigue, insisting on talking to his old friends about the gains and losses of the game. After Yoo's death, not only Incheon United Club, Ulsan Hyundai, Jeonnam Tenryu Club and many other Korean clubs he once played for or coached opened a shrine for fans to mourn. The Slovaks are gone, but their appearance will remain in the hearts of Korean footballers forever, and there has been a shining star in the night sky since then.
2021 is coming to an end. I hope that in the coming year, the top ten people we select will have more new names on the list, and I hope that every story will eventually be a happy ending. Friends, see you in 2022!