On 12 April, the Bundesliga club Augsburg announced the team's history "Dream Team" through fan voting, and the only Asian face in the 433 formation-based squad appeared, that is, the South Korean player Gu Ji-chul. As a right-back, Gu Zizhe is the greatest foreign player in Augsburg history. Augsburg lingered in the lower divisions from 1969 to 2011, but remained in the top flight for eight consecutive years since 2011, when Gu Zizhe came to Augsburg on loan from Wolfsburg. Gu Zizhe, who has participated in the relegation war for many years, naturally contributes to it.
Gu Zizhe was named to the all-time team in Augsburg
In the 2011-12 season, Gu Zizhe played 15 games in Augsburg on loan, scoring 5 goals and was an important contributor to the team's relegation. In the first half of the 13-14 season, Gu Zizhe played a total of 22 games in the team, including the German Cup, scoring 3 goals, and after halfway, Gu Zizhe returned to Wolfsburg and joined Mainz. It was not until the 15-16 season that Gu Zizhe officially transferred from Mainz to Augsburg, thus starting the second "Augsburg career". Playing 104 games in the Bundesliga, 8 in the Europa League and 6 in the DFB-Pokal, he scored a total of 15 goals in all competitions, including against the giants, such as a hat-trick against Bayern Munich and a goal for Bayern Munich. At the end of the 2018-19 season, due to the inability of the body to withstand high-intensity competition, Gu Zizhe politely declined the new contract of Augsburg and went to Qalafa qatar to "retire", and also fixed this period of time in Augsburg, Germany on the record of 8 goals in 155 games in 6 seasons.
Gu Zizhe was a flag figure in Augsburg
After learning that he had been selected by the fans for the team's "Hall of Fame", Gu Zhe could not hide his excitement, and he said on augsburg's social platform: "Thank you for remembering me". Looking back on this period of time, Gu Zizhe said that although he was very tired, the experience of sleeping, eating, running, crying and laughing with his teammates there was the most special time in his life. Augsburg was not a big team in Germany at the time, according to Gu Zizhe, it was like a "citizen team" in the K-League, with poor financial conditions, and rats could often be seen on the training ground. However, through several years of hard work and the struggle of the Bundesliga, this team has now built three playgrounds, a large training ground and a youth academy, and can also fight for European places like the midstream team, and introduce quasi-first-class or even first-class stars.
Gu Zizhe and his teammates are intimate
The second stage of Gu Zizhe was in Augsburg, which was also the period when manager Manuel Baum was in charge of the team. During that time, the two had a pleasant cooperation, and Baum was a very kind coach, often discussing the game with the players and even asking for advice on the tactics of the next game. It is precisely because of this partnership that Baum is very fond of Korean players, and in recent years Korean players such as Ji Dongyuan, Hong Zhengzheng and Senjo Fu have joined the team. After Baum left, the chairman of augsburg often called Gu Ji-chul to ask whether there were any good players in South Korea who could be "recommended" and "introduced". Undoubtedly, the success of Gu Zizhe in Augsburg also opened a door to the Bundesliga for his compatriots.
Gu Zizhe's success will allow more Asian players to grow here
Affected by the epidemic, the Bundesliga was forced to be interrupted. At present, Augsburg is ranked 14th in the league with 7 wins, 6 draws and 14 losses, and has been determined to miss the European arena in the new season, and they are only 5 points higher than the relegation zone. In this case, the Chairman of Augsburg decided not to reduce the salaries of the players and coaches, nor to fire any of the team's staff. In this regard, Gu Zizhe expressed understanding and touch, believing that this is a club with a sense of responsibility, and hopes that after the end of the epidemic, the team will return to the right track. The Augsburg Club's righteous act of "sending water for free" to residents has also strengthened the connection between the club and the community, which can be praised. Undoubtedly, it is blissful to play in such a caring and responsible club. Gu Zizhe is grateful for such a time and hopes that in the future, there will be opportunities for more Asian players to play here. And the success of Gu Zizhe is undoubtedly the best catalyst for their efforts.