Jeonbuk defender Hong Jeong-ho ‘Best Star’ in professional football

The 2021 K-League Awards ceremony was held at the Swiss Grand Hotel in Hongeun-dong, Seoul on the 7th. In the final order, the name of this season’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) was called. Then, Jeonbuk defender Hong Jeong-ho (32), dressed in a nice black suit, proudly stepped up to the podium. He was selected as the one and only best player among many players who made the 2021 season more intense than ever. In the MVP vote announced in advance, Hong Jung-ho received 6 votes from the manager and the captain and 56 votes from the media, respectively, with a combined score of 48.98, beating out forward Jumin-gyu Ju (31, Jeju, 39.45), who took the top scorer this season. took the honor Se Jin-ya (32, Daegu), who is considered the best foreign player in the K-League, and Lee Dong-jun (24), ace of Ulsan Hyundai, the runner-up team who fought for the championship with Jeonbuk throughout the season. It was the strikers and midfielders who received . However, for this day, defender Hong Jung-ho was the main character.

In fact, it is difficult for a defender to become the MVP in a professional soccer league. Not just Korean professional football, but all leagues around the world. The more the team wins, the less the defender shines, and most of the time it gets attention only when the team loses. Naturally, the defender’s MVP rarely appeared. In the K League, Kim Joo-seong was the last defender to win 1997.

Hong Jeong-ho was also a defender, so there wasn’t much to shine in each game. He only silently supported the strikers who scored goals so that they could receive the spotlight, and this season, his attack points were only three with two goals and one assist. However, after all the matches and looking at the season with a broad perspective, his name stood out. I had no choice but to do so. Jeonbuk took the top spot with the most goals scored (71 goals) and the least goals conceded (37 goals) this season and climbed to the top of the league, resulting in a perfect season. There was no doubt that Hong Jeong-ho was at the center of this. As a defender, he took the lead in Jeonbuk’s iron wall defense by starting in 36 out of 38 league games. Throughout the season, his defensive partners changed frequently, but Hong Jung-ho stayed the same. Here, as the captain, he has successfully played a role in bringing together the star players in the team. His presence was decisive for Jeonbuk’s achievements this season to the extent that coach Kim Sang-sik also praised in an interview after winning the championship, “Hong Jeong-ho, who led the team as a defender and captain without any injuries, was the best player to win the championship.” Hong Jung-ho also expressed his desire to win the award, saying, “I want to go to the awards ceremony in good clothes.” In the end, his presence throughout the season was recognized, and he was selected as the 6th and first defender MVP in 24 years, and was able to rise to the top of the awards ceremony as desired. Hong Jung-ho, who was on the podium, said, “As a defender, I wondered if I could receive this award until the last minute, but it is a great honor to win.”

Meanwhile, the ‘Young Player Award’, which is awarded to only one player under the age of 23, went to Seol Young-woo (23) from Ulsan. He also did not receive much spotlight compared to his competitors such as Sang-bin Sang (19, Suwon Samsung) and Won-sang Um (22, Gwangju) due to the nature of his position as a flank defender rather than a striker. However, until the last minute of the league, he was recognized for his role in defending a spot in the flank defense of the strongman Ulsan, who fought fiercely for the championship with Jeonbuk, and ascended to a position of honor. Director Kim Sang-sik, who led Jeonbuk’s five consecutive victories, was awarded the Director’s Award.

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