Last year, Gangwon FC advanced to Final A for the first time in three years and ranked 6th, the highest tie-in ever. As it is a team sport played by 11 players, most of the players performed well, but the player who received the most attention was Hyun-Jun Yang (21, photo).
It is no exaggeration to say that Yang Hyun-joon was the K-League’s best hit product last season. As a K-League All-Star in July of last year, he showed fantastic dribbling in a match against Tottenham and was reborn as a crack representing the league.
Thanks to this performance, he won the K-League Young Player Award with an overwhelming margin, and was also selected as the Korea Football Association Young Player of the Year Award. Although he failed to make his A-match debut, he was called up to the national team led by coach Paulo Bento twice and emerged as the best prospect in Korean football. 온라인바카라
Gangwon FC, which is aiming to advance to Final A for two consecutive years, also depends on Yang Hyun-jun’s performance this season. He is currently participating in field training in Chonburi, Thailand, and has set his goal for the new season to be 15 or more attack points. Yang Hyun-joon explained, “My personal goal is to surpass last season’s record.”
Yang Hyun-joon’s professional debut was in 2021, but last year was the first time he played a full season in the first team. As a de facto second-year pro this year, he must overcome the ‘second-year jinx’ prevalent in the sports world. Since his performance last season was so good, it is expected that the checks of opponent defenders will become more severe this season.
Many difficulties are expected, but he is determined to have a more comfortable mind. Yang Hyeon-jun said, “I think I can show my best play if I put my mind at ease and start with easy plays and increase the tempo,” as if he were a veteran player.
Even in his determination to face this season, he gave a confident answer that was not like a player in his early 20s. “It has not been decided who will play because the season has not started yet. We continue to compete through training. If I participate in the game, I will live or die,” he said. Considering only the performance of last season, it may be taken for granted that he plays an active role as a starter, but Yang Hyun-joon still does not consider himself a clear starter.
Usually, players who suffer from the ‘2nd year jinx’ are intoxicated with their performance and neglect their efforts to develop, but most of them struggle against stronger checks. However, given Yang Hyun-joon’s current mindset, it is expected that he will overcome the ‘2nd year jinx’ and put Gangwon FC on a higher level.