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[스포츠서울 | 김용일기자] “It made me national. I will continue to be loyal.”
Defender Jo Yu-min (26, Daejeon Hana Citizen), who joined the national soccer team ‘Bentuho’, the only K-League 2 member to play A match in June, laughed as he talked regarding Soyeon, a former bride of the girl group T-ara, who is a prospective bride.
Jo Yu-min, who is sweating from the national team that plays 4 matches in a row starting with Brazil on the 2nd of next month (Seoul World Cup Stadium), met with reporters via video at Paju NFC on the 31st and said, “I was nervous and worried before the call. When I came in, the training atmosphere was good and I was already learning a lot.”
Jo Yu-min joined as a substitute for the national team’s central defense, where Kim Min-jae (Fenerbahce) and Park Ji-soo (Kim Cheon) were injured due to injuries. It was an unexpected appointment. The prospective bride, Soyeon, mightn’t hide her tears of joy at the news of his national team selection ahead of his wedding in November.
After Jo Yu-min revealed that she and So-yeon are dating, her main job is not only defending, but also making a name for herself as a ‘goal-scoring defender’. He ranked 6th among all K League 2 players with 95 successful aerial ball competitions, and 5th with 87 intercepts. He scored five goals here. In particular, he solved 4 of his 5 goals with his head during set-piece situations.
Jo Yu-min said, “The A team has always been a dream and worked hard. He received a lot of support while staying with the bride-to-be, and he always told me, ‘I can go to the national team’ when I’m tired. When I was selected this time, I was more happy than anyone else, and I saw tears. I think the bride-to-be made me a national representative.” Then he laughed, saying, “I will continue to live my life faithfully.”
There are many players born in 1996 who are the same age as Jo Yu-min in the national team. Hwang In-beom, Na Sang-ho, and Hwang Hee-chan, who participated in the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, are the main resources of the national team. Heung-Min Son and Ui-Jo Hwang also participated as wild cards at the time. Jo Yu-min said, “I’m glad Heung-min has a lot of Asian Games members including his older brother. Heung-min and his older brother (yesterday) took care of GPS training equipment at training and even joked around to relieve tension.”
Below is a Q&A with Jo Yu-Min
– This is the first selection for the adult national team. What regarding following the meeting?
Before the meeting, I was nervous and worried. When I first came in, I was happy to see many faces I haven’t seen in a long time. I trained yesterday, and looking at the players, I thought ‘I’m really good at it’. I’m glad that I feel like I’ve already learned a lot. I also want to work harder and show a good image.
– Any advice from director Lee Min-seong, Daejeon?
When I was selected for the national team, I was the first to contact you. I was worried regarding leaving the team, so the coach said, ‘Don’t worry regarding it when you go (the national team), it’s a good opportunity, so please do well for yourself’.
– Captain Son Heung-min took care of training equipment.
I met Heungmin hyung following 4 years. It was so good to see your face following a long time. It’s nice to see not only Heungmin hyung but also many Asian Games members. Yesterday, I told Heung-min hyung that he was ‘I’m nervous’, so he made fun of me while packing equipment to release me.
– I think I will be more happy to be selected for the national team ahead of my wedding.
While playing soccer, the A team has always been a dream and worked hard. Meanwhile, while staying with the bride-to-be, he received many supporters. It was the bride-to-be who told me that I might go to the national team when I was tired. He was overjoyed and even shed tears. I think the bride-to-be made me into the national team.
– After meeting the bride-to-be, he is also attracting attention as a ‘goal-scoring defender’. Please make an oath of allegiance publicly here.
Even now, I am doing my best. (Laughs) As I said before the pledge of allegiance, the bride-to-be provides a lot of support in all areas. He is getting a lot of help, so he seems to have done well on the field by focusing only on exercise. So the national team came. Thank you so much. I will continue to live faithfully.
– Four out of five league goals were resolved with the head from set pieces. There are a lot of good kickers in the national team, but do you have the confidence to prove it in the A match?
I think taking part in the attack on set pieces is my strength. There are many good kickers on the national team. Of course, getting a chance to participate comes first. Maybe I should create such an opportunity myself.
– What strengths would you like to present in the national team?
I see myself as a player lacking in skill or speed. However, I think I can show my strengths by pouring out everything I have on the field and quickly absorbing the new soccer of the national team.
– The second match will be played at the home stadium of the team, Daejeon World Cup Stadium ( once morest Chile).
Playing there as the captain of Daejeon is valuable both to me and to the fans. It’s been years since I’ve played for the A team in Daejeon. It has multiple meanings. If given the opportunity, I want to do my best.
– What is the goal you want to achieve in this national team?
First of all, the biggest goal is to make a debut (match A). I want to do my best every moment without regrets.
