Joo Min-gyu ‘It’s a goal’
“The nickname ‘Korean Kane’? It’s a great honor!”
The player who shone the most on the Korean soccer team during the June international match was by far the 34-year-old ‘late-born Taegeuk warrior’ Joo Min-gyu (Ulsan).
In the 5th game of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asia 2nd qualifying round match against Singapore, he exploded with a goal in his debut international match and added 3 assists, making the saying, ‘A flower that blooms late is more beautiful’ come true.
On this day, Joo Min-gyu received a new nickname, ‘Korean Kane.’ There are also fans who jokingly call him ‘Co(Rian)-Kane.’
He is a goal scorer for England’s national team and the prestigious German club Bayern Munich, and is a nickname compared to Harry Kane, who is familiar to Korean fans as he worked together with Son Heung-min at Tottenham Hotspur for a long time.
Joo Min-gyu’s goal celebration, in which he seemed to be stabbing the ground with his hand, was the same as Kane’s.
Joo Min-gyu, who met with reporters in the joint coverage area (mixed zone) after the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 17th round match between Ulsan HD and FC Seoul held at Ulsan Munsu Soccer Stadium on the 16th, was very grateful to the fans who gave him a new nickname.
Joo Min-gyu said, “Kane is one of my favorite players, and I also really like his play. I am very grateful that people see me as similar to Kane. I need to take more responsibility now.”
When a reporter joked that his flight time seemed to be a bit shorter than Kane’s when jumping during the ‘Kane Ceremony’, Joo Min-gyu made the reporters laugh by giving a humorous response, saying, “Oh, that’s a bit difficult.”
Joo Min-gyu tries to learn more by watching videos of top European strikers, including Kane and Erling Haaland (Manchester City).
Joo Min-gyu’s shooting ability, which has become more sophisticated as he gets older, also shined in the game against Seoul that day.
He did not miss the opponent’s pass mistake and scored the first goal with a right-footed mid-range shot in the first minute. He coolly put a shot into the left edge of the goal, where the goalkeeper couldn’t do anything.
Joo Min-gyu said, “Since I’ve been on the national team, I thought I should score a lot of goals for my team, but I’m grateful that I scored in just one minute.”
Joo Min-gyu’s early goal was added to Seoul’s own goal in the 42nd minute, putting Ulsan ahead 2-0.
However, in the second half, the team gave up the momentum to Seoul and ended up giving up consecutive goals to Ilyuchenko and had to be satisfied with a draw.
Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo, who was disappointed by the meaningless draw, criticized the players’ lack of self-management in a rather angry voice at a press conference.
Joo Min-gyu said, “It would have been nice to win, but it’s disappointing.” He added, “I think the coach caught the players’ inability to take care of their bodies properly during the two-week (A-match) break. I think we need to be alert and pay attention to taking care of our bodies. “he said.
There are cautious predictions that Joo Min-gyu, who is solidifying his position not only in his own team but also in the national team, may play an active role in the North and Central America World Cup two years from now.
I will be 36 years old by then. As a soccer player, you can be considered to be over 70.
However, if Joo Min-gyu continues to perform well despite his age, it will not be just a dream for Joo Min-gyu to play on the World Cup stage.
“For now, I’m not thinking about the World Cup,” Joo Min-gyu said with a sheepish smile, “I have two years. If I score a lot of goals for the team and take good care of my body, then it’s something to think about.”
Joo Min-gyu, who calmly evaluated his performance in the national team as ‘50%’, said, “I will increase my performance by 10% every time I am called up from now on. 70%, 80%… I hope that I will be given the opportunity to continue to show it like this.” sparkled. 스포츠토토