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| South Korean forward Cho Gue-sung at Incheon International Airport, Wednesday / Yonhap |
After a breakout performance at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar that reportedly drew attention from overseas clubs, South Korean forward Cho Gue-sung said Wednesday he dreams of competing against the best of the best for a club outside his native land.
Cho and his teammates returned home Wednesday from the World Cup, where they had reached the knockout stage for the first time in 12 years. Cho was one of South Korea's surprising stars, scoring twice in a 3-2 loss to Ghana and making three starts out of four matches, ahead of longtime mainstay at the forward position, Hwang Ui-jo. Those two goals proved crucial, as South Korea edged out Uruguay in the goals scored department, 4-2, to reach the round of 16 as the runners-up in Group H.
Cho is the first South Korean to score multiple times in a World Cup match.
Asked about apparent interest from clubs in Europe, Cho said he hadn't heard anything concrete but it had long been his dream to take his talent overseas.
"Obviously, as a football player, my dream is to battle world class players in a big league," Cho told reporters at Incheon International Airport. "It has been one of my dreams since I was a kid, and I still dream of doing that now."
Cho, who led the top South Korean competition, K League 1, with 17 goals this year, said he gained confidence in aerial duels and physical battles against defenders during the World Cup.
"Now that I've played at my first World Cup, I'd absolutely play at another one," the 24-year-old said. "I know I have to prepare well over the next four years. If I can keep getting better every season and keep proving my worth, I should have an opportunity to play at the next World Cup."
Cho said his most memorable moment in Qatar didn't come against Ghana, when he scored his two goals but the team still lost. It was South Korea's dramatic, 2-1 victory over Portugal that sent the Taegeuk Warriors into the last 16, with Hwang Hee-chan scoring the winner during stoppage time.
"When Hee-chan scored that goal, I had tears in my eyes," Cho said. "Just thinking about it right now gets me all choked up. It was the happiest moment of my entire football career. None of us ever gave up, and that's why we were able to reach the round of 16." (Yonhap)
