Veteran midfielder Ki Sung-yueng, who has made 200 appearances for professional soccer club FC Seoul, has vowed to give his all to help the team reach the top division.
Ki Sung-yueng started and played the full match in the 30th round home match of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 against Gwangju FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sunday.
After reaching the milestone of 500 professional appearances in July, Ki Sung-yong played his 200th game in Seoul.
“It was a meaningful game, thanks to all the players who helped me on the sidelines,” said Ki Sung-yueng. “Although I’m disappointed that we lost to Gwangju today, it was a new feeling for me personally.” On the day, Seoul lost 0-1 to Gwangju.
In a pre-match interview, Seoul’s acting head coach Kim Jin-gyu said that he hoped Ki Sung-yong would play for another two to three years and accomplish more in Seoul.
In response, Ki Sung-yueng said, “There is nothing set in stone. “I haven’t really thought about it yet,” he said, adding, “I don’t think I’ll have a goal until the end of the season.
“For now, I’m trying to give it my all in the three remaining games because the team’s biggest goal is to get to the top split. I’m not in bad shape,” he said.
Ki Sung-yueng, who lined up in the center back position of the back three, said, “No matter which position I played, I made changes according to Gwangju’s movements. We will continue to do well in the next game and take the result unconditionally,” he emphasized.
Ki Sung-yueng explained his role by saying, “I’m trying to communicate more with the players,” adding, “The coach must have a lot of responsibility in charge of the team in a difficult time, but as a junior who played with him, I’m making a lot of efforts to ease the coach’s burden.”
Born in 1988 and now in his late 30s, Ki Sung-yueng said, “It’s hard. I’m trying to take better care of my body while competing with players in their 20s,” he said, adding, “I think I’m trying to think of ways to make it harder on my opponents while playing less.”
Regarding his post-match meeting with Gwangju’s Lee Sun-min, with whom he had friction during the match, he reflected on the situation, saying, “It was something that could have happened in the match, and afterward we talked about the spirit of cooperation.”
“He’s a national team player, and he’s a leader in Gwangju, and I think he should go to a higher level,” he said, adding, “He’s a coveted player with good form.” 파워볼게임