Ko Jae-hyun, the “grandchild of the sun” that Lee Keun-ho pointed out, “I’ll make the sun in Daegu hotter.”

Daegu FC’s “local boy” Ko Jae-hyun is being reborn as the “grandchild of the sun” leading the team.

After leaving Daegu where he was born and raised, he rented out Seoul E-Land FC and began blooming in earnest in 2022. He scored 13 goals and two assists in 32 matches in the K-League, becoming the highest scorer in his team. Having become a double-digit scorer in the league, Ko’s new goal was clear. It was the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.

However, his wish failed to come true. Ko Jae-hyun was not on the Asian Games shortlist. He instantly lost his goal and struggled, but he did not give up. As soon as he ended his silence that had lasted for more than three months, he shook off his anger and became stronger on the ground. While playing for the team, he reflected on his values.

Ko Jae-hyun scored multiple goals at the end of the season, keeping his promise with his fans that he would return to the Final A. And he made a new promise. He has decided to show off his talent worthy of the nickname “Son of the Sun” handed down by Lee Keun-ho, his senior colleague “Son of the Sun,” who gave him great strength. Before starting the preparation for the 2024 season in earnest, he met with Ko at the clubhouse in Daegu and heard about his new goal.

• What was the most disappointing thing when you looked back on last season? The scoreless 12 consecutive games, the failure to score in double digits by one goal, and the failure to participate in all games by one game are coming to mind.

Looking at it like this, there are a lot of things that I was disappointed about. What was disappointing was that I couldn’t score in double digits. It was the hardest time to score no points in 12 games. (Was it harder before and after the Asian Games’ list was announced?) Yes, that was the biggest thing. Before that, you had a clear motivation and goal. I only watched the Asian Games two years ago. But I had a hard time psychologically as I was eliminated from the final list. I think that happened on the playground, too. Even though I thought, “Don’t worry,” I kept worrying. It took me a long time to overcome.

• I think I heard a lot of comfort and advice in the process of overcoming it.

Keun-ho asked me to go out to eat. I felt that he thought a lot about me. “This is not everything in life anyway. You have to improve and become stronger.” The director took care of me a lot. I had a meal with the director. When the director asked me questions, I talked to him in a way that I answered him, but there was nothing else to talk about besides soccer, right? There was silence. The director also interviewed me saying, “He didn’t say a word when I was eating.” There are things that connect men to men without having to say. The director said, “When there is a crisis like this, it doesn’t fall apart easily even if there is more difficulty in the future.”

• Is it because I had a meaningful experience because I didn’t get to play in the previous round? You watched the game from the stands with your fans during the 25th round home game against Ulsan, which was absent due to accumulated warnings.

Wow, I felt the fans were amazing. I felt like, “You’re rooting for me this hard?” If your performance is bad, the fans can say something to the players or the club. When I went there, I felt why. Everyone was cheering passionately like their job. We felt that if we don’t do well, we should be blamed. Actually, I didn’t watch the game well. I was supposed to read the cheerleading, but I couldn’t think of anything else because I was worried about ‘What if I don’t hear my voice? What if you don’t hear me over there?’ The colliders who lead the cheer while holding the microphones were really amazing. You must want to watch soccer, but you can’t watch the game because you have to watch the audience and cheer for it. I thought it was amazing, so I gave him a uniform as a gift shortly afterwards. It would have been nice to record my participation in the game, but it became a better memory.

• We talked about the disappointing moments, but when was the best moment? I think the candidates will be the 28th round against Jeju United, which ended 12 games without a score, and the 32nd round against Jeonbuk Hyundai, which confirmed its entry into the Final A by scoring multiple goals. 헤라카지노도메인

I remember the match against Jeonbuk the most. During the season, I promised my fans that I would make it to the Final A no matter what I do. I made it to the Final A by scoring a goal. I was proud to keep my promise with my fans. It was during the Asian Games, and I felt that I showed off my skills when I scored multiple goals. So I did an interview that day like, “I’m not lacking at all.” That was the happiest moment and the most memorable moment.