“I’m more interested in being a player than a playing coach. I’m happiest when I’m kicking the ball with my teammates.”

Choi Cheol-soon (36) is a franchise star of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the K League 1. He joined Jeonbuk in 2006, made his professional debut that year, established himself as a starting player, and has been playing for 18 years until this year. Choi Cheol-soon wore the Jeonbuk uniform from 2012 to 2014 except for the days when he joined Sangju Sangmu (now Gimcheon Sangmu) due to military service. The fact that he played for only one team for such a long time is one of the few in Jeonbuk as well as in the entire K-League. 카지노

Choi Chul-soon is especially called the living history of Jeonbuk. He won his first K-League championship in 2009, as well as nine championships in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Choi Chul-soon also belonged to Jeonbuk during the 2006 and 2016 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League. Choi Chul-soon watched all of Jeonbuk, which was at the bottom of his ten thousand years, become the best club in the K-League, and is currently the only player in Jeonbuk to have won all K-League and Champions League titles.

Choi Cheol-soon, who recently met with reporters, explained, “When I first came to Jeonbuk, it wasn’t a winning atmosphere. That atmosphere changed and we became a winning team.” Just as Jeonbuk grew up, Choi Cheol-soon grew older. Choi Chul-soon, who was 19 years old, has already turned 36, and his number of appearances has decreased significantly. Choi Chul-soon said, “It’s not easy to adapt to a decrease in game appearances.”

Recently, in the K-League, many veterans are in charge of ‘playing coaches’, which combine players and coaches. There are Yeom Ki-hoon (40) of Suwon Samsung, Park Joo-young of Ulsan Hyundai, and Kim Chang-soo (38 years old) of Cheonan City. Choi Chul-soon is also considering a full-time leadership career, so there is a story about playing coach. Choi Chul-soon said, “I’m thinking of (a leader), but now I’m more interested in being a player than a playing coach. I’m happiest when I’m kicking the ball with my teammates.” It can happen,” he said.

If it was like it used to be, 36-year-old Choi Cheol-soon was under a lot of pressure for his retirement. But lately, many veterans are free from that pressure. This is because Lee Dong-guk, vice president of the Korea Football Association, the best legend in the K-League, played an active role until 2020 when he was 41 years old. There is a perception that age is not an obstacle as long as one maintains one’s skills. Choi Chul-soon explained, “I received a lot of help from Dongguk-hyung. That’s why I think I have to do it for a long time.”

Choi Cheol-soon wants to continue his career, but he is hesitant about leaving Jeonbuk and continuing his career. He said, “(Transferring to another place) is a difficult part. I have a desire to play, but I can’t think of myself. I have to consider many people, including family, acquaintances, and clubs.” I also want to end my career in Jeonbuk beautifully.”

However, he did not give up his passion for football as a player. Choi Cheol-soon said, “My goal is to remain active until 2025.” promised