Jung family dreams of seeing Portugal pass in 1st place with South Korea qualified
Hyun Jung, 46 years old, was born in South Korea but has lived in Portugal for 12 years. He became a player’s agent, lives football intensely, for his profession, and this Friday he admits that he will be “divided” when Portugal and the country where he was born enter the field in the last Group H game.
With the national team already qualified and Paulo Bento’s team with very complicated accounts to move on to the eighth, I still believe in a possible scenario, but a very complicated one: “I would like Portugal to go first to avoid Brazil and Korea to guarantee the second place that would give access to the round of 16.” For this, it is necessary a combination of results that goes through the victory of Korea, preferably by more than one goal, and that in Uruguay-Ghana, the Africans do not win
Martim Jung, the 17-year-old son, was born in the United States. He plays for Real Sport Club, from Massamá, as a central defender. But, despite his sentimental attachment to South Korea, he admits he will root for Portugal. “I’ve lived here for many years and it would be difficult not to support the country I’m in. I think the Portuguese team will win with relative ease. They have a much stronger team, but of course I would like South Korea to pass too, but I see that a lot difficult,” he said.
Hyun Jung still remembers the day of the World Cup draw, when the balls put Portugal and South Korea in the same group. “The recordings of the game at the 2002 World Cup, which Korea won, immediately came to mind. It was a special feeling, seeing two remnants that I like together 20 years later at a World Cup. I saw this game at the stadium”remembered.
A players’ agent does not hesitate to consider that Portugal is a favorite in this Friday’s game. “The Portuguese national team is very strong. It has players who play in top clubs in the big European leagues. And there’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who is Portugal’s best brand, a player of excellence, an icon. And also Bernardo Silva, a top footballer who sacrifices a lot for the team. But I believe that Korea will give the Portuguese team a hard time”, he considered.
Hyun Jung recalled that CR7 was idolized by South Koreans. But he recalls an episode, in July 2019, that left millions of fans in the advanced country in those Asians very upset🇧🇷 “Juventus toured South Korea and there was a huge crowd and expectations to see Ronaldo. But he didn’t come off the bench and disappointed the South Koreans who wanted to see him play. He was the best player in the world for the Koreans. But that episode left marks.”
Therefore, admit it, I would like this game between Portugal and South Korea to also serve to remedy this problem: “I would like this game to be one of reconciliation between the fans of the selection and Ronaldo.”
Compliments to Paulo Bento
Martim, who assumes himself as a Sportinguista and has the Dutchman Van Dijk as an idol, chooses veteran Pepe as the best central defender in Portugal: “Despite his age [39 anos], has a lot of quality and grit. He is an aggressive centre-back, with enormous experience”, he shot, also praising the Korean Kim Min-jae, Napoli’s defender, “a good player who believes that in a short time he can be playing in the Premier League”.
The young man has been playing football since he was 12 and currently represents Real de Massamá’s youth team. And he admits that to try to evolve, he listens carefully to his mother’s tips. “She is a manager of football players, she shows me videos of footballers who play in my position [defesa-central] and gives me advice on what I can improve in my game. She sees a lot of games and applies those observations to me. It’s a big help.”
When talking about the South Korea national team, the answer as to who the team’s star is is almost unanimous: Son, Tottenham’s striker. But Hyun Jung chooses two more players, Hwang Hee-chan, Wolverhampton right winger, who has yet to play in this World Cup due to injury, and Hwang In-beom, Olympiacos midfielder, “maybe the player in better shape right now”.
What about Paulo Bento? “He did an excellent job. Before the World Cup there was some criticism, but I really enjoyed watching Korea face Uruguay, a draw that surprised me. You’ve done a good job. See many differences. Korean footballers were known only for running a lot. But he added something else to the team in terms of tactics, they are a much more organized set.”
It should be noted that this year the South Korean community in Portugal (between 150 and 200) celebrates the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first emigrant to our country.
