"I still have it in my heart"...2014 Brazil WC that reminded Koo Ja-cheol of "Teary Tears"
"I still have it in my heart"...2014 Brazil WC that reminded Koo Ja-cheol of "Teary Tears"
Blog Article
Koo Ja-cheol picked the 2014 Brazil World Cup as a disappointing moment in his career.
Jeju SK FC held a press conference for Koo Ja-cheol's retirement and an appointment ceremony for Jeju SK FC Youth Advisors at the multi-purpose hall on the second floor of the soccer center in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 14th.
Koo Cha-cheol said, "I was relieved as I made up my mind to retire. I thought I wanted to come out sooner and do something else for Korean soccer. I feel an infinite sense of responsibility and gratitude for many people coming."
Koo is a Korean soccer legend. He joined Jeju Island in 2007 and started his professional career. Since then, he has played for Wolfsburg, Augsburg and Mainz in Germany, where he scored 28 goals and 17 assists in 211 matches. He also scored 19 goals in 76 A matches for the Korean national soccer team.
It was a splendid career, but Koo also had a regretful moment. It was the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. At that time, Korea was in the same group with Russia, Algeria, and Belgium, and sought to advance to the round of 16, but ended up with poor performance of one draw and two losses. Koo Ja-cheol wore the captain's armband for the competition, but failed to prevent Korea from eliminating the preliminary round.
"What I want to say here is regret, pain and atonement. I still have it in my heart. That is the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Apart from regret, I was too young then," Koo said with tears.
"When I retire, the title of 'youngest captain of the national team, World Cup captain' will follow on my profile. Personally, I am not proud of that. Looking back, I was too young. I think that a player who participates in a World Cup comes with social responsibility. But at that time, I never thought about social responsibility," he said.
Koo's apology was not just for soccer fans. He said, "I think it was a period of inexperience and lack of performance. I have grown a lot through that experience, but I felt sorry for the people who achieved the results at the World Cup due to my lack of performance, and I felt irresponsible for those who could earn a living and benefit from it through a competition called the World Cup. I am sorry."
The social responsibility that Koo said was not just for players who are participating in the World Cup, but for all professional soccer players. "I always tell my juniors in Jeju Island. I hope Jeju players will become an object of dream and longing for children in the society of Jeju," he said. "I hope they can do something that they can learn. That is my social responsibility as a professional player." "I often say that I hope Jeju becomes a dream for Jeju as a whole." 토토사이트
"I don't think the players going to the World Cup are just the dreams and hopes of everyone in our country and not just the children. The World Cup comes with social responsibility. I lacked that part. There are many moments that I felt sorry for, but I am keeping 2014 in mind," he added.