Coach Hong Myung-bo (54), who led professional soccer Ulsan Hyundai to the K-League 1 title for two consecutive years and won the Manager Award for the second time in a row
said he did not expect to win the award this year and received a ‘bonus’. He expressed his joy that it seemed like it.
Coach Hong said at a press conference after the 2023 K League 1 Awards Ceremony held at Lotte Hotel World in Songpa-gu 바카라사이트닷컴
Seoul on the 4th, “I received the award last year, but I did not have high expectations this year.
I thought there would be no problem if another coach received it.
It feels like a bonus award to me,” he said with a smile.
At the awards ceremony that day
Coach Hong stood tall as the best coach in K-League 1 this year.
Coach Hong, who helped Ulsan to the K-League throne for the first time in 17 years last year and stood tall as the best coach in just two years since his debut as a domestic professional coach
won the team’s second consecutive victory and also retained the coach award this year.
Director Hong, who reiterated that he did not expect to win this award, said
The nominees, directors Lee Jeong-hyo (Gwangju), Kim Ki-dong (Pohang), and Seong-hwan Cho (Incheon), are all promising directors.
I thought it would not be strange if one of them won the award.
People will continue to receive awards someday,” he said.
In his acceptance speech that day, Director Hong made many references to his fellow leaders.
“When you go to a soccer stadium, there are only two people who don’t know soccer
which everyone in the audience knows, and that’s the coaches of both teams.
The coach who wins is okay, but the coach who loses gets all the arrows.
Coaching is such a lonely job,” he said, adding, “Camaraderie.” ‘ was revealed.
At the same time, he said, “It is a burdensome and pressured position
but I want to share this award for the leaders and directors who dream of the future.”
In relation to this, Director Hong explained
This is an expression of personal respect for the coaches currently in the field and the young leaders who are just starting out.”
Coach Hong must have also felt that ‘loneliness’ and overcome it during the not-so-easy process of winning a second straight title.
Coach Hong confessed, “This year’s ‘SNS incident’ and Park Yong-woo’s transfer were turning points for the team.
At that time, I felt that things were going more negatively than positively
so I had a lot of thoughts about what to do.”
He continued, “I thought I had a lot of personal experience, but the good part of this year was that I got to have a new experience.
I think I got through a difficult and important time wisely.”
He added, “What we have accumulated by getting through that time and producing results is what our team has accumulated.” “
I think it will be a great experience for the coaches, including me,” he emphasized.
In addition to Coach Hong, Ulsan enjoyed a fruitful harvest as Kim Young-kwon received the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and 5 players were included in the season’s best 11.
Now, Coach Hong and Ulsan must start preparing for the great task of winning three consecutive K-League 1 games.
Coach Hong said emphatically, “I think other teams will come in to strongly block our championship challenge.
Whether we can overcome it or not will make the difference.”