2023 K-League Grand Prize Award Ceremony, Kim, the best star in two years since entering the league “I want to win the Asian Cup and AFC Champions League” Hong Myung-bo receives coach award honors for two consecutive year Jeong Ho-yeon won the Young Player Award

Ulsan defender Kim Young-kwon, who was selected as the best player (MVP) of K-League 1 (1st division), Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo, who received the coach award, and Gwangju Jeong Ho-yeon (from left), winner of the young player award, receive the trophy at the professional soccer K-League awards ceremony on the 4th. They held it together and stood in front of the camera. 

“After Director Hong visited, Young-kwon’s eyes changed.”

These are the words of coach Kang Won-gil, who was a mentor to Kim Young-kwon (33, Ulsan) during his days at Jeonju Technical High School. Coach Kang shared a meal with Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo in Pohang when he was a player. Because of that connection, Kim Young-kwon invited Director Hong to school in 2008 when he was in his third year. Coach Kang said, “Kim Young-kwon was always cowering, thinking, ‘Why am I not a starter?’ But after listening to Coach Hong’s lecture, he started talking about the national team.”

On the 4th, 15 years later, Kim Young-kwon and coach Hong stood side by side on the podium at the 2023 Professional Soccer K-League Awards Ceremony held at the Lotte Hotel in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Kim Young-kwon, who is now a national team defender and a member of the Century Club (more than 100 appearances) (103 games), was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the K League 1 (1st division) two years after playing in the K-League. was selected, and Director Hong received the Director Award for two consecutive years following last year.

As a result of the MVP voting released on this day, Kim Young-kwon received 6 out of 12 coach votes, 4 out of 12 captain votes, and 55 out of 115 media votes. He surpassed Jeka (26, Pohang, 41.76 points) with a converted score of 44.13 points, which is a combination of the voting results of the coach (30%), captain (30%), and media (40%). Ulsan produced an MVP for two consecutive years following Lee Chung-yong (35) last year.

Kim Young-kwon, who started his professional career with FC Tokyo in Japan's J-League in 2010, played only overseas and entered the K-League last year wearing an Ulsan uniform. He led the team to its first championship in 17 years last season and won Best 11, and this year he was also named MVP along with Best 11. Kim Young-kwon completed 2,268 passes this season, third in the league and the most on the team. He also scored a goal in his K League debut.

Kim Young-kwon said, “I will become a player who does not stop here. The last page of my soccer life begins now. “I will show a better performance than this year,” he said in his acceptance speech. He explained at a subsequent press conference, “I want to win the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup as a national team member and the AFC Champions League as Ulsan.” Kim Young-kwon pledged to do well in the Asian Cup to be held in Qatar in January next year, saying, “I want to be remembered by fans as ‘Kim Young-kwon is a player who is serious about the national team.’”

Director Hong received 9 out of 12 votes from fellow coaches, receiving a converted score of 45.02 points, beating Gwangju coach Lee Jeong-hyo (25.52 points) and winning the Director Award for the second year in a row. It has been five years since Jeonbuk coach Choi Kang-hee, who won the award in 2017 and 2018, received the Best Director Award two years in a row. Director Hong said, “Directing is a lonely job. He said, “It is a burdensome and pressured position, but I want to share the director’s award with leaders who are dreaming of the future.”

In addition to Kim Young-kwon, a total of five Ulsan players, including goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo (32), defender Seol Young-woo (25), midfielder Eom Won-sang (24), and striker Joo Min-gyu (33), were selected as one of the best 11 and stood on the podium that day. Jo Hyun-woo has been named to the best 11 for seven consecutive years since 2017, when he was in Daegu.

Jeong Ho-yeon (23, Gwangju) won the Young Player Award, which is equivalent to a rookie award. Ho-yeon Jeong recorded 2 goals and 4 assists in 34 games this season. The K-League 2 (second division league) MVP went to Valdivia (29, Jeonnam), the Coach Award went to coach Go Jeong-woon (57, Gimpo), and the Young Player Award went to Ahn Jae-jun (22, Bucheon).  토토사이트