The South Korean soccer team, which drew against Uruguay and has so far been defeated by Ghana at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, has gone viral for one of its players – Cho Gue-sung, also known as the No. 9 player.
Born on January 25, 1998, the athlete has captured the attention of viewers worldwide since his first appearance in the second half of Korea’s game against Uruguay. The 24-year-old went from around 46,000 to 293,000 followers on Instagram by the end of the game and has 1.5 million followers as of this writing following his two goals against Ghana on November 28.
Social media has since been inundated with video edits of the soccer star, with new fans taking to Twitter to comment on his looks. “Cho gue sung is so pretty wtf”, one user wrote. Other commented“Last time I checked he had 400,000 followers on IG and now he has 1.4??!?!?!?!?”
Cho currently plays for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. He first played for his school at Gwangju University and later became the top scorer in K League 1 2022. The athlete made headlines after scoring two goals in three minutes in South Korea’s last game against Ghana.
Check out some of Cho’s best football moments below, along with some facts about him.
1. Both of his parents were also athletes.
Cho’s father was part of an early morning soccer club while his mother used to be a professional volleyball player.
2. He almost gave up his sports career in his teenage years.
Cho was told in his teenage years that he would not succeed as a football player. He told his mother that he would try to play football for a few more months before giving up and if he failed he would prepare for the state exam. He never gave up and eventually continued to pursue his dream as a footballer.
3. He wasn’t always considered the best footballer.
When Cho started playing football in his childhood, he spent most of his game on the bench as he was short compared to his peers.
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4. He wasn’t always a striker.
Before Cho discovered his talent as a forward, he played mainly as a defensive midfielder during his college days. He eventually ended up on the bench until his then-coach realized he could play a forward instead. He eventually became a versatile forward and later one of the key players in his team before signing with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
5. He is the first Asian to score two headed goals in a single World Cup game.
In South Korea’s last game against Ghana, Cho became the first Asian to score two headed goals in a single World Cup game. He scored the two goals within three minutes.