Competing in Olympics will be 'dream come true' for young football player

▲ Jeong Woo-yeong, a member of the South Korean men's Olympic football team, speaks in an online interview conducted at Kang Chang-hak Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, on June 1, 2021, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Members of the South Korean men's Olympic football team train at Kang Chang-hak Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, on May 31, 2021, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Kim Hak-bum (L), head coach of the South Korean men's Olympic football team, smiles with his players during practice at Kang Chang-hak Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, on May 31, 2021, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Jeong Woo-yeong of South Korea (L) takes a shot against Egypt during their under-23 men's football friendly match at Al Salam Stadium in Cairo on Nov. 12, 2020, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

football player-Olympics

Competing in Olympics will be 'dream come true' for young football player

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, June 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korean football forward Jeong Woo-yeong grew up dreaming of playing for the country at the Olympics.

Today, the 21-year-old is close to realizing that dream, as he has been called up for the men's Olympic team training camp that opened in Jeju Island on Monday.

South Korea will face Ghana on June 12 and 15 in Jeju as tuneup matches ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. Head coach Kim Hak-bum will later finalize his 18-man roster, and Jeong, who plies his trade for the Bundesliga club SC Freiburg, is expected to make the team.

"I've dreamed of playing in the Olympics since I was a kid," Jeong said in an online interview from Jeju on Tuesday. "I think everyone here feels the same way. Obviously, I'd be excited to make the team, but the most important thing is to play well there. The goal is to win a medal, regardless of the color."

Jeong made his senior club debut with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga in November 2018 and has stayed in Germany since. This past season, Jeong netted four goals in 26 matches for SC Freiburg, coming off the bench in 19 of those.

"Those four goals may not sound like much, but that's huge for me," Jeong said. "I think I had a pretty strong season. Though I didn't play a lot of minutes, I was still able to make contributions to the club."

Listed at 180 centimeters and 70 kilograms, Jeong said he has had to learn how to be more physical, so he could better handle challengers from bigger and stronger defenders.

Jeong said he feels he has enough qualities that can make him a valuable member of the Olympic team.

"I can cover a lot of ground with my speed, and I can apply pressure on opposing players," Jeong said. "And I understand what Coach Kim wants. If I can bank on my strengths and also play within the team structure, I should leave a good impression on the coach."

He will likely be reunited with his former under-20 national teammate in Lee Kang-in, the youngest player at camp at 20. The precocious one is best known for his passing skills, and Jeong said he's looking forward to taking feeds from Lee.

"He's such a great passer that whenever he grabs the ball, I'll just put my head down and run," Jeong said with a smile. "The ball will then land on my feet."

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved