SEOUL– Gimcheon Sangmu FC forward Cho Gue-sung is one of the select few professional athletes who get to complete their mandatory military service while continuing their playing careers. And the 24-year-old has capitalized on that opportunity, as he has taken significant strides to become one of the South Korean league’s most lethal goal scorers.
About three months away from his discharge, Cho quipped on Thursday that he wouldn’t mind staying in the armed forces a little while longer if he could.
“I’ve improved so much since I came into the military, and I have great chemistry with my teammates,” Cho said an online press conference held Thursday. The K League 1 organized the session for domestic league players who had recently competed for the national team in pre-World Cup friendly matches.
“If I can somehow stay here a bit longer, I would do just that and maintain this form.”
And that form has seen Cho score 10 goals in 15 matches so far this season, putting him in second place behind Stefan Mugosa of Incheon United. While playing for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors before his conscription, Cho’s career high in the top-flight K League 1 had been four goals in 23 matches in 2020. In 2019, Cho had netted 14 goals for FC Anyang in the K League 2.
Cho began lifting weights in earnest after starting his military career, and he has become a more powerful forward who is difficult to knock off the ball.
Cho said he is chasing two rabbits this season: winning the K League 1 Golden Boot as the scoring champion and making the final World Cup roster in November.
“But if I had to pick one, playing in the World Cup is a bigger goal,” Cho said. “I’d love to win the Golden Boot but I am not going to obsess over it. If I can stay focused in each and every match, then scoring chances will come.”
Cho, who made his international debut in September 2021, appeared in three of South Korea’s four games this month. He scored with a right-footed curler against Egypt on Tuesday for his third international goal in 12 appearances.
Cho, who had mostly played underdog Asian teams during World Cup qualifying before this month, said facing teams from elsewhere was an eye opener.
“By playing these non-Asian teams, I realized just how much more room I have to grow,” Cho said. “Head coach Paulo Bento (for the national team) wants me to win physical battles up front. I must get stronger.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency