Seoul: Park Jin-seob, who captained Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to the South Korean football title this fall, has been nominated for the league MVP award. The Korea Professional Football League (K League) announced nominees for major end-of-season awards on Thursday, with Park Jin-seob standing out as a key contender.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Park will compete for the MVP honor against Pablo Sabbag of Suwon FC and Lee Dong-gyeong of Ulsan HD FC. Traditionally a center back, Park transitioned into a defensive midfielder under the guidance of new head coach Gus Poyet. This strategic move paid off as Park played a pivotal role in Jeonbuk's successful campaign, culminating in their record 10th K League 1 title on October 18, with five matches still to play. Jeonbuk's defense, with Park as a crucial component, has conceded the fewest goals in the league so far, marking only 31 goals against in 36 matches.
Pablo Sabbag, another MVP contender, leads the K League 1 with 17 goals in 32 matches during his first season in South Korea, striving to keep Suwon FC away from relegation. Meanwhile, Lee Dong-gyeong commenced the season with Gimcheon Sangmu FC, accumulating 13 goals and 11 assists in 34 matches before transitioning back to Ulsan post-military service, where he recorded an assist in two matches prior to sustaining a broken rib earlier this month.
Historically, MVP winners often hail from league champion teams. Park aims to become the first Jeonbuk player honored with this award since Hong Jeong-ho in 2021. Besides the MVP consideration, Park is also in the running for a spot on the K League 1 Best XI squad, with Jeonbuk having nominees in every position.
Additionally, Jeonbuk's head coach Gus Poyet is a leading candidate for the Coach of the Year award, having led the team to triumph just a season after narrowly avoiding relegation. He faces competition from Ryu Byeong-hoon of FC Anyang and Hwang Sun-hong of Daejeon Hana Citizen FC.
Gangwon FC's Lee Seung-won, FC Anyang's Chae Hyun-woo, and FC Seoul's Hwang Do-yun are nominated for the Young Player of the Year award. This accolade is reserved for players aged 23 or younger with less than three years of professional experience, who have also participated in at least half of the season.
Voting for these awards, conducted by head coaches, team captains, and football journalists, will commence on Monday. The winners will be revealed at the annual awards ceremony scheduled for December 1 in Seoul.