“I tried to learn the strengths of my older brothers in the same position.”
Oh Hyun-gyu (21, Suwon Samsung), the “27th Taegeuk Warrior” of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, emphasized that he had noticed the strengths of the seniors of the national team throughout the tournament. Even though he participated as a reserve player without a uniform number, this World Cup was an opportunity for him to take a step forward as a soccer player. Oh Hyun-gyu, who we met at the Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 14th, said, “(Hwang) Ui-jo has a very fast shooting tempo, and (Cho) Kyu-seong has his own definite strengths.” I thought I should train harder.”
He sat in the stands and watched the national team play. He may have felt left out by not being able to sit on the bench, but he said it was a good experience. Oh Hyun-kyu said, “I watched the game from the spectators’ seats and saw things I couldn’t see on the ground or on the bench.”
It wasn’t just sitting in the crowd. Before the game, Hyungyu Oh called himself a ‘ball boy’ and helped the players practice shooting. He said, “In the first game against Uruguay, I sat in the stands because I felt like I was going out of my way, but from the next game, I went down to the ground thinking, ‘If I pick up the ball, the hyungs will be able to practice shooting one more time.’” explained. He then laughed, saying, “When I finished, my white sneakers had turned green (because of the grass).” 스포츠토토
Teammates expressed their deep appreciation for his dedication. Captain Son Heung-min even said, “Oh Hyun-kyu was the most important player in the national team.” Regarding this, he shyly said, “I just said that I was working hard in my own way, but I am really grateful that Heung-min hyung praised me.”
Of course, I also felt that I was wearing unfamiliar clothes. He confessed, “I felt lonely at first because I had never met European players and I hadn’t been with the national team for a long time.” In order to break through this, he carefully intervened in the conversations of his seniors and melted into the national team. Oh Hyeon-gyu said, “My older brothers talked about (computer) games, so we became close by asking related questions.”
After the game against Portugal, Oh Hyun-gyu became famous for the scene where he approached Son Heung-min, who was crying on the ground, and showed him his smartphone. The youngest member of the national team reminded the captain that the game between Uruguay and Ghana was not over yet. Regarding this, he said, “In fact, the older brothers were putting more than 120% of their energy into it, so they didn’t have time to worry about other games, and regardless of whether they advanced to the round of 16, they were overwhelmed with the fact that they beat Portugal,” he said. I think I should have taken it out first,” he recalled at the time.
Oh Hyun-kyu is a young player in his early 20s with little social experience yet, to the extent that he said, “I couldn’t eat a single meal because I was sick the day after I went to the dinner at the presidential office.” In other words, it means that there are many more futures to look forward to. He said, “(I have completed my military service), I will dedicate my whole body to the national team for each age group or the adult national team if called upon.” I made up my mind.