‘Better-Health Dad’ Park Joo-ho’s “100-Point Retirement Game”

Suwon FC’s Park Joo-ho, a former national soccer team defender, walked off the field after giving 100 points in his final game.

Suwon FC lost 1-3 to Ulsan Hyundai on June 6 in the 17th round of the Hana One Q K League 2023 at Suwon Sports Complex.

After playing the entire 91 minutes of the match in the center of the field, Park took off his jersey for the last time.

At his post-match press conference, Park said, “I’ve been setting goals and challenging myself, and I have no regrets. When I was a player, I always gave myself 60 or 70 points, but today I want to give myself 100 points for finishing well and without regrets,” Park said.

“I had a strong feeling that I wanted to retire in the stadium with a body that could continue to play,” Park said. “I had been thinking about retiring since last year, but I didn’t want to be seen as retiring because of my wife, who was sick.” He explained his decision by saying, “When I looked at my passion for soccer and whether I could play in the future, I decided that it was too much to bear.”

“I didn’t even tell my teammates about my retirement until after the Jeonbuk Hyundai match in the 14th round, except for my friend Lee Yong-soo, because I thought it might upset the players,” Park said, adding that one of his teammates joked, “I won’t think I’m retired first, because I can just take six months off and come back like (Jo) Won-hee’s brother.”

Park cited winning the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League with Ulsan as his happiest moment in the K League and the 5-2 win over Ulsan on July 25, 2021, as his most memorable moment with Suwon FC.

“Shinji Kagawa (Japan), a former teammate of mine at Dortmund (Germany), contacted me and we talked about retirement in a casual way because we are the same age and he is also a player who is about to retire,” Park said, adding, “Coach Sergio, who was the coach of the national team at the World Cup in Qatar, also told me, ‘Congratulations, you were a player with many good memories’.”

He also shared the reactions of Park Joo-ho’s daughter, Park Na-eun, and siblings, Park Geon-hoo, who gained fame through TV shows.

“At first, Na Eun asked me, ‘How are you going to make money,’ but then she hugged me and said, ‘I’ve been struggling,'” Park Joo Ho said, adding, “When I told her, ‘I’m going to try different things,’ she said, ‘Don’t cook,'” he laughed.

“Geon-hoo, who has been into soccer lately, was about to cry, saying, ‘Why are you going to quit,’ but I told him, ‘I can spend more time playing soccer with you,’ and he was happy,” he said with a smile, adding, “I don’t have a definite plan yet. This month, I’m going to spend time with my family, organize my schedule, and think about what I can do.”

Suwon FC head coach Kim Do-gyun said, “I respect Park Joo-ho’s decision, as he has played a lot of roles in Suwon FC so far, including the role of captain and as a senior,” and added, “He showed a good performance by dedicating himself to the team until the last game.”

Ulsan head coach Hong Myung-bo also said, “I don’t think it’s bad to leave while you can still show your good form,” and congratulated him after the game. It’s been hard for you,” and cheered for Park’s future.

“When I was watching (Park), I thought, ‘I want to be a senior like him in the future,’ but I was sad to hear that he was retiring,” said Lee Jong-kyu, who played for Ulsan in 2019, adding, “I believe he will do well enough no matter what his path is, and I will always support him.” 먹튀검증

Park broke into the professional ranks in 2008 with Mito Holyhawk of Japan’s J2 League, then went on to play for Kashima Antlers and Jubilo Iwata (both in Japan) before playing in Europe with FC Basel (Switzerland), Mainz and Dortmund (Germany) since 2011, and Ulsan in the K League since 2018.

He competed at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and joined South Korea as a wild card at the Incheon Asian Games in the same year, where he helped the team win gold.

He went on to represent his country at the 2015 Asian Cup and the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where he anchored the back line.

After receiving a plaque of appreciation from Suwon FC President Lee Jae-joon and Suwon FC supporters in a pre-match retirement ceremony, Park received a rinse from the Suwon FC squad after the match.

Coincidentally, on the sixth day of his career, the same day as his number ‘6’, Park returned to Korea after playing in Europe to play his final match against Ulsan, the team he played for from 2018-2020.

Suwon FC and Ulsan fans gave Park a one-minute ovation in the sixth minute of the first half to see him off the field.

Suwon FC’s Park Joo-ho, a former national soccer team defender, walked off the field after giving 100 points in his final game. Suwon FC lost 1-3 to Ulsan Hyundai on June 6 in the 17th round of the Hana One Q K League 2023 at Suwon Sports Complex. After playing the entire 91 minutes of…