South Korean footballer (born 1983)
Cho Yong-hyung (Korean: , born 3 November 1983) is a South Korean football coach and former player, who is the assistant coach of South Korea national football team.
Club career.
Cho joined K League club Bucheon SK in 2005, and was voted into the K League Best XI after his successful debut season. He continued playing for the club in the 2006 season when it changed its stronghold to Jeju Province. He was called "the next Hong Myung-bo" by showing great potential in Bucheon and Jeju.
Cho was traded to Gyeongnam FC before the 2007 season because Jeju United wanted to bring players whose hometown was located in its region. However, he was sold to Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma just after joining Gyeongnam, and played as a full-back, not a centre-back. He did not live up to expectations in Seongnam due to unfamiliar role.
Cho returned to Jeju United only a year after leaving the club. He once again had a hard time in 2009 season when he was operated on for a knee cartilage injury and showed poor performances. He also conceded eight goals in a match against Pohang Steelers in the middle of the season. However, he helped Jeju maintain its first place in the league until the first half of the next season, and then left a good impression in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Some Premier League clubs were interested in Cho in the summer after the World Cup, but they did not give specific offers to him. He moved to Qatar Stars League club Al-Rayyan on a 2-year deal, until the end of the 2011–12 season. There was an unusual option of joining La Liga club Málaga, owned by the owner of Al-Rayyan, at the end of the contract period in his contract with Al-Rayyan. Nevertheless, he extended his contract two years later because he did not have confidence to compete with Málaga defenders.
International career.
Cho made his first appearance for South Korean national team against Chile on 30 January 2008.
Cho was named the best defender of the 2010 EAFF Championship, although he had difficulty marking Chinese players in the competition.
Cho was selected for the national team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but he was suspected of incompetence by Korean fans. He was largely criticised by being nicknamed "Huh Yong-hyung", which meant manager Huh Jung-moo's son, before the World Cup. However, their flak was changed to praise after his outstanding defence in the World Cup.
Style of play.
Cho could play as a full-back or a defensive midfielder, but he showed his best performances when playing as a centre-back. He was praised in the K League for his positional sense and steadiness under pressure.
Honours.
Al-Rayyan
South Korea
Individual
References.
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