Women’s soccer is also in the European era, Cho So-hyun and Choi Yu-ri join England’s Birmingham… Will the golden generation begin?

Two of the key players leading Korean soccer have found a new home at Birmingham City in the England Women’s Professional Football Championship (Second Division).

Birmingham City announced the signing of midfielder Cho So-hyun (35) and striker Choi Yu-ri (29) on the 15th (Korean time).

Jo So-hyun signed a contract with a 1-year contract period that included a 1-year extension option, and Choi Yu-ri signed a contract with a 2-year contract with a 1-year extension option.

This is very good news for Korean women’s soccer. Korean men’s soccer has seen numerous European players, starting with Park Ji-sung, who is called ‘Habeoji (the father of foreign soccer)’, while Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) have played in world-class clubs. We are entering an era of success.

In addition, the Korean men’s soccer team achieved the feat of advancing to the round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup at the end of last year for the third time in 13 years.

The Korean women’s national team is ranked 20th in the FIFA rankings. However, the walls of the world are still high. At the 2023 Australia-New Zealand Women’s World Cup held last July, they were eliminated in last place in the group stage with 1 draw and 2 losses.

Targeting this World Cup, foreign coach Colin Bell was appointed to prepare for the tournament, but only one goal was scored in three games, showing the level of the world stage.

I can’t just blame the players. It is embarrassing to메이저놀이터 compare the professional stage level, infrastructure, and size of soccer players among countries that dominate the world stage.

Of the 23 players who participated in the World Cup, only Lee Young-ju (Madrid CFF), Lee Geum-min (Brighton & Hove Albion Women), Casey Eugene Fair (PDA), and Yoon Young-geul (BK Hacken) were overseas players.

Aside from Ji So-yeon (Suwon FC Women), who returned to Korea after a long stay abroad, the U-turns of Jang Seul-gi (Incheon Hyundai Steel), who lived overseas, and Cho So-hyun, who played the World Cup without their own team, were even more disappointing.

That’s why I’m even more glad that Cho So-hyun and Choi Yu-ri are entering Europe. Experiencing and growing on a global stage and spreading what you have learned to the national team can be of great help. This can strengthen the competitiveness of the national team and at the same time lead to more players dreaming of advancing overseas.

Cho So-hyun is an indispensable figure in Korean women’s soccer, playing in 148 international matches for the adult national team and tying with Ji So-yeon (Suwon FC) for the most appearances of all time. In the final group match against Germany at the last World Cup, she scored the first goal and was responsible for Korea’s only goal. Although she is not young, she has once again succeeded in advancing overseas and set a good example for her juniors.

After playing for Suwon Facilities Management Corporation and Incheon Hyundai Steel in the WK League, he first experienced living overseas on loan with Kobe Ainak (Japan) in 2016. He joined Norway’s Avaldnes in 2018, played for West Ham United the following year, and Tottenham from 2021. While playing, his contract ended before the World Cup and he was looking for a new team.

Choi Yu-ri, a striker for the national team who has played for Hyundai Steel, is expected to receive great help in her adaptation by boarding a plane to England with Cho So-hyun, who has overseas experience. Yuri Choi is a striker who scored 9 goals in 54 games for the national team.

Birmingham City is currently in the Championship, but it is a team that cannot be ignored. This is a strong team that won the Women’s Football Association (FA) Cup in the 2011-2012 season and finished second in the Women’s Super League (WSL) in 2011 and 2012.

Although they were relegated to the second division at the bottom of the WSL in the 2021-2022 season, they are a team that can dream of promotion to the point where they can rise to second place in the championship in the 2022-2023 season. This season, after only 1 draw and 2 losses in 3 league games, the team was able to turn things around by recruiting two Korean players.