"Choi Sung-kook, Ask You to Take Us to Round of 16"

“The ticket to the round of 16 is up to my foot….”

“Korean Little Maradona” Choi Sung-kook (20, Ulsan Hyundai) will take the “killer” role which bears the responsibility of Korea’s entering the round of 16 at the final match of Group F against the United States in the 2003 World Youth Soccer Championship (under age 20) to be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on December 6.

Choi is an outstanding attacker who also is a member of the Olympic team and adult national team, not to mention his role on the youth representative team. He is the most skillful player among the youth team as his fellow teammates have called him “Little Maradona.” However, he has been undergoing rehabilitation training ever since injuring his collarbone at the Olympic preliminary match against Hong Kong on October 7.

He made his comeback debut at the match against Paraguay in the second half on December 3. Though Korea lost the game, Choi brought a vigorous energy to Korea, which was playing lackadaisically, with his special side breaking skills and clever play.

“Even though he hasn’t completely recover his senses, I will use him as an ace in the hole in the second half against the United States to find a way to attack,” said Coach Park Sung-wha of Korea. Especially in the match against the United States, the second half is important. Coach Park added, “With these continuous matches, the players’ physical strength and concentration have weakened. At this time, we need to cast the hidden ace card, which is speed in the second half.”

Choi also made up his mind saying, “The match I played against Paraguay was two months since my injury, and my condition was good. I will definitely score a goal against the United States to advance to the round of 16.”

Meanwhile, Coach Park plans to utilize a four-back defensive line with Kim Chi-woo, Lim You-hwan, Oh Bum-suk, and putting Lim You-hwan instead of Kim Jin-kyu who received a yellow card at the match against Paraguay on December 3 while blocking an attack by the United States.

Jong-Koo Yang yjongk@donga.com