Mainz is a true pro-choice club.
Mainz said on the club’s website on Monday (Korea time), “We have another Korean player now. Hong Hyun-suk came from KAA Hent to Mainz. The 25-year-old offensive midfielder has signed a long-term contract until 2028.” Hong will wear the No. 14 jersey.
Hong became the sixth Korean Leaguer in the history of Mainz. Until now, many clubs had been called “friendly clubs.” Manchester United, where Park Ji-sung played for the first time in the Korean Leaguer’s history, was called the “national club.” After Lee Young-pyo, Son Heung-min played, and there was also Tottenham Hotspur where Yang Min-hyuk will play from January 2025. Celtic, which had Ki Sung-yueng and Cha Du-ri, challenged itself to a friendly club by owning Oh Hyun-kyu, Kwon Hyuk-kyu, and Yang Hyun-joon all at once.
Cha Bum-keun played an active role, and Leverkusen, which included Hwang Sun-hong, Cha Du-ri, Son Heung-min and Ryu Seung-woo, can also be selected. Augsburg, where Koo Ja-cheol, Hong Jung-ho, Ji Dong-won, and Chun Sung-hoon belonged, is also a representative pro-Park club. Depending on individual preferences and standards, the closest club may be different, but overall, Mainz seems to be right. This is why as many as six people were recruited and all gave and used them consistently.
Founded in 1905, Mainz has no clear record of winning titles but has steadily established itself in the German soccer arena. It has been led by masters such as Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, and has been in the Bundesliga for 16 consecutive seasons. After avoiding relegation last season, it decided to play in the Bundesliga in the 2024-25 season. Following Lee Jae-seong, the team now has Hong Hyun-suk.
안전놀이터 The No. 1 player in the Mainz Korean Leaguer is Cha Du-ri. Cha Du-ri chose Mainz as the next club after Leverkusen, Arminia Bielefeld and Einracht Frankfurt. He played for about a year. The second player has been hired for the first time in six years since Cha Du-ri left the club in 2007. It is Park Ju-ho. Park Ju-ho played an active role under Tuchel, and after playing for two years, he left a strong impression.
When Park Joo-ho was playing, Koo Ja-cheol came and became No. 3. Four years later, Ji Dong-won was recruited and played for two years. Lee Jae-sung is the player who succeeded Ji Dong-won’s baton. Lee Jae-sung, who was the ace of Holstein Kiel, who was in the second division of Germany at the time, came to Mainz. Despite rumors of a transfer to other teams, he chose to accompany Mainz. Even when the team was sluggish, he played in various positions and showed loyalty and dedication.
Mainz played in 27 Bundesliga games in his first season, scoring four goals and three assists, and in the 2022-23 season, he scored seven goals and four assists in 34 games, and in 29 games last season, he scored six goals and three assists. It has become a core and irreplaceable resource for Mainz. Mainz, who succeeded in staying last season, sent out Bryayan Gruna, Delano Burgzog, Marco Reacher, Leandro Barreiro, Anwar El Ghazi, Ludovic Azorke, and Tom Kraus. He also recruited Nicolas Veracsynig, Armindo Siep, and Moritz Yentz.
He then brought in Hong for 4 million euros. He is the first Korean Leaguer in three years at Mainz and the sixth in history to play in the league. After graduating from Hyundai Middle School and Hyundai High School, he spent time in Ulsan Hyundai on loan and experienced European leagues. He left Ulsan for LASK in the 2020 season in the Austrian league. After playing for LASK for two years, he moved to Hent in 2022. It was the first time to make his name known to the public during the 2022-23 season. In 31 matches in the league, Hong has accumulated 11 offensive points (five goals and six assists).
He became a key player at Hent. He was an all-weather midfield player who could play both the second and third lines, and displayed tremendous amount of activity and influence. He was selected as well as the Korean national team, and even received exemption from military service by winning the gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. He played in 43 official matches last season, scoring seven goals and eight assists. He also scored and made assists in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying and group league.
He sought to transfer this summer and seemed highly likely to go to Trabzonspor. Some fans criticized him for leaving Belgium and choosing to go to Turkey instead of the big league. “I asked him to go because I wanted to. My agent brother said he didn’t want to go,” Hong said on his SNS account. He stressed that it was not a transfer promoted by an agent, but a transfer he chose.
The trip to Trabzonspor seemed very imminent, but it was canceled. Personal conditions were the problem. Hong Hyun-seok wanted to include a 6 million euro buyout in the contract. The idea was that there should be no obstacles to transfer to a bigger league. Trabzonspor wanted a buyout of more than 12 million euros (about 17.8 billion won). With the failure of the agreement, the possibility of Hong Hyun-seok staying increased, but he was headed to Germany, not Turkiye.
Hong Hyun-seok, who came to Mainz, said, “It was my dream to play in the Bundesliga, one of the biggest leagues in the world. I talked to Lee Jae-sung on the phone before my transfer and he was very happy. Mainz welcomed me. My difference is my ability to run. I also feel most comfortable playing the role of a playmaker and I’m really looking forward to the next step.”
After announcing the recruitment of Hong, Mainz highlighted the Korean players who passed Mainz, saying, “I have been blessed with great Korean players over the years.” Now, Mainz has been named the best club in Europe in name and reality.
