Yang Min-hyuk was selected as the player who led Gangwon FC to victory by scoring the first goal in the match against Jeonbuk Hyundai on the 29th. He already had four goals and two assists in the league, and even managed to score high-quality goals, but he kept calm and conducted interviews. He was an incredible mental management senior.
Yang Min-hyuk is one of the top prospects shaking up the K-League this season. He made his debut as a starter in the opening game of the K-League against Jeju United in March, becoming the youngest player to ever play in a club, and he also recorded a assist in just 35 seconds to announce the birth of a supernova. In the second round with Gwangju, he even scored his debut goal less than a minute after the game started, showing off that he is an extraordinary talent.
The same was true in the latest match against Jeonbuk. After receiving a pass that Kim Dae-woo poked through the defense in the fourth minute of the first half, Yang shook the net with a standard shot that aimed over the goalkeeper’s head even when there was no angle. In addition, although he failed to score an offensive point, he effectively targeted Kim Jin-su from the right in the first half and Ahn Hyun-bum from the left in the second half, proving that he is a competitive resource against fullbacks at the level of the Korean national team. He bullied Jeonbuk’s defense through clever dribbling and forward pressure that controlled the speed freely, and there were one or two scenes that involved close assistance.
“I have to say that it’s amazing. It’s not easy to run for 90 minutes at that age,” Gangwon coach Yoon Jung-hwan said after the game. “I didn’t get to that level at that time either,” he said. “(Yang) Min-hyuk is very good at speed and breaking through. He has the potential to improve further. As he is still young, he will feel as he grows up.” 먹튀검증
Nevertheless, Yang maintained calmness. “I have never seen him play at my age. I think he did as much as I could,” he said of Yoon’s compliment at a news conference. “It’s an honor as a player as well, but I think I’m lucky to meet him and have a relationship with him. It’s even more an honor for me because he trusted me and appointed me.”
Throughout the press conference, Yang continued to answer in a typical manner without any excitement. On the reason why he gave more passes than shots when he had a chance to score in the game, he said, “My colleague gave me the ball because he was in a better position than me, rather than choosing a shot.” When asked if he has another goal since he achieved five offensive points, he said, “I will not set my next goal. I will do my best to the extent that I can.”
Regarding the secret to maintaining such ratings, he said, “Of course, if it goes well, it bothers me a lot. I thought I would be shaken at least once, but so far, I haven’t been shaken much because I have organized my thoughts and acted well.” He concluded the press conference by giving a mature response, saying, “If I keep up like this, I don’t think I will be swayed by growing to the next level as a player.”
Yang is still a high school student and has signed a semi-professional contract with his club. According to the regulation, he is paid only 1 million won (982 U.S. dollars) per month. On days when the club does not have training, he or she goes to school to take classes just like any other high school student. When a team schedule is set during the week, he or she applies for a field trip to have training and play games. Even before the match against Jeonbuk, he applied for a field trip with one night and two days, making a critical contribution to his team’s third consecutive win in 1,321 days.
Yang has been enjoying a splendid debut season in the K-League by starting all 15 games in Gangwon Province so far. He has practically played full time in the last six games, and is fit as a professional. It remains to be seen how far the rookie Yang Min-hyuk in Gangwon Province, who has emerged after Yang Hyun-joon, will grow.
