“The feeling these days is like a dream.”

The smile of Park Eun-seon (37, Seoul City Hall), the ‘Geopo’ of Korean women’s football, who has returned, is bright. In the meantime, she has suffered greatly from ‘bad luck’ and injuries, but she is full of energy in the hope of participating in the 2023 Women’s World Cup (Australia, New Zealand, July 20-August 20). The two warm-up games against Zambia recently held in Korea were stages that reaffirmed the value of Park Eun-sun, who became the eldest member of her national team. Having played more than 130 minutes in both games, recording 3 goals and 2 assists, she clearly received an eye in front of the coach of the women’s national soccer team, Colin Bell.

Park Eun-seon, who we met on the 19th at a park near the Seoul City Hall team’s accommodation in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, said, “As she was selected for the A national team, her lifestyle changed. I don’t want to miss the opportunity the coach gave me. I want to burn a spark at the World Cup, overcoming the responsibility and burden of being a national team member.” In the match against Zambia, he produced a scene that stood out with control of the air, ball guard, space, customized pass, and decisiveness.

Park Eun-seon said, “According to the coach’s order, he has been intensively training his physical strength since last year. Before that, I didn’t have a clear goal, but now I’m trying to run with all my strength, even if I run for just one minute.”

The presence of Park Eun-seon, who scored a goal in an A-match for the first time in 9 years since 2014, comes from her solid physical condition, senses, and soccer intelligence of 1m81. It is difficult to stop him as the opponent’s defense has excellent physical fighting skills and is also talented with the ball. Commentator Kim Dae-gil said, “As Park Eun-seon, who has height, strength, and scoring ability, has been secured, the tactical options for Bell’s national team coach have increased. He emphasized that Park Eun-seon can be used even in confrontations with European players with good physiques.” Group H of the Women’s World Cup, which Korea belongs to, has formidable opponents such as Colombia, Morocco and Germany.

Park Eun-sun, who played almost full-time as the 17-year-old youngest member of the national team during the 2003 World Cup in the United States, has emerged as a rising star in Korean women’s soccer, just like Cha Bum-geun in men’s soccer in the 1970s. However, she was frustrated and wandered while going through harsh trials due to the greed of adults outside the soccer field. After graduating from high school, he was suspended for joining the unemployment team without going through college. At one time, he suffered a heartache, he advanced to the Russian stage, returned home, and finally took up a seat at the Seoul City Hall, where he was able to recover.

The current Seoul City Hall coach Yoo Yeong-sil, who was the captain of the women’s national team during the 2003 USA World Cup, and coach Ahn Tae-hwa (currently Changnyeong WFC coach) were the biggest supporters. Park Eun-sun said, “The director and coach really helped me a lot. It is their strength that made me re-enter the national team. When I was selected for the national team, they both liked me the most.”

Park Eun-seon is now the national team’s top scorer, and each time she scores, she breaks her record for the oldest A-match score. Competition with her juniors is also a new challenge. This is why he puts a lot of effort into training his physical strength to adapt to the coaching system of Bell, who uses running football. He, who has a strong desire to compete, explained, “I am paying close attention to all areas, such as aerobic exercise such as short distance running, muscle strengthening, and diet.” 메이저놀이터

Experience, experience, and bright personality are also strengths that cannot be overlooked. Changnyeong WFC coach Ahn Tae-hwa said, “Park Eun-sun is a great player who has overcome difficult times well. He is very considerate of his colleagues and has a good personality, so his juniors respect him. The more he works out, the more he is a player who brings out his infinite potential, so if he has a goal, he will be more powerful.” Until the national team convenes in June, he must overcome the tight schedule of playing two games a week. After returning from the national team, Park Eun-sun, who is increasing her contribution to the team by scoring and playing full-time, emphasized, “There are difficult times, but I always try to play comfortably on the field.”

Unlike the build-up method centered on Ji So-yeon, manager Bell can also add a tactic that uses Park Eun-sun’s post play. In the Zambia evaluation match, he produced a goal through fantastic collaboration with striker Lee Geum-min, and with captain Kim Hye-ri, who has a good kick, he connected his corner kick with a destructive header.

As long as she takes good care of her body, Park Eun-seon will be able to fully fulfill her role as an active player for several years to come. However, as much as he is nurturing his dream of becoming a leader after his retirement, he is also studying hard. Having already obtained a C-level instructor’s license, he said, “I see and learn a lot from coach Yoo Yeong-sil and other teaching methods. Every match is subject to study,” he explained.

Of course, the important thing is to lead the team to victory in the WK League and score goals in the World Cup finals in July. “I don’t want to disappoint the fans who support me. I don’t know how much I’ll play in the World Cup, but when the opportunity comes, I don’t want to miss a goal. My head is full of thoughts of scoring goals,” he laughed.