Hong Hyun-seok, who joined the German Bundesliga Mainz, thanked his former team along with his feelings about joining the team.
Hong Hyun-seok left Belgium's KAA Gent and joined Mainz on the 29th to advance to the German Bundesliga, one of the big leagues in Europe. According to Germany's biggest soccer player Kicker, the transfer fee is 4 million euros about 5.9 billion won, and the contract period is a four-year contract, which is until June 2028.
Hong Hyun-seok, who signed a contract with Mainz, posted a picture of him holding a Mainz uniform on his social network service SNS and said, "My dream has come true."
He did not forget his courtesy to his former club and fans. "Thank you to all of you for supporting me for the past two years, and I will never forget this," he said, expressing his gratitude to his fans.
"And I'd like to thank all the staff members who helped me for the past two years, including the medical staff, the chefs and the drivers, and especially the coach Hayne Panhazerbruck," he said. "I was so happy to work with you. I love you all," he said, expressing his gratitude to those who have been with him for two years.
Midfielder Hong Hyun-seok, born in 1999, is from Ulsan HD Youth and began to gain fame in earnest when he moved to Hent in the summer of 2022 after passing through Unterhahing Germany, Junior, and LASK Linz Austria.
Hong Hyun-suk, who signed a three-year contract with Hent, had an impressive year, scoring nine goals and nine assists in 54 appearances in the 2022-23 season, his debut season. In the 2023-24 season, he also played 43 games in all competitions, scoring seven goals and eight assists, achieving double-digit offensive points for the second consecutive year.
It didn't take long for Hong, who started to blossom into potential at Hent, to become the national team member. Having been selected to join the Korean national team for the first time in June last year, he has become the future of the Korean midfield by playing 12 A matches.
In addition, he can continue his performance on the European stage by receiving military service benefits by winning the gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. He is famous for silencing 50,000 spectators by scoring a picture-like left-footed free kick in the first half against China in the quarterfinals of the Asian Games.
In the 2024-2025 season, his last season with Hent, Hong started in all three league games and started in all four UEFA Conference League qualifiers. In particular, he showed key performances by scoring two goals and three assists in two matches with Iceland in the second round.
However, Hong Hyun-suk and Hent could not reach an agreement over the extension of the contract, and Hent was listed on the transfer list this summer to avoid a situation in which Hong Hyun-suk is released as a free agent FA next summer.
Trabzonspor, a prestigious club in Turkiye, has shown keen interest in recruiting Hong. Trabzonspor is one of the prestigious teams that has won many trophies, including seven in the Turkiye Schiffer League and nine in the Turkish Cup. Besides the four teams based in Istanbul Galatasaray, Fenerbahce, Besiktash and Bashagsheir, Trabzonspor has displayed remarkable performance.
It is the place where coach Senol Günesch, who is familiar with Korean fans, played a legendary role, and the name of his home stadium is Senol Günesch Stadium. Lee Eul-yong and Seok Hyun-jun have played as Korean players.
Yaziz Sabunkoglu, a reporter for Turkiye media outlet Sports Digital, said on his social network service SNS on the 17th, "Travejonspor and Hent have agreed to transfer Hong Hyun-suk. Travejonspor has agreed to a four-year contract with Hong Hyun-suk. He is heading to Turkiye for a medical test."
"Hong Hyun-seok packed his personal luggage and said goodbye to the Hent squad," he said, adding that he will soon head to Turkiye.
Belgian media "HLN" also reported, "Hent watched Hong Hyun-seok leave for Trabzonspor," adding, "Hong Hyun-seok has one year left on his contract with Hent. Hent has sought to renew his contract in recent months, but Hong Hyun-seok did not respond, so the transfer is best for all parties."
"The transaction has been completed except for a few details," he said. "Hent receives a basic transfer fee of 4.5 million euros about 6.7 billion won and an option of 500,000 euros about 745 million won," he said, explaining that Hong Hyun-seok will leave Hent for 5 million euros about 7.4 billion won including options.
It was natural that fans were disappointed as it was connected to big leagues in Europe such as the German Bundesliga until recently. Then, Hong posted on his SNS account, "I wanted to go because I wanted to. My agent-type suggested not to go," and even said that he pushed for the transfer to Turkiye because he wanted to, not because he wanted to.
Many believed that Hong Hyun-suk's transfer to Turkiye would be completed soon, but personal negotiations between Hong and Trabzonspor faced difficulties, leaving Hong's entry into Turkiye in the fog.
"Travezonspor's recruitment of Hong Hyun-seok has become uncertain. The player's request has had a shocking impact."
"Interesting situations continue to arise with Travjonspor's transfer of Hong Hyun-seok," the media said. "Hent accepted the transfer offer, and Travjonspor, who has since agreed with the player on his salary, was expected to bring Hong Hyun-seok to the club."
"However, Hong Hyun-suk's request for a buyout of 8 million euros about 11.9 billion won shocked Travjonspor," he said. "Travjonspor has informed the players that he will not accept the request and wants the buyout clause to be removed. Negotiations are continuing."
The buyout is to pay a certain amount and invalidates the contract signed between the player and the club, and if 8 million euros about 11.9 billion won is paid, the club will have an opportunity to recruit Hong Hyun-seok.
Currently, Hong Hyun-seok's transfer fee is 4.5 million euros about 6.7 billion won, so if the buyout clause of 8 million euros about 11.9 billion won is included in the contract, Trabzonspor can make up to 3.5 million euros about 5.2 billion won by selling Hong Hyun-seok.
However, if Hong Hyun-suk performs very well in the 2024-25 season, Trabzonspor will face a situation where he has no choice but to sell Hong Hyun-suk at a lower price than the market value.
While negotiations between Hong Hyun-suk and Trabzonspor were delayed due to the insertion of a buyout clause, Mainz approached Hong Hyun-suk and completed negotiations in a flash, and Mainz succeeded in embracing Hong Hyun-suk this summer.
Wearing the Mainz uniform, Hong Hyun-seok became the 22nd Korean player to play in the Bundesliga after Cha Bum-keun, Park Sang-in, Kim Joo-sung, Lee Dong-guk, Cha Du-ri, Ahn Jung-hwan, Lee Young-pyo, Son Heung-min, Koo Ja-cheol, Ji Dong-won, Park Jung-bin, Park Joo-ho, Hong Jung-ho, Ryu Seung-woo, Kim Jin-soo, Jung Woo-young, Kwon Chang-hoon, Hwang Hee-chan, Lee Jae-sung, Lee Dong-jun and Kim Min-jae.
In terms of Mainz alone, it is the sixth time in history. Cha Du-ri, Park Joo-ho, Koo Ja-cheol and Ji Dong-won have joined Mainz in the past, and Lee Jae-sung is currently playing. Hong Hyun-seok is expected to work with Lee Jae-sung in Mainz in the future.
Leverkusen's unbeaten record in domestic competitions ended at 44.
Leverkusen, which achieved the "unbeaten championship" last season, accumulated losses after two league matches. The Korean team's record of unbeaten games also ended early.
Leverkusen lost 2-3 to RB Leipzig in the second round of the 2024-25 Bundesliga at Bei Arena in Leverkusen, Germany on the 1st.
For Leverkusen, it was a nightmarish game. On the day, Leverkusen fired a shot with Jeremy Frimpong's first goal in the 38th minute of the first half. Just 13 minutes ago, Leipzig manager Marco Rose was sent off early due to a series of protests, and Leverkusen's advantage was predicted.
Then, in the 45th minute of the first half, Alejandro Grimaldo's clean left-footed score, which was passed by Florian Birz, was scored. Martin Terrier did not lose his concentration until the end in the box, and a series of pass plays became the starting point for additional points.
Leverkusen's Moonan victory is expected early, but Leipzig's Kevin Camp's diving header burst in the extra time of the first half.
Leipzig, which recovered one goal and faced the second half, took the reins of its pursuit. In the sixth minute of the second half, Castello Luqueva's header led to Benjamin Seschko's shot at a corner kick attack, but unfortunately, the decision was made offside.
Royce Oppenda shook off the disappointment. After penetrating superbly in the 12th minute of the second half, Oppenda returned the match to square one with a powerful right footed shot.
Then, in the 35th minute of the second half, he kicked hard with a near post near the arc to complete the team's turnaround.
Leverkusen, who was hit hard, tried to counterattack, but failed to open Leipzig's goal in the end.
Leverkusen has lost in 35 matches. It had never lost in the league last season. Its last loss was in May 2023. Even if it expanded its scope to a domestic cup competition, Leverkusen had an unbeaten streak of 43 matches, but failed to overcome the 44 mark.
Incheon season documentary 'Emergency 2023' will be released on Coupang Play on the 30th
Incheon United's 2023 season documentary film "Emergency 2023: Memories," which produced the K-League documentary "Original" and the 2006 theatrical release "Emergency," can be watched first on Coupang Play through a streaming service.
The Incheon club announced on the 26th that it will exclusively pre-released the documentary film "Emergency 2023: Memories," which tells the story of Incheon in the 2023 season, on Coupang Play, the official new media partner of the K League, at 6 p.m. on the 30th.
"Emergency 2023: Memories" is a documentary film of Incheon's club in the K League 1, which re-examines Incheon's first-ever Asian stage challenge to the AFC Champions League ACL in the season, which marks the 20th anniversary of the club's founding, from the perspective of fans, players, coaches and others. He calmly solved the season by remembering every moment that was sometimes painful and sometimes happy, such as memories of the past 20 years, the difficult early 2023 season, the return of star player Mugosa, and an emotional first Asian stage debut.
In particular, the documentary film is expected to draw fans' attention to the stories of the team members, including the players and fans surrounding each round, the process of preparing for the game in a space that fans cannot experience locker rooms, club houses, training grounds, away game hotels, etc., and various stories of Incheon United on the pitch.
The Incheon club has found a way to deliver the series of contents containing the club's unique story to more soccer fans, and as a result, it has been organizing it on the pitch since September 2023 by cooperating closely with Coupang Play, the official new media broadcasting authority of the K-League, from the end of 2022. And this season's settlement documentary film will be pre-released on Coupang Play.
"The 2023 season marks the 20th anniversary of the club's foundation. Thanks to fans, we made precious memories for 20 years. And this time, "Emergency 2023: Memories" is a documentary film dedicated to fans. We tried to capture diverse and interesting pictures, including stories of the 2023 season from fans' perspectives and contents that we couldn't disclose in the 2023 series "On the Peach," said an official from the Incheon club.
Incheon United has continued to produce documentaries about the club's during the season, including Emergency 2020, Emergency 2021, and Emergency 2022, since the original K-League documentary film "Emergency" director Lim Yoo-chul, which was released in theaters in 2006. Incheon's documentary film "Emergency 2023: Memories," which is provided to Coupang Play, will be available on the Coupang Play service from 6 p.m. on Saturday, the 30th. Incheon club's documentary film "Emergency 2023: Memories," which was released on Coupang Play, will also be available on the club's video channel "IUFC TV" YouTube in the new year of 2024.
