The strange journey of 'male god' Cho Gue-sung

From a sought-after male god, Cho Gue-sung was transformed into a villain, before being praised again.

South Korea were in a state of fear for most of the match against Saudi Arabia. Dozens of shots were fired but for some reason the ball just didn't go in. As time ran out, the dream of winning the Asian Cup for the first time since 1960 was fading.

Luckily, just as the Koreans were about to cry, Cho Gue-sung weaved through the blue shirts, received a pass from Seol Young-woo and jumped high to head the ball into the Saudi Arabian net. Instead of being eliminated, the Taegeuk Warriors advanced to extra time, then defeated their opponents 4-2 in the penalty shootout. Cho Gue-sung continued to be the hero once again with a successful shot in the third round.

Immediately, there was a collective "turnaround" in the land of kimchi. Words of thanks and praise for the 26-year-old striker flooded social networks as well as the media, in contrast to the previous storm of criticism. At the 2023 Asian Cup, Cho Gue-sung started all 3 group stage matches but did not score a goal, nor did he have any impact on the attack.

Cho Gue-sung's 90+6 minute goal against Saudi Arabia

Successful penalty kick, helping Korea advance to the quarter-finals of the 2023 Asian Cup.

In frustration, the media described his performances as “extremely bad”, while fans accused him of being “arrogant”, “indulging in entertainment and forgetting to train”. Cho Gue-sung’s long hair was also attacked. “Cut your hair, train seriously”, “Football is not a place to be cool, stop worrying about hair ties and worry about goals” were popular comments on social media.

Now it's all gone. The villain becomes the hero. The despised becomes the savior. And long hair is loved again, especially when it suits the handsome face. Cho Gue-sung is a phenomenon again, just like a year ago, when he became famous overnight.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, South Korea exploded with Cho Gue-sung mania after the striker scored a brace against Ghana. His 20,000 Instagram followers jumped to 2.7 million. The same thing happened on other social media platforms, forcing him to turn off notifications on his phone.

He was also the second athlete to appear on the cover of Vogue Korea, and was invited to many other popular TV shows. With his long hair tied back in a ponytail, Cho Gue-sung was voted the second most desirable Korean, behind actor Song Kang.

Cho Gue-sung was voted the second most desirable person in Korea.

Being famous made it difficult to walk on the street. Cho Gue-sung said that even when wearing a hat and glasses, he was still recognized. Fans went crazy and chased him everywhere, from Korean cafes to the streets of London.

That was part of the reason Cho Gue-sung decided to turn down many attractive offers when leaving Jeonbuk. He chose Denmark, where Midtjylland is based. There he got a lot of playing time and didn't have to deal with the fame. In the 2023 season, the 26-year-old striker scored 9 goals in 23 appearances in all competitions, not a bad result for someone playing in Europe for the first time.

Cho Gue-sung is excited about the fame but also knows how to deal with it, never letting it dominate his football career. “I don’t care about other people’s comments, I only bear the burden of the pressure I put on myself,” he said.

So, being a sensation a year ago, or being criticized and then praised now, has not changed Cho Gue-sung. “ The criticism doesn’t affect me,” he shared after the win over Saudi Arabia, “I’m just a little disappointed with my performance, I should have taken better advantage of the opportunities to avoid the team having to take penalties.”

(Source: Tien Phong)

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