Ulsan Lee Dong-kyung's 'surprise concession' declaration is a hot topic, and Yago's 'nomination' has been nominated for Player of the Month

*This content was translated by AI.

March in Ulsan HD is close to 'perfect' on and off the field. At the center of it are Lee Dong-kyung and Yago, who were named side by side as candidates for the "EA SPORTS Player of the Month Award" in March of the 2026 season. Lee Dong-kyung, who stood at the peak of the K-League last season by sweeping both the Player of the Month award and the season MVP, declared an unconventional "surprise concession" to her colleague Yago shortly after the candidate was selected.

According to a message released by the club on the 9th, Lee Dong-kyung said, "The vote should not be dispersed. This time, Yago should receive it unconditionally and should receive it," he said, showing his complete abandonment of his greed. Beyond the leisure of the player who has already enjoyed all the glory, the vice-captain's leadership, who sincerely acknowledges his teammates' rise and puts the team's atmosphere first, stands out. In other words, last season's MVP "nominated" Yago as the next winner.

For Yago, the nomination is more desperate than ever. Yago was nominated for the Player of the Month Award as a member of Gangwon FC in May 2024, but unfortunately suffered, and he has never been honored with an individual award in three seasons since his K-League debut. Despite announcing the return of the "Monster" by showing an explosive scoring ability of four goals in four games at the beginning of the season, the distribution of votes with teammate Lee Dong-kyung could be the biggest obstacle.

However, thanks to the full support and concession of 'active MVP' Lee Dong-kyung, Yago has come closest to winning his first prize since his debut. Lee Dong-kyung laid a board so that Yago could step on the path of glory he walked. This unusual "Respect" shown by Ulsan's ace is expected to be a strong motivation for Yago beyond just an award.

All-time K-League data proves that the award of the "POTM of the Month" is the most reliable guarantee check heading to the MVP of the season soon. A representative example is Hong Jeong-ho in 2021. At that time, Hong Jung-ho made a last-minute spurt by winning the Player of the Month award in November, which was unusual for a defender, and he completed the "POTM-MVP Parallel Theory" by winning the league MVP in that season.

The person who knows this 'King's Road' best is Lee Dong-kyung. Lee Dong-kyung is the "Man of Records" who has lifted the most POTM trophies among all-time MVP winners since 2019, when the Player of the Month award was newly established. Throughout the 2024 and 2025 seasons, he has recorded unrivaled awards (three times: October 21, March 24, April 24) and nominations (five times: October 25, September 25, August 25, February-March 25, September 24), and he understands better than anyone else the impact of the awards on the value of players and the flow of the season as a whole.

Therefore, Lee Dong-kyung's concession of the award to Yago is nothing more than a simple story, and it is like throwing a strong conviction that "the helmsman who will be responsible for Ulsan's cruising early in the season is Yago." Ulsan HD is directly creating another MVP candidate in the 2026 season through an unrivaled team culture in which players develop their teammates into "big fish."

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*This content was translated by AI.