Is it just Kim Dae-won? A goalkeeper who climbed from the lower leagues to become a top-tier K League 1 goalkeeper, leading Gangwon's upward momentum — the "icon of a human victory," Park Cheong-hyo.

*This content was translated by AI.

Just a few years ago, he was a goalkeeper playing in the lower leagues, but now he has become a player delivering top-tier performances in K League 1. That player is none other than Gangwon FC goalkeeper Park Cheong-hyo (36).

This season, Gangwon has recorded 3 wins, 4 draws, and 2 losses (13 points), placing them third in the league. Two years ago, led by the surprising performance of "super rookie" Yang Min-hyeok (20, Coventry City), they surprisingly finished second, and last year they secured fifth place, establishing themselves as a solid strong team. Gangwon has now announced a strong start to the 2026 season with the same consistent form.

The role of striker Kim Dae-won (29) was undoubtedly significant. He has recorded 3 goals and 2 assists in 9 matches this season. On the 24th, he was also selected as the K League 1 Round 9 Most Valuable Player (MVP). On the 21st, in an away match against Kim Cheon (SVP), Kim Dae-won scored the opening goal in the 36th minute of the first half and completed a brace with a penalty kick just before the end of the first half. In the 38th minute of the second half, he also assisted Abudalla's go-ahead goal.

In fact, there is another player leading Gangwon's upward momentum. That is 36-year-old veteran goalkeeper Park Cheong-hyo. In 9 league matches this season, he has recorded 4 clean sheets, steadily protecting the team's goal. While the spotlight in the previous match against Gimcheon fell on Kim Dae-won, Park Cheong-hyo also made 5 saves, laying the foundation for the team's victory.

He is also an icon of a human victory. Park Cheong-hyo spent his first professional season with Gyeongnam FC in 2013 but had to move through several teams as he was pushed out of the starting lineup. He played for Gangneung City Hall in the National League and transferred to Suwon FC in 2017, but his presence was not significant. Park Cheong-hyo, who also played for Yangju Citizen FC in K3, moved to Gimpo FC in 2023 and knocked on the door of professional football once again.

Park Cheong-hyo created a dramatic turnaround at Gimpo. He broke through fierce competition to become the starting goalkeeper. Among goalkeepers who played more than 20 matches in K League 2 at the time, he recorded the fewest goals conceded. He also kept 18 clean sheets at that time. Thanks to this, Park Cheong-hyo donned the Gangwon jersey within a single season.

He is also writing a story at Gangwon. He pushed out Lee Gwang-yeon (27, Seongnam FC), who had guarded Gangwon's goal for a long time, and secured the starting position from the middle of last season. He has continued to perform well and is now the starting goalkeeper for Gangwon this year as well. Furthermore, he is delivering top-tier performances in the league. Park Cheong-hyo has played the most scoreless matches (4) in K League 1, alongside Kim Dong-jun (32, Jeju SK) and Gu Seong-yun (32, FC Seoul).

Gangwon will face the league-leading Seoul at Gangneung High1 Resort Arena on the 25th. Coincidentally, key defender Kang Tu-ji (27, Marco Tuzi) received a two-match suspension due to post-match disciplinary action on the 24th. In the previous match against Gimcheon, Kang Tu-ji committed a dangerous foul. He will not play in the upcoming Seoul match. The burden on Park Cheong-hyo's shoulders has also grown heavier.

Even in difficult circumstances, if Gangwon can defeat Seoul, they could ignite a race for the top spot. Seoul is leading the league with 22 points (7 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss), but the gap could narrow depending on the result of this match.

The goalkeeper duel between Park Cheong-hyo and Gu Seong-yun is also expected to be an interesting point of interest. On the 18th, Park Cheong-hyo made 6 saves against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in Daejeon and did not lose out in a duel with "national team goalkeeper" Song Beom-geun (29, Jeonbuk). At that time, Song Beom-geun also made 6 saves. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. However, according to K League data, Park Cheong-hyo received a rating of 7.2 in the Jeonbuk match, earning a better evaluation than Song Beom-geun, who had a rating of 7.0.

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*This content was translated by AI.