"If I had met Manager Kim Ki-dong earlier, I would have made more appearances for the national team"... Moon Sun-min's (34) biting joke after a goal and an assist [On-site at Sangam]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Moon Sun-min (34), who has pushed FC Seoul to the brink of the championship, expressed his respect for Manager Kim Ki-dong (55).

Seoul defeated Jeju SK 2-1 in their home match in Round 31 of the Hana Bank K League 1 2026 season at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 10th.

Securing its first victory after an approximately three-week international break, Seoul is leading the league with 65 points (20 wins, 5 draws, 6 losses). Seoul will clinch its first league title in 10 years if it adds just seven more points from its remaining seven matches.

Starting as part of a front-line duo alongside Climalle, Moon Sun-min emerged as the star of the victory with one goal and one assist. In the first minute of the second half, while the score was tied 0-0, he finished a pass from Choi Jun-ee inside the box with a no-touch shot to open the scoring. He then performed his signature control tower celebration. In the 34th minute of the second half, when the match was tightly contested at 1-1, he provided an assist for the winning goal with a skillful forward header pass to Climalle, who had penetrated behind the defense.

After the match, Moon Sun-min shared his thoughts in a press conference: "Our record was not good before the break, with one win and two losses in three matches, but during the international break, we worked hard with our teammates for the championship." He added, "I am happy to have achieved a good result in the first match of the split round."

Regarding the skillful header pass that assisted Climalle's winning goal, he explained, "It was an intentional pass made with the intention of laying it off."

Moon Sun-min credited Manager Kim Ki-dong for his outstanding performance this season. "I joke half-seriously that if I had met the manager earlier, I would have become a better player and been selected for the national team more often," he said. He also showed deep trust in the manager, adding, "Recently, opponents have focused heavily on marking me, but I am finding a breakthrough through video meetings with the manager."

He also shared his thoughts on the team atmosphere and defensive involvement. "Communication with our foreign players has been smooth since winter training, so the feeling was good," he said. "The manager emphasizes defensive aspects a lot, so we are constantly talking about maintaining spacing and covering for teammates' empty spaces."

Regarding the situation of alternating between starting and coming off the bench, he answered calmly: "Given my not-so-young age, I accept it positively." He added, "My strength is bringing the flow of the game to our side and maintaining it."

Finally, when asked about a promise to fans if they win the championship, he smiled and said, "I will ride the subway with the fans, communicate with them, and commute to Sangam (Stadium)." He added, "We may need to consult with the club on which line to take, but it really sounds like it would be fun."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original