"Dreaming of FC Seoul's Alvarez" Jung Hyun-woo wins Future Star Award: "I will become a consistent player rather than one who shines briefly" [2026 Futures Star Awards]

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Jung Hyun-woo (18, Osan High School, FC Seoul), who was honored with the Future Star Award at the '2026 Futures Star Awards,' pledged to perform well on the professional stage.

The ceremony for the '2026 Futures Star Awards (hosted and organized by StarNews, sponsored by the Korea Sports and Olympic Committee, the National Sports Promotion Foundation, the Korea Baseball & Softball Association, the Korea Basketball Association, the Korea Volleyball Federation, Korea Sports Leisure Co., Ltd., and Palseok Mijin)' was held on the 26th in the press conference room on the 19th floor of the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. More than 100 people attended, including award recipients, officials from sports associations, federations, and clubs, as well as selection committee members.

The recipient of the 'Future Star Award' is Jung Hyun-woo. This year, Jung scored 10 goals in the Baekun Cup National High School Soccer Tournament to lead his team to victory. He also recorded 10 goals and 4 assists in the first-half league of K League Junior, simultaneously securing a win in the A division and the MVP award. Based on these performances, he signed a semi-professional contract with FC Seoul last August, moving directly to the professional stage. After representing the U-17 national team, he was recently included in the training roster for the U-20 national team, aiming squarely at participating in next year's FIFA U-20 World Cup.

He is also quickly gaining experience on the professional first-team stage. Seoul, which recently clinched the K League 1 championship, had previously deployed a heavy rotation focused on promising players in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League 2 (ACL2), and Jung Hyun-woo secured an early opportunity to make his professional debut. Jung made his professional debut as a substitute in last month's match against Persikabo Bandung, and he also played 36 minutes in the match against Melbourne Victory on the 14th, catching the eye of manager Kim Ki-dong.

Jung Hyun-woo, who received the Star Award trophy on this day, stated, "I want to become a player who runs consistently for a long time rather than one who shines briefly," adding, "My goal is to become a player who is recognized in professional soccer and plays for a long time, like senior player Lee Dong-gook."

He cited Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid) as his role model. Jung said, "A versatile player is my role model, and it seems to fit me perfectly," explaining, "I also play various positions such as wing forward and attacking midfielder."

He also spoke about the overwhelming emotions of his professional debut last month. He recalled, "I really wanted to make my debut at Sangam (Seoul World Cup Stadium), and it happened. When I walked right in front of Suho Shin (FC Seoul supporters), my heart swelled with emotion." He added, "It was a feeling I had never experienced before, so it was nice. The excitement was greater than the nervousness."

He continued, "In my first professional match, I was not given much time, so I could not show my best, but in the second match, I played for about 40 minutes," adding, "I felt slightly lacking physically, so I realized I need to do more weight training."

The selection committee members gave a thumbs-up to Jung Hyun-woo's potential. Reviewer B praised him, saying, "His dribbling breakthroughs utilizing fast speed and his challenging attacking style stand out," adding, "He is an excellent player who also possesses outstanding scoring ability."

■ Date: October 26, 2026 (Mon) at 3 p.m.

■ Location: Press Conference Room, 19th Floor, Korea Press Center (124 Sejong University-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul)

■ Award Recipients and Prizes (Total 10 people)

◇ Baseball

Ha Hyun-seung (18, 3rd year at Busan High School, Kiwoom Heroes 1st round): Prize money of 3 million won

Lee Ho-min (18, 3rd year at Gyeongnam High School, KIA Tigers 1st round): Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Soccer

An Ju-wan (17, 2nd year at Sinpyeong High School, Seoul E-Land FC): Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

Jung Hyun-woo (18, 3rd year at Osan High School, FC Seoul): Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Basketball

Yoon Ji-won (18, 3rd year at Gyeongbok High School): Prize money of 3 million won

Yoon Ji-hoon (18, 3rd year at Gyeongbok High School): Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Volleyball

Son Seo-yeon (16, 1st year at Sunmyeong Girls' High School): Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Golf

Yang Yun-seo (18, 3rd year at Incheon Girls' High School Affiliated Broadcasting & Open High School): Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Skateboarding

Kang Jun-i (18, 3rd year at Yeongdeungpo High School): Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Artistic Gymnastics

Hwang Seo-hyun (18, 3rd year at Incheon Sports High School): Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

■ Selection Committee Members

Kim In-sik, former national team manager (Selection Committee Chair), Cha Myung-ju, Performance Improvement Committee Chair of the Korea Baseball & Softball Association (KBSA), Jung Min-hyuk, Head of Scouting Team at Hanwha Eagles, Kwon Do-young, Manager of Scouting Team at Kiwoom Heroes

Han Jun-hee, commentator for Coupang Play, Son Seung-jun, full-time instructor for the Korea Football Association, Kwon Oh-gyu, Technical Director of Bucheon FC, Jung Jae-yoon, scout for Jeonbuk Hyundai

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original