“The new goal is to lift the championship trophy with coach Kim Ki-dong.”
Striker Kim In-seong (34), who recently transferred to the Pohang Steelers of the K-League 1 (Part 1) professional soccer team, showed confidence in his voice. In the summer of 2021, he returned to the first division after a year and a half after transferring from Ulsan Hyundai to K-League 2 (Part 2) Seoul E-Land FC. Kim In-seong said, “Since his professional debut, he has played a lot in the first division. It’s not that it’s ‘(completely) new’, but training with a new team in Pohang is a lot of fun,” he said.
Kim In-seong expressed his anticipation for working with Pohang coach Kim Ki-dong by saying, “It’s fun.” Manager Kim Ki-dong likes to use a counter-attack tactic that utilizes fast strikers. Last season, Pohang was 3rd in the league for team scoring (52 goals). Pohang earned the nickname of ‘mobile strike team’ from fans.
Kim In-seong, who is participating in the winter field training in Hanoi, Vietnam, said, “The period of joining Pohang was short, but it seems that Pohang’s unique football was not just created. I felt that there had to be a lot of training,” he said. “Soccer is possible only when the players run very fast and a lot. This is also my strong point. My goal for the 2023 season is to show my strengths in the mobile strike team.”
Kim In-seong was an offensive resource that coach Kim Ki-dong strongly wanted. Director Kim Ki-dong spearheaded the recruitment of Kim In-seong even before negotiating a renewal contract with Pohang. Kim In-seong is a veteran striker who made his professional debut at Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (now Seongnam FC) in 2013 and scored 44 goals and 23 assists in 280 games until last season. Before his K-League debut, he moved from Gangneung City Hall (unemployment) to CSKA Moscow (Russia) and attracted a lot of attention.
Kim In-sung received an offer from a club in the metropolitan area adjacent to Anyang, Gyeonggi-do, where he currently resides. However, he chose to move to Pohang. Kim In-seong said, “I knew from long ago that director Kim Ki-dong was interested in me. I also had a strong desire to work with the director. I liked the pursuit of ‘strong and winning football’. A good opportunity has come. There was no great difficulty in making the transfer choice,” he said. 메이저놀이터
Kim In-seong has a lot of ‘winning energy’. He experienced the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) and FA (Korea Football Association) Cup victories in Ulsan. Jeonbuk Hyundai experienced a league championship. He is determined to stand at the top in Pohang as well. Kim In-seong said, “I have had all the experiences of lifting the championship trophy. He stressed that his new goal is to win with manager Kim Ki-dong in Pohang.”
In order to win, you have to overcome the ‘East Coast rival’ Ulsan. Ulsan was the league champion last season. Kim In-seong, who spent his heyday in Ulsan, said, “Didn’t Pohang celebrate the 50th anniversary of the club’s establishment? We have to perform well in Pohang. The goal is to win the ‘East Coast Derby’ without fail.”