Jo Hyeon-woo becomes first goalkeeper MVP in 16 years

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The goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo, who led Ulsan to its third consecutive championship in the K League, has become the star of the season.

It has been 16 years since a goalkeeper won the MVP honor in the K League, since Lee Woon-jae, and his acceptance speech was heartwarming.

Reporter Kim Hwa-young reports.

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Last weekend, Jo Hyeon-woo celebrated the team's victory with his teammates and openly expressed his desire for the MVP award.

[Jo Hyeon-woo/Ulsan/Nov. 23: "It seems like there is no one else who can receive this award but me. I did my best today, and I will go to receive the award."]

And the day when his long-cherished dream became a reality.

["Ulsan HD Jo Hyeon-woo."]

When his name was called, he was overwhelmed with emotion and his eyes glistened with tears.

[Jo Hyeon-woo/Ulsan: "I can't believe this MVP award, which I only imagined, has come to me. I often think of the young Jo Hyeon-woo, who was happy playing soccer late into the night whenever he saw a ball..."]

Jo did not miss the national team call-up and played in every league match, leading Ulsan to have the fewest goals conceded.

In particular, out of 14 matches without conceding a goal, 8 were 1-0 games, and Jo Hyeon-woo's brilliant saves in crucial moments were key to Ulsan's third consecutive championship.

After 16 years since Lee Woon-jae in 2008, he became the second goalkeeper in history to win the MVP award, expressing hope that some biases against goalkeepers would disappear and announcing that he would donate the entire prize money for athletes training in difficult environments.

[Jo Hyeon-woo/Ulsan: "'I should help friends who are struggling and having a hard time when I become famous' was something I thought about a lot. I feel like I have achieved that dream, and I am really happy. I will do my best so that many goalkeepers can also be nominated for MVP."]

Kangwon's Yang Min-hyeok, who is heading to Tottenham after a stellar first professional season, won the Young Player Award with an overwhelming voting rate, and Kangwon's head coach Yoon Jong-hwan, who led the team to its first-ever runner-up finish, received the Coach of the Year award, surpassing Ulsan's head coach Kim Pan-gon.

KBS News, Kim Hwa-young.