Seol Young-woo (Ulsan) was all smiles after winning the jersey battle with Atletico Madrid (AT Madrid) goalkeeper Antoine Griezmann in the Spanish Primera Liga.
“It was a tough and hectic game,” he told reporters after the first leg of the Coupang Play Series against AT Madrid at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sunday, “and the speed of the opponent’s counterattack was like something you see in a game.”
The K League All-Star squad managed to pull off a thrilling 3-2 upset win over AT Madrid on the same day.
“It was a valuable experience in my life,” said Seol Young-woo. Like coach Hong Myung-bo, I wanted to win, but I honestly didn’t think it was likely, but I think it will be an unforgettable memory.”
Seol played the full match in the absence of Gwangju FC’s foreign defender Timo, who tested positive for COVID-19 before the match against AT Madrid.
Before the game, Seol Young-woo shouted that he wanted to swap jerseys with Griezmann, and he realized his goal.
In an interview with Coupang Play, Griezmann revealed that he knew Seol Young-woo through online soccer games.
“As soon as the game was over, I waited and told Griezmann in English, ‘I’m Seol Young-woo.’ He said he knew me and told me to wait. Then he said he knew me and asked me to wait, and after waiting for about 20 minutes, I got my jersey and high-fived him,” he said, smiling.
“I’ve never waited so long for anyone before, but he made it possible,” he says.
Seol, who made his professional debut with Ulsan in 2020, has one goal and three assists in 22 regular-season games this season. In his K League career, he has three goals and nine assists in 101 games.
Last month, he was called up by Jürgen Klinsmann’s national team and made his A-match debut in an exhibition match against El Salvador.무지개벳
Born in 1998, Seol was also selected as a wildcard (players over 24 years old) for the Hangzhou Asian Games men’s soccer team led by Hwang Sun-hong.