FC Seoul announced Thursday they have signed former Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard.
The K League 1 club finalized their contract with the English international three days after the 31-year-old midfielder arrived in South Korea to undergo his medical. Financial terms were not disclosed.
“Based on respect for Korean football, I am excited to represent the K League as soon as possible by playing good football and dedication to my new team, FC Seoul,” Lingard said in a statement released by FC Seoul. “I am looking forward to meeting coach Kim Gi-dong and to make an impact in the team.”
Lingard will have his introductory press conference later Thursday at Seoul World Cup Stadium and will then join his new team at their training camp in Japan.
He instantly becomes the biggest international name to join the top South Korean league. When he landed at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, Monday evening, Lingard was greeted by some 200 fans clamoring for a glimpse of the English player.
Lingar
d made 232 appearances in all competitions for Man United after progressing through their youth academy. Lingard’s best season with the Red Devils came in 2017-18, when he netted 13 goals in 48 matches in all competitions. Lingard won the UEFA Europa League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup with Manchester United.
Lingard also had loan stints with Leicester City, Birmingham City, Brighton and Hove Albion, Derby County and West Ham United. He had been a free agent since leaving Nottingham Forest last summer.
Earlier this season, Lingard trained with West Ham United, for whom he scored nine goals in 16 matches on loan during the 2020-2021 season, and also spent time training with the Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq.
He has reportedly drawn offers from Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
Internationally, Lingard has collected 32 caps for England, including six matches during the country’s run to the semifinals at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He has scored six goals for his national team.
After finishing in third place amo
ng 12 K League 1 clubs in 2019, FC Seoul ranked ninth, seventh, ninth and seventh over the next four campaigns.
In 2023, though, they were the biggest draw in the K League 1, attracting just over 430,000 fans in their 19 home matches. They became the first K League 1 club on record to draw over 400,000 spectators in a season.
Source: Yonhap News Agency
As of Feb. 6, some 2,040 runners have registered for the Women Run 10K to be held on Mar. 8 in Phnom Penh to mark the International Women’s Day 2024.
Addressing a press conference in Phnom Penh early this week, H.E. Vath Chamroeun, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), said the Women Run 10K is organised annually to promote gender equality and encourage women to take part in sports activities so as to not only improve health, but also to prove their power in social activity engagement.
Supported by Sovannaphum Life Assurance Plc. for three consecutive years, the sport event also aims to develop Cambodia’s sports sector as well as to promote the humanitarian action in the country, he added.
According to Mr. Sem Phalla, General Manager of the Women Run 10K, interested runners can register to join the race until Mar. 8. The number of participants is expected to reach 2,500 this year.
Women Run 10K will tak
e place in front of Botum Vattey Pagoda in Phnom Penh from 5:50 AM onward, he said.
Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse