JAKARTA - The South Korean league has a new star, Jesse Lingard. The former Manchester United winger joined FC Seoul. In K-League, Lingard will duel with Indonesian star Pratama Arhan, who is lined up by FC Suwon.
Lingard's presence in the Korean League is a surprise. When European players chose to play in Saudi Arabia, Lingard headed for East Asia instead. He signed a two-year contract with an option of an additional one year.
Meanwhile, the salary he receives is 17.5 thousand pounds or around 345 million rupiahs each week. For one season of competition, he pocketed 910 thousand pounds or 17.9 billion. Lingard also became the player with the highest salary in the Korean League.
However, the salary is still very far compared to what he has received at MU. When his contract was extended by MU in 2017, he pocketed a salary of 100 thousand pounds every week.
Mski paid a small salary for European players, but Lingard, who last played at Nottingham Forest before being released from late last season, said he was happy to be joining one of South Korea's elite clubs.
"I've always wanted to try different challenges. I also want to remember new things in my career. Of course I believe South Korea is the right place," said Lingard, who actually received offers from no less than 26 clubs, including Lazio. "At that time I decided to join FC Seoul," he said.
When he arrived in Seoul to undergo a medical and complete the administration, Lingard was greeted by no less than 200 FC Seoul supporters.
Furthermore, Lingard said that he was impatient to play in the Korean League. The 31-year-old player is optimistic that it will have an impact on the South Korean team and football.
"By respecting Korean football, I am proud to be able to present the Korean League by playing well and giving dedication to my new team, FC Seoul," said Lingard again.
"I can't wait to meet coach Kim Gidong and are ready to have an impact on the club," he said.
Meanwhile, FC Seoul gave an official statement regarding Lingard. "Telela and the eyes of Korean football fans have captured this news. And this is a challenge for the Korean League with the arrival of players who have big names in 41 league history," said an official statement from FC Seoul.
"FC Seoul became a pioneer club in the K League that brought in big players, both engineering and popularity capabilities. This is not only for the success of the Korean League but also for the development of Korean football," he wrote again.
Lingard himself spent 14 years of his career at MU. He is also a graduate of the club's academy. He made his debut with the Red Devils in 2014. He, in total, played 232 times and scored 35 goals at MU. With United, Lingard won the FA Cup, Carabao Cup, Europa League and Community Shield.
However, Lingard has been loaned several times by MU. The player who has 32 times defended the England national team has been loaned to Leicester City, Birmingham City, Derby County and West Ham United
In the Korean League, he will face Indonesian star Pratama Arhan. Seprti Lingard, he will also make his debut after being recruited by FC Suwon from Japanese club Tokyo Verdy.
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