‘Burning Seongnam Man’ Jeon Jong-hyeok spends his last days as a soccer player with Seongnam FC.
Seongnam will play the first round of ‘Hana One Q K League 2 2023’ against Ansan Greeners at Tancheon Sports Complex on March 1. Before the game, Seongnam said, “Jeon Jong-hyuk, who has come to the second heyday as a singer after his soccer life has come to an end, visits Seongnam. An autograph session for Jeon Jong-hyuk will be held, and a special retirement ceremony will be held at halftime. After watching, I plan to give a song as a gift with thanks.”
Jeon Jong-hyeok is a member of the Seongnam Seonggol youth team. His hometown was Seongnam, and the place where he slept and grew up was also Seongnam. He showed off his great skills at Poongsaeng Middle School and Poongsaeng High School, Seongnam Youth School, and entered Yonsei University and joined Seongnam in 2018. In other words, he followed the Seongnam elite course as expected. Expectations for Jeon Jong-hyeok were high because his performance during youth was excellent and he showed his presence on the college stage and in the national team by age group.
He was especially loved by Seongnam fans. Every time he came out, he played well. A typical example is that he made a super save in the penalty shootout of the 2020 FA Cup round of 16 away match against Daegu FC. But the competition was not easy. Following his direct senior Kim Dong-jun, he had to compete with K-League legend Kim Young-kwang. Jeon Jong-hyeok, who did not play properly, went to Bucheon FC 1995 on loan, but left for Busan I-Park last year because there was no place.
Injuries plagued Jeon Jong-hyuk. He suffered from a knee injury since childhood, but it got worse and he underwent the 5th surgery. He was injured enough to miss an entire season, but it didn’t get any better. Jeon Jong-hyeok, suffering from mental pain, announced his retirement. Considering that he was born in 1996, he retired at a very early age. He chose to become a singer. From his playing days, Jeon Jong-hyeok was famous as a soccer player who was good at singing.
Jeon Jong-hyuk appeared on MBN’s ‘Burning Trotman’ and caught the public’s attention with his outstanding singing skills. Jeon Jong-hyeok, who reached the semi-finals, finished the contest in 12th place. After completing the program, Jeon Jong-hyuk revealed in a phone call with ‘Inter Football’ that he is working hard on practicing the song ‘Now I only believe in myself (Lim Yeong-woong)’ to be sung at the Seongnam opening match and his official retirement match.
Then, Jonghyuk Jeon said, “Ever since I retired, the club said that the club would hold a retirement ceremony. Word kept coming and going, but recently it was confirmed. There are many players who did well in the K-League and disappeared without being able to attend the retirement ceremony. I am honored to have a retirement ceremony. He is a wonderful player. I don’t have much experience, but I was able to have a retirement ceremony that no one else can. It’s really an honor.”
He talked about the background of his sudden retirement. Jeon Jong-hyuk said, “It was the fifth knee surgery. I was treated for 6 to 8 months, but there was no sign of improvement. I had a lot of worries. I thought about it for 3 weeks at the crossroads of retirement, but there was no answer. ‘Let’s quit, no. I thought, ‘It’s hopeless and afraid’ over and over again. Still, I didn’t want to spend my life unhappy. I felt like I would live an unhappy life if I continued my active duty. I wanted to spend my second life happily, so I chose retirement.”
A review of participation in ‘Burning Trotman’ was also released. Jonghyuk Jeon said, “Every time I stood on stage, I felt like winning a penalty shootout and being in the spotlight. I sing for about 3-4 minutes, but I prepare for 2-3 weeks. It’s hard to memorize and master unknown surprises, but when you go on stage, the cheers of the audience and the feeling of pride when it’s over is like the thrill of winning a penalty shootout. The addiction was really strong,” he said. 스포츠토토
When asked about his future plans, he replied, “Nothing has been decided. For now, I will live my life as a singer, and I also want to challenge myself as a broadcaster. It’s not the life I’ve prepared and dreamed of since I was young, but I’m in the stage of exploring various paths.”
Lastly, to Seongnam fans, “I can’t believe I’m retired yet. It feels like I’m on a cloud, in a dream. When I quit soccer and started singing, I thought, ‘I want to sing at the Seongnam opening halftime.’ I am so happy that it is done as one. I hope that many people will attend the last appearance at the soccer field to the fans who have supported soccer player Jeon Jong-hyuk’s life. And I ask for your support for Seongnam.”