Ulsan Hyundai striker In-jong-kyu, who recently returned to the top of the K League 1 scoring charts with an unexpected multi-goal outburst, has revealed his desire to win a title he has yet to achieve in his career.
“I was a little stressed because we weren’t scoring goals, but coach (Hong Myung-bo) told me to relax, and I think it helped me psychologically, which led to my multiple goals,” he said after the team’s K League 1 Round 28 away match against FC Seoul at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sunday.
Lee scored back-to-back goals in the 19th and 23rd minutes of the second half to help the team earn a 2-2 draw after falling behind to Seoul.
It was the 12th and 13th goals of the season for Inhabigyu, who had been in a goal drought since July 8 against the Pohang Steelers.
The multi-goal performance, which came nearly three months after his May 28 goal against Daejeon Hana Citizens, tied him with Tiago (Daejeon) for the league lead in goals.
“As a striker, you feel impatient when you don’t score goals. It’s a problem I have to solve every season. How to solve it and find confidence was important,” he said, adding, “I had the determination and motivation to score goals no matter what when the opportunity came.”
Returning to his hometown club Ulsan after a four-year absence, he also admitted that he was struggling to maintain his rhythm as he often started alongside Hungarian international striker Martin Adam.
“I haven’t told the coach, but honestly, I’m still learning how to adjust and take care of my body because I’m playing ‘pomp and circumstance’ every game,” he said. “I feel like I’m having a growing time, and in that sense, this season is meaningful,” he explained.
When asked about the top scorer, he said, “I don’t have a title (in the first division), so I’m not greedy for individual titles. I will think about it after I win the title, but for now, I want to focus on the team.”
Talk of a national team selection is inevitable whenever he shows off his formidable scoring prowess in the K League, such as when he became the top scorer (22 goals) in 2021 while playing for Jeju United, but he has never been selected under Jürgen Klinsmann after his predecessor, Paulo Bento.
“Actually, my expectations (for the national team) are about 0.1 percent now. “I’ve been hurt by a lot of things like this, so now I’m trying to put my mind down and wait calmly,” he said. “If it doesn’t work out, I think I’m lacking and have a lot to fill in, and it’s more important to grow like that. 파워볼