My K League Interview Dream Team

K League United

·15 October 2024

My K League Interview Dream Team

To celebrate my one year anniversary attending post-match press conferences and mixed zones for K League United, I've compiled the most valuable XI from the players I've interviewed who are currently playing in K Leagues 1 and 2. All transfer information is borrowed from transfermarkt.

Jesse Lingard, at €5 million, is the most valuable player in K League today. The former English international has appeared on the K League Podcast once before,thanks to our Daegu correspondent Jang Muyol. I've yet to have the pleasure of sitting down with the man who represented his country 31 times but these are the most valuable players I've met since joining the K League United team.

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My Interview Dream Team.

I've gone for a simple 4-4-2 formation, thanks largely to the number of midfielders who have stood in front of my microphone after a match. We're short on defensive and attacking cover on the bench, but the strength of this team is undoubtedly down the flanks and my two European strikers.

Ignoring the obvious problem of too many foreigners in the squad, how do you think this selection would do if coached by the right manager? Is it is a K League 1 or 2 XI?

Starting XI

Goalkeeper: Kim Dong-heon (Gimcheon Sangmu (on loan from Incheon United)).

Value: €450,000

K League appearances: 65

International caps: 0

Interviews with me: 1

The then-Incheon United goalkeeper sat down with K League United after his man-of-the-match display against Yokohama F. Marinos in the ACL last winter. So good was the 27-year-old stopper that night, Yokohama manager Kevin Muscat made several references to his brilliance in the post match press conference. This kickstarted a media scrum to get a word in with the man who was a matter of weeks from joining the military team.

Right-back: Connor Chapman (Gimpo FC).

Value: €300,000

K League appearances: 92

International caps: 0

Interviews with me: 2

The Australian defender has featured three times on K League United since returning to the country in July. The most recent occasion was after Gimpo's outstanding destruction of league contenders Chungnam Asan before the break. Chapman is no stranger to Korean football, having togged out for Incheon United, Pohang Steelers, Daejeon Hana Citizen, and FC Seoul before landing a contract at the promotion-chasing Gimpo side.

Centre-back: Osmar Ibanez (Seoul E-Land FC).

Value: €500,000

K League appearances: 308

International caps: 0

Interviews with me: 2

Osmar is another firm favorite with the editorial department at K League United. The FC Seoul legend looked to have waved goodbye to Korean football last winter before making a shock return to Seoul E-Land in K League 2. We spoke to Osmar after Seoul's perfect start to the season included a late 2-1 win over Suwon Samsung in round 2, and then from the Dragon Dungeon in July. With Seoul on the cusp of a promotion slot, we're hoping to sit down with the experienced defender again soon.

Centre-back: Nilson Junior (Bucheon FC 1995).

Value: €400,000

K League appearances: 310

International caps: 0

Interviews with me: 2

Legendary defender Nilson Junior is coming up on 300 K League 2 appearances, to go with his 34 in the top flight. Nilson is one of the most affable, friendly, and joyful interviewees I can remember. Unfortunately, the big sit down did not go smoothly when the Portuguese translator at the club announced she couldn't speak English. After trying other avenues,we eventually got the wife of a current K League 1 forward on the phone to act as our translator. Good memories.

Left-back: Lachlan Jackson (Suwon FC).

Value: €550,000

K League appearances: 84

International caps: 0

Interviews with me: 2

The second Australian in our back-line, I first interviewed Jackson moments after his side had pulled off aRoy of the Rovers comeback against Busan IPark in last December's playoff second leg. Trailing 3-1 on aggregate with 12 minutes to play, Jackson's Suwon scored twice to take the game to extra time, before eventually hammering Busan 5-2 in extra time. The big Aussie defender has featured twice more this season, including one long form interview in early summer.

Right-wing: Leonard Pllana (Gimpo FC).

Value: €450,000

K League appearances: 97

International caps: 0

Interviews with me: 2

Kosovan midfielder Leonard Pllana is one of the best players in K League 2 and his relationship with Bruno and Luis Mina has seen the club rise up the table after promotion dreams looked to have been crushed in the summer. Pllana is goal scorer and assist maker, and surely a first ever Kosovan cap is around the corner. He has featured twice on the podcast this season, once in long form after his side's crushing late defeat to Jeju United in the Cup.

Central midfield: Takahashi Kazuki (Bucheon FC 1995).

Value: €350,000

K League appearances: 63

International caps: 0

Interviews with me: 2

Kazu, as the Japanese midfielder is known in Bucheon, admitted during our most recent interview that this season hasn't been his best. However, following the 3-0 battering of lowly Seongnam FC, he proudly announced he was back! Kazu is a popular player around the club and he was one of the most comfortable long form interviews I've done so far. He speaks several languages and has enjoyed a nomadic career in Europe and now South Korea, building relationships and learning many different cultures.

[LISTEN: The Takahashi Kazuki interview]

Central midfield: Matheus Oliveira (FC Anyang).

Value: €450,000

K League appearances: 31

International caps: 0

Interviews with me: 1

The first, and only, interview in starting X1 that required a translator. The brilliant Brazilian midfielder speaks some English but felt more comfortable expressing his thoughts in his native Portuguese. Matheus, with 15 goal contributions, will be one of the candidates for player of the season, especially if Anyang arrest their slide and go on to win the title. When we spoke,Anyang were 9 points clear after beating Ansan Greeners in the Line 4 Derby. Much has changed since.

Left-wing: Gerso Fernandes (Incheon United).

Value: €700,000

K League appearances: 114

International caps: 0

Interviews with me: 2

Last season, Gerso Fernandes was living the dream. We spoke with the Guinean immediately after his side's ACL playoff win over Hai Phong in Sungui Arena. Gerso scored the final goal of the match and he joked about sending KLU a postcard from his adventures across East Asia. Later in the campaign, the winger was despondent after Incheon were beaten by Shandong Taishan but with 4 wins from 6, it was a triumphant season for the black and blues.

Striker: Stefan Mugosa (Incheon United).

Value: €600,000

K League appearances: 155

International caps: 56

Interviews with me: 1

This season, Gerso and teammate Stefan Mugosa are not living the dream. Following a year of wanting to meet the multi-capped Montenegrin international, I finally got the opportunity after the last round of fixtures before the season split. Sadly for Mugosa, Gerso and the rest of the Incheon team, they were beaten 3-1 and are now firmly rooted to the bottom of the table with five games to go. At least Mugosa had the distraction of Nations League football since the Gangwon loss.

Striker: Stanislav Ilyuchenko (FC Seoul)

Value: €600,000

K League appearances: 167

International caps: 0

Interviews with me: 1

My one and only meeting with the giant striker was after he scored his first goal of this season, in FC Seoul's first victory under Kim Gi-dong. Big Stan netted a first half penalty to get Seoul off the mark in a comfortable win over Jeju United. This was the final match before the international break so when I showed up in the Mixed Zone, Seoul's staff were about to tell me Lingard was unavailable. But Ilyuchenko was the man I wanted to meet. His comments that day were overshadowed by manager Kim's assessment of Lingard.

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