Football fans and just amateurs, as well as casual viewers! The FIFA World Cup is probably one of those events, which is watched by almost every inhabitant of our round planet.
Well, or at least those residents, whose countries are participating in the championship.
I'm not an ardent football fan, and for some time I prefer hockey to football, especially if there is an opportunity to support the team not from the monitor, but from the rostrum. BUT! Nevertheless, the World Cup is something that I look with pleasure. And it does not matter that in Korea the first match starts at 11 am, the second game ends after 5 am, and after 2 hours I already have to run to work ..., it's simply impossible to miss competitions!
About the World Cup and especially about football itself, I'm not going to fool you. Let's talk about football in terms of art. I, as a resident of the country of Morning freshness, will give you a short excursion into the world of South Korea football.
Most recently, while I was shopping, I came across a temporary exhibition, which takes place in one of the largest shopping malls in Seoul in the Lotte Tower Mall. This exhibition is dedicated to the World Cup 2018, and the entrance to it is free.
The exhibition was organized with the support of the collector and football specialist Lee Jae-Hyun , which is the largest football collectors in Korea, and whose collection of 48,000+ "trophies" is estimated at about $ 180,000 (or $ 2 billion today) Korean won, so by local standards he is a billionaire!).
In addition to several unique items from the collection of Lee Jae-hyun, the exhibition featured very original paintings by 12 authors of the East (Kwang Jakga, Bomi Kim, Boot Jil, Atmosphere, Airfigure, Zooki, Hyeongdae Jeong, Jin Vip, Fenomeno, Daniel Nyari, Iida Kosuke, Yann Dalon).
A few words about South Korean football
The 17th World Cup in 2002 took place in South Korea and Japan. This is the only championship in history, which took place in two countries at once. To the championship in 10 cities of Korea were built and reconstructed 10 stadiums, one of which is in Seoul. And this stadium is in a huge park, which is divided into several sections. Today this is a wonderful place not only for the workout, but also for family vacations and picnics.
For Korea, the 2002 World Cup was special not only because it was the host country, but also because that year the Korean team was not included in the top three winners, but it took 4th place! For the entire football history of South Korea, 2002 was the most successful. It was the only year when the Korean team could reach the semifinals. Prior to that, South Korea either did not participate, or did not qualify, or only reached the first round. Apparently, the players from the Koreans are not very. And then the most common sport is baseball.
The most outstanding football players of South Korea
An Jeong Hwan (안정환) -midfielder and striker. Some say that he showed himself at the World Championships in 2002, that the 4th place is his merit. And someone claims that the peak of his career was in the Chinese football club. But in that he is a South Korean record-holder in the number of goals scored at the World Cup, everyone agrees. Jeong Hwan finished his football career in 2012.
Great popularity is enjoyed by midfielder Park Chi-Son (박지성) , who started his football career in 1999, joining the youth team. But he achieved the greatest success, speaking for the football clubs of the Netherlands and England. He was the first Asian football player in Manchester United, and today is the global ambassador of the club.
Seoul football club Park joo Yong (박주영) has been a part of the national team since 2003. He was able to prove himself, speaking for the football clubs of Monaco, Arsenal, Watford, Al Shabab. He has 2 bronze medals and 1 gold medal. In 2005 he was recognized as the player of the year in the championship of South Korea.
This year showed himself a young football player born in 1991, goalkeeper Cho Hyun Woo (조현우) . Literally last year he received the title of the best goalkeeper of the season. And last year began his career as a football player in the national team at international competitions. Well, this year at the World Cup 2018 he 6 times did not give opponents a goal in the South Korean goal, and in the match against the German team helped the team to win.
Undoubtedly, there are other talented football players in the national team, behind which there are many achievements.
The historic moment for South Korea in the 2018 World Cup
The qualifying matches were watched by the whole country. Matches of the national team of South Korea could be heard without leaving home. To watch the game in a bar or pub, it was necessary to go there at least 2 hours before the match, otherwise there will be no seats. On the largest squares of the city, huge screens have been installed so that people can come and cheer for their country.
Especially, the last game was remembered in the country: a match with the German national team. Few people believed in the victory of the South Korean team, even the Koreans themselves, although they hoped and were ill. Each goal, every attempt to score, the country was accompanied by a storm of applause and ovations, which is not typical for quiet and modest Koreans. And when the game ended with a score of 2: 0 in favor of South Korea, the sentimental Koreans had tears from their eyes, and it was clear that the next day everyone would no longer be up to work. Despite the fact that this victory did not open the door to the 1/8 finals, it meant a lot for the country. After all, the South Korean team was able to defeat the current world champions.
And of course, what kind of exhibition could be without a gift shop?!
The exhibition ended yesterday, and I'm very glad that I managed to visit it.
@irisworld
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More articles about my travel adventures you can find here 
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