Ko Myung-seok, a 'trusted and used Korean defender', joined Man City Buriram in Thailand in a surprise move..."First time going overseas + rice with Kim Minhyuk."
Ko Myung-seok, a 'trusted and used Korean defender', joined Man City Buriram in Thailand in a surprise move..."First time going overseas + rice with Kim Minhyuk."
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Go Myeong-seok (29) of Daegu, a proven center back, will enter overseas markets eight years after his professional debut. He is going to Thailand.
According to multiple sources in the transfer market on Monday, Goh recently completed the process of transferring to Thailand's prestigious Buriram United and boarded a flight to Thailand. He acquired the status as an FA at the end of the 2024 season and signed a contract with Buriram through a free-agent contract that does not incur transfer fees. As the Thai League 1 (Thailand's first division) will be held in autumn and ends in spring, he signed a two-and-a-half-year contract combining the remaining two halves of the 2024-2025 season. "I understand that his salary has increased significantly compared to that of Daegu," said an official. Goh will play as a member of Buriram from January 1 next year when he turns 30 in Korea.
As he enters his seventh year as a professional player, his needs for a new goal are matched with those of Buriram, who is seeking a proven center back. Having made his professional debut in Bucheon in 2017, he played in Daejeon and Suwon before joining Daegu in 2024, supporting his dramatic stay. He played 110 matches (three goals) in K League 1, 64 matches (three goals) in K League 2, and a total of 180 matches (six goals) in Korea. He is evaluated for his ability to control balls in the air, banking on his height of 1m89, and fast speed. This is the type Buriram was looking for. Buriram is said to have sought to strengthen center backs in addition to former Jeonbuk center backs Kim Min-hyuk, Curtis Good and Kenny Dougal from Australia, and center back Marcelo DeHalo from Guinea-Bissippi Longstocking. Due to the aging of 34-year-old veteran judge Henbyun, a Buriram living legend, a generational change was also needed.
Another attractive point was that Ko Myung-seok played 35 games as a member of the three-back team in Daegu in the 2024 season. Buriram has only five runs in 14 games based on Brazilian coach Osmar Ross's three-back system, who took the helm this year. He is leading the league with no losses (11 wins and 3 draws) through solid defense. Buriram, Thailand's Man City, who has won the league for the past three consecutive seasons and increased his record of winning the Thai League 1 to 10 times (the most in the league), is increasing the possibility of winning four consecutive games, which is unprecedented in Thai 스포츠토토 soccer history. He has already strengthened his power by embracing Philippine national goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, who experienced the Premier League through the transfer market last summer, DeHalo, Good, and central midfielder Matheus Vargas. Kim Min-hyuk joined Buriram in July 2023 and has been playing as the main center back for two consecutive seasons. The contract period is until June 2025, and there is a possibility that he will work with Ko Myung-seok from the second half of this season.
Given that Daegu had a short break due to the playoff and needed to adapt to new leagues and teams, it may take some time for Goh to make his debut. Buriram will wrap up his schedule for the first half of the year with an away match of BG Pathum on Sunday. The first match of the second half will be an away match for Bangkok United on January 12 next year, while Bangkok is the second-ranked team in the league after Buriram. K-League clubs Ulsan and Gwangju will have matches for the seventh and eighth Asian Champions League elite teams in February. Meanwhile, with Goh's addition, the number of Korean players who are currently playing in Thailand has increased. Currently, "Dokdo Nam" Park Jong-woo is playing for Farmera Pitchaya, while Ryu Seung-woo (Concan United), Kim Ji-min (Ratchaburi), Lee Jung-moon (Chiangrai United) and Jung Woo-geun (Pratzuap) belong to the Thai League 1 club. In the past, Thailand has preferred Korean players who play defensive roles such as coach Lee Ho, Daegu coach Lee Yong-rae (Daegu), Oh Ban-seok (Incheon), Ko Seul-ki (Saltyaburi) and Kim Sung-hwan (Retired).