By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
Seo Jung-won, a flamboyant midfielder who is one of the country's most popular footballers of all-time, announced his retirement Thursday and said he plans on a coaching career.
The 36-year-old has played impressively for his last club, SV Reid of the Austrian Bundesliga, named as the leagues most valuable player (MVP) for the second half of the 2005-2006 season. However, Seo failed to win a spot with the South Korean national football team in last year's World Cup.
In an interview with Korean news outlets, Seo said he is grateful to be able to leave the game on a high note.
``I have been taking good care of my body and I can still go on all-cylinders for the whole 90 minutes on the ground. I will certainly miss playing on the pitch, but it would be better for me to leave the game when I still have something to miss in my heart,'' said Seo, who said he is talking with three Austrian clubs for coach training.
``I have finished the first half of my football career. I will try hard in the second half of the game as I did in the first half,'' he said.
Seo, whose pace and trickery made him both uncatchable and unpredictable in his prime, has established a reputation as Korean football's ultimate ``big game'' player during his career that spanned over 16 years.
Seo first exploded on to the international scene with his impressive play for South Korea at the Barcelona Summer Olympics in 1992, which made him an acquisition target for several Spanish clubs.
Seo instead made his professional debut with Korea's Anyang LG Cheetahs later that year and had five productive seasons before moving to French side RC Strasbourg in 1997.
He returned to Korea in 1999 with Suwon Samsung and helped the club win two league titles and a FA Cup Championship before his release at the end of the 2004 season. Seo made his Austrian debut with Red Bull Salzburg in 2005 and moved to SV Reid the following season.
Although Seo enjoyed much success in club football throughout his career, Korean fans remember him more for his brilliant play in international competition. His equalizer in a first-round match against Spain in the 1994 World Cup is still considered by local fans as one of the most dramatic goals ever.
His second-half winner in a crucial World Cup qualifying match against Japan in 1997 is known simply as ``victory in Tokyo.''
However, Seo was often criticized for his playing style earlier in his career, with some coaches and teammates accusing him of ball hogging and being selfish.
Although Seo reinvented himself more as a distributor in the later part of his career after losing his quickness, he never was able to shake off his reputation as a one-dimensional goal scorer.
``I am grateful for my football career,'' said Seo.
``The goal against Spain in the 1994 World Cup, my seasons with Strasbourg, and winning the Asian Club Championships with Suwon are among my favorite memories,'' he said.