Cho Gue-sung sees immediate success in Denmark

Football

Published: 01 Aug. 2023, 15:50 Updated: 01 Aug. 2023, 17:58

Cho Gue-sung sees immediate success in Denmark

FC Midtjylland's Cho Gue-sung celebrates after scoring a goal against Sikleborg in the Danish Superliga on Sunday in a photo shared by the club on Instagram. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Cho Gue-sung has wasted no time establishing himself in Denmark this summer, scoring in two consecutive games to kick off the 2023-24 Danish Superliga season.

Less than a month after signing with Danish side FC Midtjylland, Cho has already proved instrumental in leading his new team to the top of the new Superliga season. With two games in the bag, Midtjylland currently sit in second place on six points, dropping behind Nordsjaelland on goal difference alone.

Cho’s first goal came in his very first game for Midtjylland, a 56th-minute diving header against Viborg that put the young Korean forward on the map. That was the only goal in the opening game of the Superliga season, leaving Midtjylland with a comfortable 1-0 win.

A week later he doubled down on that success, slamming in a low strike from the edge of the box in the 10th minute of injury time at the end of the first half of a game against Sikleborg on Sunday. Cho’s effort was the second and final goal of the game, with Midtjylland walking away with another three points.

FC Midtjylland's Cho Gue-sung celebrates in a photo shared by the club on Instagram. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Cho’s rapid success in Denmark will come as a very welcome sign to Cho’s camp and fans, especially considering the skepticism that originally surrounded the move.

Cho, 25, came to prominence at last year’s World Cup when he scored two goals against Ghana in a group stage game and became the first ever Korean player to score a brace in a World Cup match.

He received offers in January from Scottish Premier Ship side Celtic, Bundesliga team Mainz 05 and Major League Soccer club Minnesota United.

But Cho opted not to move in the January transfer window, staying in Korea for the start of the 2023 K League season with an agreement with his former club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors that he would seek a move in the summer.

FC Midtjylland's Cho Gue-sung arrives at training in a photo shared by the club on Instagram. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Back in January, Cho was riding the success of the World Cup and was the reigning top scorer in the K League, with 17 goals to his name. Fast forward six months to the summer transfer window and the story was very different — he had got off to a slow start this year with four goals in nine appearances before the June international break.

So when Cho’s move to Midtjylland was announced, some fans felt that the former Jeonbuk star had been sold short and forced to take a move to a club in a lower league than he might have been able to aspire to six months earlier.

Cho made it very clear at the time that he shared none of those concerns.

“I have had many opportunities to come to Europe, but I feel this opportunity is the right one,” Cho said in a statement shared by FC Midtjylland. “Midtjylland have been very dedicated in their pursuit of me, and I am convinced that this is the right transfer.”

Cho was also reportedly advised to join Midtjylland by former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung, who started his European career in the Netherlands and now works as technical director at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Now one month in on Cho’s Danish career, it looks like Park’s suggestion could turn out to be the perfect move.

Cho has started all three games with Midtjylland since joining the club — two in the Superliga and a Europa Conference League qualifier — and scored two goals.

If he can continue that success, Cho could be looking at a huge breakout year in the Superliga this season and possibly be ready to move on to bigger and better things in the near future.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]