FC Seoul manager calls out Jesse Lingard: 'Fame doesn't win football games'

Football

Published: 17 Mar. 2024, 19:34

FC Seoul manager calls out Jesse Lingard: 'Fame doesn't win football games'

Jesse Lingard appears for FC Seoul in a K League game against Jeju United at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Saturday. [NEWS1]

FC Seoul manager Kim Gi-dong didn’t hold back in his criticism of new signee Jesse Lingard on Saturday, slamming the former Premier League star’s lackluster performance and warning him that “fame doesn't win football games.”

"He only played a few minutes, and yet he didn't work hard and avoided tussle," Kim said. "If you run less than a footballer who has played 90 minutes, you're not even a footballer.

"Fame doesn't win football games. If it did, I would have brought in a famous retired player."

Kim added that he would be talking to Lingard about his performance.

Lingard came on in the 58th minute of Seoul’s 2-0 win over Jeju United on Saturday, failing to make an impact on the game and receiving a yellow card in stoppage time.

Lingard, 31, moved to FC Seoul last month on a two-year deal with an option for a third year.

He spent most of his career at Manchester United and was on the books with the Premier League club from 2011 through 2022, making 232 appearances during which he recorded 35 goals and 21 assists.

Since arriving in Seoul, the former Premier League star has failed to impress his new gaffer. Kim also called out Lingard after his first game with Seoul, in which he also got a yellow card, making it clear that the new signee was not living up to the hype.

“As we have not spent a long time together yet, I don’t think he [Lingard] showed the performance from his glory days,” FC Seoul manager Kim Gi-dong said after the match. “I think he still showed good moves a few times. I will help him play better.”

BY JIM BULLEY AND PAIK JI-HWAN [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]