Stoke City's 'most serenaded' player Bae Jun-ho turns 21

Football

Stoke City's 'most serenaded' player Bae Jun-ho turns 21

Published: 22 Aug. 2024, 12:43

JIM BULLEY
jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr

Stoke City's birthday post for attacking midfielder Bae Jun-ho on its official X account. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Championship side Stoke City wished a very happy birthday to their “most serenaded star,” Bae Jun-ho, Wednesday as the Korean attacking midfielder turned 21.

“Troop the colour, fire off the cannons and reel off the honours' list forthwith. For, today we mark the birthday of the king. Wishing the happiest of birthdays to City's most serenaded star, Bae Junho,” the club said in posts to their official Instagram and X accounts.

The birthday post is a callback to Bae’s fan-given nickname and its accompanying matchday chant, to the tune of ABBA’s Voulez-Vous:

“Bae Jun-ho — Aha!
Running down the wing, aha! Hear the city sing, aha!
He’s our South Korean king!”

“I love this song. Sometimes I hum this song, really,” Bae said in an interview in English in March, adding that it gives him confidence.

Trooping the Colour, a military parade, the firing of cannons in a 21-gun salute and appointments into national or dynastic orders through an "honours' list" are all part of the annual celebration of the British reigning monarch's official birthday.

Bae, who joined the club from K League 1 side Daejeon Hana Citizen in August 2023, became a key fixture for the Championship side in the middle of the 2023-24 campaign as Steven Schumacher’s side fought to avoid relegation to the third-tier League One.

He scored his first goal in February with just a couple of months left in the season in a 2-1 loss to Cardiff and found the back of the net again in the Potters’ next match against Middlesborough, helping lift Stoke to a 2-0 win at home.

Stoke ended the last Championship season in 17th place on the 24-team table. The bottom three clubs, including Paik Seung-ho’s Birmingham City, were relegated to League One.

Bae made his first appearance of the 2024-25 campaign in Stoke’s 3-0 loss to Watford, coming on as a sub.

Bae’s contract at Stoke runs through 2027. He is one of two Korean players in the Championship, alongside Swansea City’s Eom Ji-sung.

The first Korean derby of the season is set for Oct. 5, when Stoke play the Welsh club at Swansea.com Stadium in Swansea, Wales.

BY MARY YANG AND JIM BULLEY [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]