‘Lingard Zone’ surprised even Lingard “Thanks to the support of the fans, I am adapting smoothly to the K-League.”

The hottest topic in the 2024 season professional soccer K-League is Jesse Lingard (32, Seoul). Thanks to the ‘Lingard effect’, the K-League is also continuing its success in the early part of the season.

Lingard, who played for Manchester United in the English Premier League (EPL), suddenly wore the FC Seoul uniform ahead of the 2024 season. Even those in England were surprised by the news that 'big name' Lingard, who helped the England national team advance to the semifinals of the 2018 Russia World Cup, would go to Korea.

In fact, British media such as The Athletic and Daily Mail visited Seoul World Cup Stadium, where the FC Seoul-Incheon United match was held on the 10th.

In addition, a whopping 51,670 spectators flocked to the stadium that day, proving Lingard's popularity.

Many records related to spectators were released. First, it set the record for the largest attendance at the K League 1 home opening game since the promotion and relegation system in 2013. The previous record was 39,871 in Daegu-Jeonnam on March 10, 2013.

It also set the record for the largest number of spectators for a single game after counting paid spectators in 2018. The previous record was 45,007 people who showed up for the Seoul-Daegu match on April 8 last year during singer Lim Young-woong Day.

Furthermore, the record for the largest number of spectators for a single K-League 1 game was set since the promotion and relegation system in 2013. The previous record was 47,899 during the Super Match (Seoul-Suwon) on June 18, 2016, but this was surpassed.

The Seoul club also responded quickly by setting up a separate ‘Lingard Zone (Lingard uniform sales place)’ for Lingard, the most popular star. Many fans waited in a long line to get Lingard's uniform.

British media also expressed surprise when they saw ‘Lingard Zone’. Stuart James, a reporter for The Athletic, said on his social media, “Fans stood in long lines two hours before the game started to purchase Lingard-related items.”

It wasn't just the British media that was surprised by Lingard's zone. Lingard himself expressed surprise that a separate space was provided for him.

At the post-game press conference, a reporter from England asked, “Did you know that the Lingard zone is set up on one side of the stadium? “Some fans said they came and waited four hours in advance,” he asked.

Lingard then smiled awkwardly, saying, “I found out right before the game that there was a zone (Lingard uniform sales place) for me,” and “I wasn’t aware that fans were lining up for four hours.”

He expressed his gratitude for the warm love and interest from domestic fans. Since Lingard had been struggling and struggling to find a team since last summer, he felt even more grateful for the fans' passionate support.

“He felt welcome and loved from the moment he arrived at the airport on his first day,” said Lingard. “He is adapting quickly and finding confidence amidst the support of many fans.” “Thanks to you, it is a great help to me,” he said sincerely.

Lingard is slowly increasing his playing time and improving his condition. He was brought on as a substitute in the 31st minute of the second half in the opening game against Gwangju, and in the game against Incheon on the 10th, he came on as an early substitute in the 30th minute of the first half and produced several flashy scenes.

His sharp pass into the space behind Incheon's defense in the first half and his right-footed shot after receiving Kang Seong-jin's pass in the second half attracted attention.

Lingard said, “The fans are sending me such a lot of love, and I will quickly show a good performance so that the (Seoul) fans can also feel confident and happy. I would like to sign all the uniforms and take pictures, but realistically, I cannot do that.” It's a shame it's not there. Instead, he promised, “I will give you 3 points (victory) as soon as possible through good play on the field.”

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Pub: 11 Mar 2024 02:21 UTC
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