JEONJU -- South Korean midfielder Paik Seung-ho already has two goals in two matches at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, he but emphasized Wednesday he always puts the team ahead of his own personal glory.
Paik is currently South Korea's co-leading scorer with Lee Seung-woo at the U-20 World Cup. He rounded off the scoring in South Korea's 3-0 win over Guinea in the tournament opener on Saturday and converted a penalty in South Korea's 2-1 win over Argentina on Tuesday. With two wins, South Korea have already clinched a knockout stage berth.
Lee and Paik are just one goal behind Sergio Cordova of Venezuela for the tournament lead. But Paik, who plays for FC Barcelona, reiterated that his personal success is not important.
South Korea's under-20 national football team midfielder Paik Seung-ho (right) celebrates with teammate Lee Seung-woo after scoring a goal against Argentina in the FIFA U-20 World Cup Group A match at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, on May 23, 2017. (Yonhap)
"I like to score, but I don't want to pursue my personal targets," Paik said to reporters before training. "My team comes first."
Against Argentina, forward Cho Young-wook drew a penalty from goalkeeper Franco Petroli, but it was Paik who took the spot kick for South Korea's 2-0 lead in the first half.
"I'm a designated kicker to take penalties for this team," he said. "I just stuck to my routine of breathing and steps for the penalty."
After beating Petroli with the spot kick, Paik celebrated by drawing out a square with his fingers, and many fans believed that it was about mocking Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, who attend the draw ceremony of the U-20 World Cup in March. At the drawing event, Maradona handpicked his home country to be in same group with hosts South Korea.
Paik, however, emphasized that speculation regarding his celebrations was not true.
"I did have an interview in the past that I lost my temper when I saw Maradona smiling after the group draw," he said. "But you know, I'm not in a position to mock Maradona."
Paik said his ceremony was about teasing female footballers who bought the wrong tickets and failed to watch his performance at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, some 240 kilometers of Seoul.
"Eight women footballers said they will visit the stadium, but they actually bought tickets for the match between Guinea and England," he said. "My celebration was about their purchase of wrong tickets."
South Korea are scheduled to face England for their last group match in Suwon, some 45 kilometers south of Seoul, on Friday. The winner of this match will claim the top spot in Group A. England beat Argentina 3-0, but were held to a 1-1 draw by Guinea.
"We have a good team atmosphere as we are close to our group stage goal (of collecting two wins and one draw)," he said. "Since it's good to reach the knockout stage as the group winners, we will concentrate on our preparations." (Yonhap)