Jo Hyeon-woo of Ulsan HD FC (right) poses with the trophy as the MVP of the 2024 K League 1 season during the K League Awards ceremony at Swiss Grand Hotel in Seoul on Friday. (Yonhap)
Ulsan HD FC goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo has been voted the MVP of the top South Korean football league in 2024.
Jo beat out Anderson Oliveira of Suwon FC and Yang Min-hyeok of Gangwon FC for the top individual award in the K League 1 on Friday. Jo earned 75 out of 116 votes from the media, eight out of 12 votes from K League 1 head coaches, and seven out of 12 votes from club captains. Those totals were converted to 63.36 points, with Anderson Oliveira finishing a distant second with 20.26 points.
Yang, who was named the Young Player of the Year earlier Friday, ranked third with 16.38 points.
Jo is just the second goalkeeper in the league's 41-year history to capture the MVP award, joining the 2008 winner for Suwon Samsung Bluewings, Lee Woon-jae.
Jo, 33, helped Ulsan capture their third straight title this season by recording 14 clean sheets, the second-most in the league, while playing all 38 matches. With Jo tending the goal, Ulsan conceded a league-low 40 goals this season.
Jo was the only member of Ulsan to play in every match this season. He was named to the K League 1 Team of the Week a league-high 11 times and won the Player of the Week honors twice.
Since the K League's inaugural season in 1983, 36 out of 42 MVP winners have come from a title-winning team, including the past five in a row.
"It's incredible to win this award. I couldn't have done this without my teammates," Jo said. "This has been a whirlwind of a year and I am so happy that I've been rewarded for my hard work. I will never forget this experience, and I want to enjoy this feeling again."
Jo said he hoped he has opened the floodgates for other goalkeepers to receive the spotlight in the K League.
"I think this is just the beginning," Jo added. "There are many great goalkeepers in the K League. I hope I can help those other goalkeepers receive more attention."
Immediately after accepting the trophy, Jo got choked up when recalling his childhood -- "I didn't grow up in the wealthiest of families but football was the only thing I had" -- and offered to donate his prize money of 10 million won (US$7,165) to help underprivileged youth football players.
"I grew up thinking how nice it would be to become a professional football player and inspire young athletes," Jo said. "I want to use this money for kids who are playing football in difficult circumstances. I am really happy that I have a chance to do something I've always wanted to do thanks to this award. I hope someone will see me today and dream of becoming a football player, too."
Well into his 30s, Jo said he isn't about to stop collecting trophies.
"Nothing will keep me from winning another MVP award next year," Jo said. "I will absolutely not stop here. I will try to keep climbing higher and higher."
Jo also thanked his wife, Lee Hee-young, for her unwavering support and added, "She always keeps me grounded and tells me never to get too cocky. My family is an indispensable source of energy for me." (Yonhap)
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