Daejeon Hana Citizen club captain Ju Se-jong should be given a chance to say goodbye to the fans and likewise, the fans should be given the chance to say thank you to a player who will always be a big part of the club’s return to the top flight, if this Sunday’s 2024 K League 2 Round 38 Final B match with Jeju United is his last chance to play for the Purples again.
Ju Se-jong has been with Daejeon Hana Citizen since the summer of 2022, joining in the same transfer window as Willya Barbosa to get the Purples over the line and back into the top flight after two Hana-era failed playoff campaigns. He, along with Willyan, were two statement signings.
Ju had been in Japan with Gamba Osaka but was seeking a return to Korea. For Daejeon, he was seen as the ideal type of player and character to help guide them to promotion, someone who could pull the strings in midfield but also bring some leadership to a fairly inexperienced team. Afterall, Ju Se-jong has K League 1 and 2 winner’s medals to his name and has played at a World Cup.
The 34-year-old’s contract is running out and he hasn’t played for the club since July, despite being named club captain by Hwang Sun-hong in the summer – a manager he’d worked with and won the 2016 K League 1 title under in 2016.
Daejeon have one game left, Jeju United at home, and are already safe from relegation. Victor Bobsin is suspended having picked up a fifth booking of the campaign in the 2-1 win over Incheon so Ju should start the game and be given a chance to come off and receive an ovation from the fans.
It would also be his 200th K League 1 appearance, having been stuck on 199 since the 1-1 draw with Daegu FC in July, so it would be fitting for him to reach that milestone at Purple Arena on Sunday. It would also be a fitting way to say goodbye if this is Ju’s last involvement for Daejeon before his contract expires at the end of December – making his 200th top-flight appearance for a club he helped put back there.
If this is the end of his time at Purple Arena, Ju Se-jong will not be forgotten by Daejeon fans. He has featured 72 times for the first team, scoring three and assisting five. His first goal for the club was the most important of all and was potentially history-altering. In the 2022 Promotion-Relegation Playoff first leg, Daejeon had gone a goal down to Gimcheon via a Mun Ji-hwan header just 22 minutes in. Disaster, as a result in the home leg was key if the Purples were to win the tie. Cho Yu-min levelled on 36 minutes before Ju found a winner on 74 minutes, reacting quickest in the box to prod home.
The win set Daejeon up to go on and win the second leg 4-0 and secure a long-awaited return to the top flight. He then captained the side to safety on their return to K League 1 and has been a hugely influential figure behind the scenes, with younger players often mentioning his leadership and experience as being of huge help to them and the rest of the squad. The likes of Oh Jae-suk and Kang Yoon-seong have spoken about how Ju, even though he hasn’t been in the squad, has tried to give messages to the players and advice, to help them refocus and keep their confidence high. If this is goodbye, then he should be given a proper send-off. The fans would want it that way.
