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Meet The Man Of The Hour: Cho Gue-Sung, South Korea’s New Football Heartthrob

South Korean striker Cho Gue Sung becomes a breakout star in the FIFA World Cup 2022 and is even dubbed by fans as 'World Cup's sexiest player'

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Janelle Roa Cabrera-Paraiso

<p>After a 3-2 loss against Ghana last November 28 in the <strong>FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022</strong>, <strong>South Korea National Football Team</strong> forward <strong>Cho Gue Sung</strong> slingshotted to fame and social media spotlight. At age 24, the professional football player, a.k.a. <strong>Player #9</strong>, <a href="https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/12/05/sports/worldcup/Korea-Cho-Guesung-soccer/20221205153435697.html" target="_blank">has amassed more than 2 million followers</a> on Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/whrbtjd/?hl=en" target="_blank">@whrbtjd</a>) from only about 20,000 before the World Cup. </p><div><br/></div><p>Scoring twice in the South Korea versus Ghana match made Cho an instant internet heartthrob and a huge talk of the ladies’ town. Cho Gue Sung is fast-sliding into stardom for his soccer skills, standout face, and sexiness (<a href="https://www.allkpop.com/article/2022/12/k-netizens-swoon-over-cho-gue-sungs-abs-and-say-it-looks-like-its-straight-out-of-a-comic-book" target="_blank">fans can&#x27;t get enough of his abs</a> and they&#x27;ve even dubbed him as <a href="https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/cho-gue-sung-world-cup-28650233" target="_blank">World Cup&#x27;s sexiest player</a>).</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/08c5ed4b-3ad8-4f17-a540-20f8339cbc12_cho gue sung 1.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob"/></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>History is etched as it was the first time that a Korean footballer has ever hit a goal for more than once in the World Cup. Only three Koreans have managed to garner more goals than the handsome man of the hour: former football player and television personality <strong>Ahn Jung Hwan</strong>; former professional footballer <strong>Park Ji Sung</strong>; and current South Korea captain and <strong>Tottenham Hotspur</strong> forward <a href="https://metro.style/people/society-personalities/get-to-know-korean-football-player-son-heung-min/34392" target="_blank">Son Heung Min</a>. Following Cho’s outstanding performance, an overwhelming number of new follows, fan pages, and marriage proposals started to come in. His socials continue to swell, too, that he was said to have had to shut his phone down to avoid distraction.</p><div><br/></div><p>The pro player, who was born on <strong>January 25, 1998</strong> in <strong>Ansan, South Korea</strong>, picked up soccer as a hobby and has slowly made it to the soccer scene from midfielder to striker. He initially stayed with the youth academy at <strong>FC Anyang</strong> and years after, trained with the <strong>Gwangju University</strong> football team. When he finally went professional for Anyang, he played as the third top goal scorer in <strong>K League 2</strong> by the end of his Season 1. With the good recommendations and recognition that he had been getting, he was bound to move up to <strong>K League 1</strong> with <strong>Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors</strong>.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/4a1bb834-f1ff-4e34-8dcc-05a9e413b87c_cho gue sung 15.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob"/></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>In <strong>2021</strong>, Cho Gue Sung got a timeout when he stopped playing the sport for his mandatory military service. He served his time and reunited with his Jeonbuk team where he shone as <strong>K League 1’s top scorer</strong> in the <strong>2022 season</strong>. It was also in 2021 when the acclaimed soccer star was summoned to join South Korea’s National Football Team, jump-starting his eventual shoot to global prominence. Their team’s game against Ghana in the FIFA World Cup 2022 then afforded him his launch to the limelight, attracting fans across countries and continents, and even European teams and endorsements.</p><div><br/></div><p>The Korean wave is smashing the world once again as top Korean athletes own the people’s hearts. From <strong>K-dramas</strong> to <strong>K-pop</strong>, South Korea delivers another reason for acclaim as this heartthrob plays in Korea’s foremost sport—football.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Browse through the gallery below for Cho Gue Sung’s swoon-worthy shots!</strong></div><div class="article-content" itemProp="articleBody"><div class="media-content"><div class="slider-for"><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/22368500-453d-4d5e-9750-3a0cf1f1138c_cho gue sung landscape.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/4f22528b-293e-495c-a812-e1ae0b4e7d3d_cho gue sung 1.jpg" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/fb2efdbb-8cb6-4ec2-a575-e59f4bde9723_cho gue sung 5.jpg" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/c34ac387-feac-44ed-a225-960b9f2824a7_cho gue sung 11.jpg" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/cd353674-ca34-434a-a607-be401e0b0bba_cho gue sung 10.jpg" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/16c71230-bc09-436f-899a-4e2c05cf2998_cho gue sung 9.jpg" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/af0bacb1-d839-40c2-9dae-1749ccb10373_cho gue sung 8.jpg" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/76ac8d30-2ccf-46ca-9138-c76ff2fdcd06_cho gue sung 2.jpg" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/a8e4ed90-bb72-4549-9b01-168d87f7b8e9_cho gue sung 7.jpg" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/79922329-a35d-4858-b40f-bc57cc46ecc3_cho gue sung 14.jpg" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/a243b30a-3887-40ae-a051-7fe8b4551652_cho gue sung 15.jpg" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/10ace553-d731-47ac-9e7c-5c8cbc319ea6_cho gue sung 13.jpg" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/27eb1333-f952-441b-a3f6-6db389b273ad_cho gue sung 12.jpg" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/84c39ba2-7d53-444c-8730-e20807f1cd2b_cho gue sung 3.jpg" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/63a64a29-dcc0-4ae5-8cc2-cead0131a287_cho gue sung 4.jpg" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div><div><img loading="lazy" src="https://assets-metrostyle.abs-cbn.com/prod/metrostyle/attachments/79e01d73-3df2-4dac-856c-360122979db6_cho gue sung 6.jpg" alt="Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob" class="fr-fic fr-dii"/></div></div><div class="media-content slider-desc"><div class="item-desc"><div></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div><cite>@thekfa</cite></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div><cite>@thekfa</cite></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div><cite>@thekfa</cite></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div><cite>@thekfa</cite></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div><cite>Meet Man Of The Hour Cho Gue Sung, South Korea’s Football Heartthrob</cite></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div><cite>@thekfa</cite></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div><cite>@thekfa</cite></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div><cite>@thekfa</cite></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div><cite>@thekfa</cite></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div><cite>@thekfa</cite></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div><cite>@thekfa</cite></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div><cite>@whrbtjd</cite></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div><cite>@whrbtjd</cite></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div><cite>@whrbtjd</cite></div></div><div class="item-desc"><div><cite>@whrbtjd</cite></div></div></div></div></div><div><br/></div><p>Lead photos from <strong>@thekfa</strong></p><div><strong>Related Story: </strong><a href="/people/society-personalities/get-to-know-korean-football-player-son-heung-min/34392" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">10 Facts About South Korean Footballer Son Heung Min</a></div>