Ju Se-jong Interview: "Gwangju will overturn people's expectations"
Ju Se-jong Interview: "Gwangju will overturn people's expectations" Gwangju FC midfielder Ju Se-jong believes that the team has what it takes to overturn people's expectations, despite the club sitting bottom of the table. The K League 1 title winner and former Korean international also says that he's relishing his role as a dressing room leader. The average age of the Gwangju FC squad is 26.
1, according to Transfermarkt, one of the youngest in the division. With the club subject to a player registration ban for the first transfer window of 2026, rookie manager Lee Jung-kyu has looked to Gwangju's youth system, fielding teenagers on a weekly basis. Four players under 20 have been given minutes for Gwangju so far this season, more than any other team in K League 1 and double the next best - Anyang with two.
Seven clubs haven't fielded any teenagers at all. Only Pohang have fielded more U22 players this season than Gwangju - eight compared to seven. But when it comes to total minutes played, Gwangju's U22 players have racked up 5,527 compared to Pohang's 4,016, and 2,050 of those minutes were made by teenagers.
The young squad means manager Lee Jung-kyu has to look to his experienced veterans to help guide the young players through. With close to 400 appearances to his name, Ju Se-jong is one of those experienced veterans. The former K League 1 title winner told K League United that helping others around him is something he enjoys.
"Since my youth days, I’ve been captain on almost every team I’ve played for. I think I’m the type of person who enjoys the sense of achievement that comes from bringing players together and leading the team to good results. There are a lot of difficult moments too, but even in those situations, I find myself trying to figure out what will help the team most, so I think I genuinely enjoy the role of being a leader.
Continue to the original source for the full article.