Children’s reactions to dad’s retirement are mixed. Park Joo-ho (36, Suwon FC) laughed when asked about the ‘Gunabli’ reaction at his retirement press conference.
The veteran midfielder ended his 16-year soccer career on June 6 against Ulsan Hyundai on the 17th round of the Hana One Q K League 2023 at Suwon Sports Complex. At the post-match retirement press conference, Park said, “I have no regrets. When I was a soccer player, I used to give myself 60 or 70 points. Today, I want to give myself 100 points,” he said.
At the pre-match retirement ceremony, Park entered the stadium with his daughter, Park Na-eun, and sons, Park Gun-hoo and Park Jin-woo. Players from Suwon FC and Ulsan, Park’s hometown team, showed their respect by wearing commemorative t-shirts. Supporters from both teams chanted Park’s name and applauded enthusiastically.
His children reportedly had mixed reactions to the news of his retirement. “Better was sad, but then he said, ‘How are you going to make money?’ He hugged me and said it was hard. “Geon-hoo is into soccer these days, and he was very sad and about to cry. I told him, ‘I can spend a lot of time playing soccer with you instead,’ and he was happy,” he smiled.
Even though he’s off the soccer field, Park’s skills are still at the K League 1 level. He has been a regular midfielder for Suwon FC. Even the Suwon FC players, including head coach Kim Do-gyun, didn’t want him to retire. “The players urged me to stay. “I’m sorry, but I can’t change my mind,” he said. They told me to take a break and come back like (Jo) Won-hee. I told them I wouldn’t consider myself retired yet.”
Park’s decision to retire came at a rather unexpected moment. He started thinking about it last year. “I’ve been thinking about retirement since last year,” Park said, “and I wanted to retire from the sports field when my body was a little better. Last year, 안전놀이터 my wife wasn’t feeling well, and I didn’t want it to look like I was retiring because of her,” he said, explaining why he decided to retire this year.
He left in the middle of the season. Until the end, Park expressed his affection for Suwon FC. “When I announced my retirement to the team, we were in fifth place. I thought they could do enough without me. In the summer, (Lee) Young-jae is coming. It’s a different style, but he can play a role. We can strengthen in the summer transfer market. The team struggled after you announced your retirement, but we won the Suwon derby. I also remember when I scored a lot of goals with Suwon FC in the top split last year.”
He plans to live a second life away from the field. His future plans will be drawn up gradually. “I don’t know what my future plans are until I organize them. Nothing is set in stone. In June, I will spend time with my family and organize my schedule.”
