Lingard's irritation explodes, captain's actions, nervousness throughout the game → replacement OUT → kick a water bottle

Mar 08, 2025

Photo =Capture Sky Sports Broadcast Screen

Lingard did not show his FC Seoul captaincy at all at the stadium.

Seoul drew 0-0 with no goals in the fourth round of the 'Hana Bank K League 1 2025' against Suwon FC held at Suwon Stadium at 2 p.m. on the 8th. Seoul came in fifth with five points, but they couldn't laugh.

Lingard, who led Seoul to its first win against Anyang FC, seemed to be a different person in Suwon Undojang. The last Gimcheon Sangmu match could be an excuse for not showing a good performance due to poor grass conditions, but Suwon Stadium was not in such a serious state.

Courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association

What did Lingard complain about. At the beginning of the game, he actively led the attack on Seoul, but his performance gradually deteriorated. There was no activity in the competition, and the accuracy of the play decreased a lot. I was busy complaining to the referee if I fell in the middle of the contest. It wasn't like he was a captain.

Coach Kim Ki-dong believed Lingard, who had no presence at all in the first half, and did not replace him immediately, but eventually pulled out his sword in the 33rd minute of the second half. Instead of Lingard, Kang Sung-jin was added. After checking the replacement sign, Lingard slowly loosened the taping on his wrist and walked in, throwing it on the ground.

Typically, the replaced player simply greets the manager and enters the bench. However, Lingard headed to the bench without even saying hello to head coach Kim Ki-dong. Lingard, who also roughly finished greeting other coaching staff members, openly expressed his discontent by throwing gloves and kicking a water bottle right in front of the bench. Players may not always feel good because they have emotions, but it was not the right thing to do as a captain at all.

His posture on the bench was also a problem. Only Lingard himself would know if he was angry about the replacement decision or dissatisfied with his performance, but he almost lay down on the bench and watched the team's game. When encouraging his colleagues as a captain would not be enough, Lingard put his personal feelings first.

Courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association

Still, after the game, Lingard finished the game by greeting his teammates again. For now, coach Kim Ki-dong protected Lingard. "He often showed that kind of performance last season as well. So I gave him a sense of responsibility by making a temporary argument. The timing of recovering and coming back was shortened even though he was annoyed by the captain again this season. Still, I'm disappointed, but the speed of transformation has accelerated. It was a grass problem in the last game, but I had a meeting because I made a lot of mistakes. I thought it would get better, but maybe because of the weather, I made a mistake. He looked excited. So I replaced it. As the weather warms up, I think my condition will improve,' he said from the player's point of view.

Lingard has rarely expressed such dissatisfaction since moving to Seoul. As head coach Kim Ki-dong said, it would be fortunate if Lingard quickly collected his emotions and played a role as captain, but if he continues to show such behavior, the disappointment of Seoul fans will increase. Lingard was often under fire for his bad attitude during his time at Manchester United.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.