I was born in Seoul, South Korea, and the story of David Yoo (Yoo Seung-ho), who plays for Oakland, is revealed...Kim Min-jae's Club World Cup clash with Munich on the 16th
Jun 12, 2025
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Yoo Seung-ho, a 25-year-old winger for New Zealand club Auckland City, introduced his story on the official FIFA website on the 7th ahead of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, which opens on the 14th.
Yoo Seung-ho "I was born in Seoul, South Korea. She immigrated to New Zealand when she was nine months old and grew up in Christchurch with her two sisters. Later, quite a few relatives moved in and all lived in the same house. Even my uncle, aunt, cousin, 12 people from three families lived together, sometimes the house became a mess!" he said.
Yoo Seung-ho said, `At first, no one in the family could speak English. So Korean was my first language. Now I talk to my parents in Korean and my younger siblings in English. I have no problem speaking in Korean, but I still need to practice reading and writing Korean."
I often go to Korea to see my relatives, but I feel more like a kiwi. I feel a strong connection to where I was born," he added"Both cultures in Korea and New Zealand are having a great influence on me"
Yoo Seung-ho has dreamed of becoming a soccer player since he was young, following his father who likes soccer. At the age of 11-12, he joined the Asia-Pacific Football Academy, which partnered with Chelsea, and learned football, and moved to the Wellington Phoenix Academy at the age of 13. Yoo Seung-ho, who has not played many games in two to three years due to severe growth pains, said "I thought about whether to continue playing soccer.", he confessed.
Yoo Seung-ho went to Portugal to study when he was 18 years old. After going through a tryout test, he joined Hiu Abe and took on a full-fledged European stage challenge. Although he had a difficult time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he played for various clubs and grew up one step as a soccer player, Yoo Seung-ho said. "I trained with the best players in Portugal, was coached by an outstanding coach, and I learned a lot both as a human and as a player. The time spent in Portugal has had a big impact on how I am now. Especially technologically, it's grown a lot."
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Yoo Seung-ho is not a professional soccer player. He works as a youth coach at various schools and universities. "The advantage of the Club World Cup is that you don't have to think about your day job during the tournament. It's nice to be able to train in the morning, not in the afternoon, and it's really nice to be able to fully concentrate on football."
Coach Paul Posa, who led Oakland City to the Oceania Champions League championship, told Reuters on the 12th that `It seems to be one of the most difficult groups possible. The three teams have the ability to advance to the finals. "But we have participated in many Club World Cups in the past. Through this, he gained extensive experience and once achieved results beyond the weight class..."
According to coach Posa, all players on the team, including Yoo Seung-ho, are playing 'two jobs'. "They show extraordinary dedication to football outside of office hours. The players took their annual leave to participate in the competition. Some players failed to participate in the Champions League and the Club World Cup.
Oakland City, which has a total market value of 4.58 million euros (about 7.2 billion won, about 1.42 trillion won), which is about 200 times different from Munich (93.5 million euros), will receive 5.5 million Australian dollars (about 4.9 billion won) just for participating in the Club World Cup. A win or draw in the group stage will allow you to win extra prize money and sit in the 'money cushion'. Yoo Seung-ho said, `I wonder what the results will be in the game that many people will be watching.'
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
