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| South Park Hotel (Charlatt, USA)/2025 FIFA Club World Cup/ Training/ Ulsan Eric/ Interview/ Photo by Kim Jung-soo |
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| South Park Hotel (Charlatt, USA)/2025 FIFA Club World Cup/ Training/ Ulsan Eric/ Interview/ Photo by Kim Jung-soo |
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| Pohang Steel Yard/ K League1/ Pohang Steelers vs. Gangwon FC/ Group/ Photo Kim Jung-soo |
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[Charlott (USA) = Sports Chosun Reporter Kim Sung-won] For a 'miracle', the goal must eventually be scored. Expectations for Ulsan HD's flagship goaltender Eric (28) are sky high.
He is a good recruit. He moved to Ulsan in March after the opening of the K League 1 this season. He made his 'perception debut' but he was very adaptable. Eric played in 14 K League matches and scored eight goals. In the scoring category, it ranked fourth after Jeon Jin-woo (12 goals in Jeonbuk), Joo Min-kyu (10 goals in Daejeon), and Mo-ta (Anyang, 9 goals).
Born in Brazil, he has become a 'Ulsan man' The FIFA Club World Cup is also his dream stage. Eric talked about the history of Ulsan in an interview at the base camp 'Renaissance Charlotte South Park' in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA on the 15th (Korean time).
"Ulsan is a team that has won three consecutive K-League titles and has won the ACL (Asian Champions League). If there is a chance to play in the Club World Cup, any player will be interested, and so did I. "I was definitely motivated when I moved to Ulsan. I will work hard to make my name a place in Ulsan's history so that Ulsan fans can remember my name for a long time." he expressed his ambition.
And "It's been about a week since I arrived in the U.S. and I'm training really hard. All three games are not going to be easy, and it's going to be difficult. We have to compete with big clubs. I will try to help the team with the best performance. My focus is on playing this tournament with 'best performance'. It is my mindset to help the team and help my colleagues."
Ulsan was in Group F along with Pluminensee (Brazil), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa). The opponent in the first round is Mamelodi, and the whistle will ring at Inter & Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida, at 7 a.m. on the 18th.
Eric spent his youth days in Brazil's prestigious Grammio. He made his professional debut with Denmark's Bayle BK and later played in the second and third divisions of his native Brazil. The true value began to shine from the 2023 season. The nest was moved from Ipiranga FC in Part 3 to EC Zubentuzzi in Part 2. After leading the promotion of Juventuji, he built a nest in Ulsan after going through the first part. It is rare that a Brazilian first division player has advanced directly to the K League 1. The class is that different.
Eric was recently highlighted in Brazil as a player playing on the Club World Cup stage in an Uber article. When asked the truth, he threw up his smile first. He said "It's a long story with a story. Brazil has too many good players, so it's not easy. I was about 22 years old, but Corona broke out and soccer was shut down. I had no choice but to go home and stop my career," he said.
Eric continued "I spent six months doing nothing. There was nowhere to run. My first daughter was 6 months old and I thought I should do something, so I thought I should get an Uber license. As a result, I tried to get a license, but I didn't receive it. That's when my friend stopped me. Rather than getting a license, he said let's trust the potential and skills and wait. He introduced his current agent, saying, "You can be bigger than that."," he said, revealing the back story.
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| South Park Hotel (Charlatt, USA)/2025 FIFA Club World Cup/ Training/ Ulsan Eric/ Interview/ Photo by Kim Jung-soo |
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He also "Looking back, it was a difficult time. It was a moment of uncertainty The unemployment rate increased because the city I lived in was also unstable because of Corona. Everyone had a hard time, not just me. My friend, a futsal player, was a sports student at that time and gave me generous advice. I didn't know when there would be hope, so I prepared a physical. I ran day and night. My friend even trained me with his knowledge of physical education. Even today, thinking about such a situation makes me think that I can overcome the difficulties of life better."
Ulsan's opponent in the second round is Fluminensee, the top seed in Group F. Eric is the way out. He "Of course, if it helps, I will share the information I have. I played four to five games against Pluminensee last year, and I know how good my personal skills are. The guards, Thiago Silva and others are top players. We don't expect an easy game, but we still have to do our best to show the level of Korean soccer and the value of Ulsan, which is competitive."
Finally, Erik said, `My goal is to get three points in the game, but it won't be easy. But you have to win no matter what. If you have confidence and run toward one goal as a whole, there is nothing impossible. My personal goal is to help my team by scoring goals. I think it's best to win based on that. The top priority is winning, and it's even better if the whole team does well and wins. My goal is to engrave Ulsan's name and write history,' he said with determination. There are three days left until the first game.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
