Leo He Su-bong Dreams of Winning Co-MVP. The championship has already gone by, and the strongest team will play again

Sep 18, 2025

Director Blanc and Leo. Photo=KOVO

First combined win in 19 years and first treble in the club. Leaving the last season of glory and joy behind, the Hyundai Capital Skywalkers will play again. Coach Philip Blanc expressed his ambition, saying, `I dream of winning the joint MVP award with Leo and Heo Soo-bong this season.'

Last year, Hyundai Capital had an overwhelming season. The first season since the inauguration of French master Blanc. There was also a factor of anxiety about his power, but he heated up the atmosphere by winning the cup with the performance of young promising players and accumulated wins from the beginning of the opening without much ups and downs. And for the first time in V-League history, he showed his strength to win the regular league in the fifth round.

Hyundai Capital, which beat Korean Air with three consecutive wins in the championship match, lifted the trophy by achieving the club's first treble and winning the first regular league and championship match in 19 years. 'Ace' Heo Su-bong won his first MVP in the MVP vote, outscoring teammate Leo by one vote.

Coach Blanc, who is preparing for the new season, met with Sports Chosun to talk about the team's power and plans.

사진=KOVO

Blanc, who said after the championship game that `I'm desperate for a beer,' rested very well. I went back to France for a while and had a personal time without even thinking about volleyball"Laughing, "Our coaching staff helped the young players grow a lot even during my break. I want to say thank you so much. I had a great summer"I looked back on the offseason break.

Blanc said "The regular season was about halfway through the season when I was confident of winning first place. The players' performance was so good that I had a stronger conviction"And yet "The championship game was different. I just thought I had to do my best every game, and the fact that we won?It was just after Game 3 ended." This shows how much energy was devoted to the championship game, which is the final goal, and how much he was focusing on each play.

Coach Blanc, who previously played for the Japanese national team, quickly built a bond with the team. When asked if he felt any cultural difficulties, he said that when he took charge of the Japanese national team, he could not say that there was no contact because he met the Korean team quite a few times in international competitions. "There was no difficulty because he understood Asian culture. If it's not a bond between me and the Korean players, but a human-to-human bond, of course, time helps a lot. Over time, the players said, "I feel like I was able to understand the players and build good relationships with them."

사진=KOVO

Hyundai Capital beat expectations with its Asian quarter nomination and named Bayarsaihan from Mongolia. Blanc said there are not many competitive players in the Asian quarter pool, except for groups of countries such as Japan, China, and Iran. Bayarsaihan is a good player who is competitive enough in there. When I watched the video of the game at the time of OK Savings Bank, I saw that they had a lot of ability. I think I can communicate well with the players because I can speak multiple languages. I hope he can share the good energy he has within our squad."

In addition, Jeon Kwang-in, who was loved by fans, left through a trade, and signed Shin Ji-jin instead. Asked how the trade is expected to do to the team, he said, `"Shin Chan-jin is a player who can play the position Jeon Kwang-in played last season more orthodox. He is a player with bright energy and fighting spirit, so I expect him to have a good influence"I was optimistic about the trade effect.

Director Blanc hugging the electrician. Photo =KOVO

Regarding coach Moon Sung-min, who joined the team as a coach after announcing his retirement, he said, "He was a really good player, a model for all players. Last season's physical condition was already too much to play. Nevertheless, he trained really hard and sincerely. I believe Coach Moon Sung-min will transplant all the experience and skills he had as a player into the players. "An outstanding player does not just become an outstanding leader by himself. I believe that if Coach Moon develops the necessary competencies as a leader himself and constantly studies what is needed, he will certainly be a good leader." He also gave sincere advice as a senior.

When asked to pick Hyundai Capital's `Keyman' this season, Blanc laughed, `I can't pick just one person because it's a team sport.' `But if there's one thing I want this season, I hope Leo and Heo Soo-bong will jointly win the MVP award," he said with a smile. This means that they have high expectations this year for the two, who led the team to the championship with their best performance last year and were fiercely competing for MVP until the end.

Blanc (center) and Hyundai Capital players are happy after confirming the championship. Photo =KOVO

The cup tournament was dropped out, but Hyundai Capital will hold off-season training in Nagoya, Japan from the 7th to the 12th of next month after reorganizing with a short break and team training. It is expected that even the players who were assigned to the national team will join and be tempered before the opening to check their performance with the Japanese team.

Blanc said "I heard three cups last season, but now it's a past story. In the upcoming season, all the players should work hard to show their fans the good performances they showed last year. "Maybe this season will be a more difficult season because all teams have strengthened their power overall.", expecting "We will do our best to help Hyundai Capital do better at what they do well and to lift the trophy again." Please send a lot of support and interest to the fans."

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.