Thiago’s ambition is to become the sole top scorer, “an achievement that will mean a lot to me.”
Daejeon Hana Citizen goaltender Thiago expressed a strong desire to become the sole top scorer of Hana One Q K League 1 2023.
Daejeon Hana, with Thiago at the forefront, drew 1-1 against Suwon FC in the 35th round of Group B in the final round of the Hana One Q K League 1 2023 at 4:30 p.m. on the 22nd at Daejeon World Cup Stadium. Daejeon Hana lost first to Suwon FC goaltender Kim Hyun in the 32nd minute of the first half, but returned the game to square one thanks to Thiago’s equalizer in the 16th minute of the second half.
“I think it would be great to rank first alone in the scoring ranking,” Thiago said in a meeting with reporters after the match against Suwon FC. “It’s a good performance to tie for first place in the striker’s position, but I still want to rank first alone.” I think that would mean a lot to me. “If I get this award, I really want to say thank you,” he said.
There is a reason Thiago wants to get his hands on the top scorer alone. Thiago missed the top scorer title by a narrow margin after falling behind in other indicators even though he scored the same number of points as Yoo Kang-hyun in the K League 2 last year. An official from Gyeongnam, Thiago’s team last year, said he was very happy to know that Thiago was the top scorer at the time. Of course, he was listed in the K League 2 Best Eleven Striker category along with Yoo Kang-hyun, but it would have been disappointing in many ways to give up the top scorer title, the highest honor as a goal scorer.
Of course, becoming the sole top scorer is not an easy mission. Thiago, who has scored 15 goals, is currently tied for first place with Joo Min-kyu in the K League 1 scoring rankings. Although Joo Min-kyu seems to have slowed down recently, he is a player who boasts explosive power, so he can hit alone in the scoring ranking at any time. Thiago, who has already faced Joo Min-kyu several times this season, is well aware of that.
Thiago said, “I know Joo Min-kyu is a good player,” adding, “I also know that Joo Min-kyu has shown good performances in the K League over the past few years. He actually scored a lot of goals. So I’m nervous,” he said highly of his competitor. However, he showed his willingness to never lose ground in the competition, saying, “We’ll see who’s smiling when this season is over.”
Thiago will play the remaining four games in an advantageous position over Ju In-gyu in many ways. As his team, Daejeon Hana, has already confirmed that he will remain in the K League 1, he will play in a relaxed state. As it has solved the team’s primary goal, it can be “pushing” at the team level. However, there is homework. It means that you have to show more concentration than you do now.
Lee Min-sung, head coach of Daejeon Hana, said in the last match against Suwon FC, “I should have scored at least three goals.” Coach Lee also said, “If you really want to be the top scorer, you should.” This is not wrong. In order for Thiago to bring down Joo Min-kyu and win the top scorer, he will have to show a different level of concentration than before in the remaining four games. This is because, as mentioned earlier, Joo Min-kyu is a goaltender who does not know when he will explode.