Kwon Hyuk-kyu's strong mentality is confident of winning the main competition

“It’s not that I went to Europe because I was impatient or without thinking about the situation.”

Hyuk-Gyu Kwon is playing for Celtic in Scotland. He left Busan I-Park in K League 2 at the end of July and came to Celtic to start a new career in soccer, but things are not so easy. Unlike his teammates, strikers Oh Hyun-gyu and Yang Hyun-jun, he is not taking advantage of the opportunity.

To make matters worse, he was also excluded from the recently announced 2023-24 UEFA Champions League list. The team's captain, Callum McGregor, is still having a hard time competing for the starting position.

However, Kwon Hyuk-kyu was not discouraged and thought competition was natural, so he chose to go to Europe.
Kwon Hyuk-kyu, who met with Myanmar after the third round of the 2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Asian Cup qualifying round at Changwon Football Center on the 12th, said, "I'm not impatient because I couldn't play, but I didn't leave Europe without thinking about this situation. I went out after much thought. There are a lot of really good players in the same position. We will overcome this through good competition, he said.

He continued, "There are many good players in Korea, but there are players in the team that I can learn a lot from, including captain Callum McGregor. He is also full of humanity. I can't play right now, but I'm not worried. "I'll learn a lot and grow and eventually secure the starting position."

Unlike Kwon Hyuk-kyu, Yang Hyun-joon, who came up through the summer transfer market with Oh Hyun-kyu and Kwon Hyuk-kyu, who have been playing for Celtic since last season, is strengthening his position in Celtic, so Kwon Hyuk-kyu has a strong presence.

Hyuk-gyu Kwon said, “I feel supported because there are more Koreans on the team than me. “Actually, I would be lying if I said there was no pressure, but I will do my best so that all three of us can show good sides and good synergy.”
There is clearly a difference in level between K League 2 and the Scottish League. Kwon Hyuk-gyu also said, “I came to Europe right after playing in K-League 2. “There are definitely some rough spots and the intensity of the pressure,” he said. “But I am proud that my shortcomings seem to be improving little by little.” “I’m looking forward to seeing how much I’ll grow when the season ends, and I see every day as a good opportunity,” he said with a smile.

While playing in Europe, he added strength to Hwang Seon-hong and led the team to the U23 Asian Cup finals.

He said, “We lost to Qatar in the first game, and won the second game 1-0. Fans must have been very disappointed. “Still, it’s good to be able to win the last game with a big score,” he said. “I was distracted when I played the first game. In the third game, I felt good because I was fully acclimatized to the jet lag, and my performance was also good. However, as I am thinking about going back to Europe right away (laughter), I think this is a task I will have to overcome in the future.”

Lastly, “Since I was in Korea, I have been watching and learning from seniors Ki Sung-yong and Jung Woo-young, as well as Rodney and McGregor, who are on the same team. He expressed his determination, saying, “I will work hard to become a reliable defensive midfielder for Korea and a player who lives up to the expectations of fans.”