FC Seoul move has smile back on the face, fire back in the belly of Jesse Lingard — even if it took a while

SEOUL, South Korea — WHEN JESSE LINGARD joined FC Seoul back in February, he became arguably the highest-profile signing to ever move to South Korean football.

The K League 1 has had its fair share of successful imports but none have arrived with such credentials — a Manchester United stalwart with over 230 appearances with the Premier League giants, and an England international who played a starring role in their run to a fourth-place finish at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

On a personal note, however, it simply marked a return to football after a eight-month hiatus — with Lingard conspicuously absent from the game after being released by Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2023.

Immediately after the new chapter of his career was confirmed, the 31-year-old confirmed that being without a club for a prolonged period of time had not been easy.

Given all the hype surrounding his arrival, there was always going to be a high level of expectation — and scrutiny — surrounding Lingard’s start to life with Seoul.

While he revealed that he had been training hard on his own even when he was unattached, perhaps it was always unrealistic to expect him to hit the ground running, especially with the added challenge of having to adapt to his new surroundings and a different footballing culture.

His home debut drew a crowd of 51,670 — which set a new K League attendance record — yet, just over a month into life in the South Korean capital, Lingard was receiving criticism from none other than his own coach Kim Gi-Dong.

On March 16, already having had to settle for a place on the bench, Lingard came on for just over half an hour in what proved to be a 2-0 win over Jeju United only to be singled out for “a lack of effort and physicality”.

According to The Korea Times, Kim even considered dealing his new charge the ignominy of being substituted as a substitute — stating: “A player who doesn’t play (for the) full 90 minutes and doesn’t fight is not a football player.

“It’s not about playing football based on one’s reputation. If that’s the case, it’s better to bring in a retired player.

“If he does not show improvement through his actions, it’s unacceptable. We will continue to work on changing his behaviour and habits so he can integrate into the team more quickly.”

Already, at such an early stage, if the dream move — for both Seoul and the K League — of landing Lingard was to not turn into a nightmare for all involved, something indeed had to change.

SUWON SPORTS COMPLEX, Oct. 26.

With Seoul taking on Suwon FC in an away tie, how things have changed in a span of six months.

Seoul, six-time champions of K League 1, will not be ending a title drought that now extends back to 2016. They do, however, have a real chance of qualifying for continental football, which has also eluded them for three years now.

In the absence of regular skipper Ki Sung-Yueng, a fellow ex-Premier League stalwart with Swansea and Newcastle who is on his way back from injury, Lingard has once again been handed the captain’s armband.

He exudes an air of calm in the warmup, pulling off some freestyle moves and resembling a man who longer has any unnecessary weight on his shoulders.

He would go on to assist the only goal of the game with a pinpoint corner headed home at the near post by Lucas Silva.

And, as Seoul gather outside the dressing room — awaiting to conduct a handful of postgame interviews before boarding the team bus — Lingard and Kim share a prolonged exchange.

All with the help of the interpreter, of course. But there are laughs and jokes. A joking slap by Kim on the back of Lingard. A playful nudge of the shoulder by the ex-England international in return.

From the moments before to those after the 90 minutes that kept Seoul’s campaign on track, a smile regularly appeared on Lingard’s face.

“It’s an amazing feeling — for the coach to give me the faith and confidence to lead the team,” Lingard told ESPN. “Obviously, I’ve got experience and that’s what I give back to the boys.

“For many of them, it’s the first time competing in (such a high-stakes situation). We know there’s a lot of pressure and it can get to a lot of people. It’s good that I can lead the boys.

“Regardless of me being captain, there are a lot of leaders on the pitch. (But) leading the team out and getting an important victory, it’s really good.”

SEOUL WORLD CUP Stadium, Nov.2.

Following last weekend’s narrow win over Suwon, Seoul have climbed into fourth on the table ahead of Pohang Steelers — their opponents for the day.

What is at stake is straightforward enough.

Victory would see Seoul establish a four-point gap between them and the visitors with just two more rounds to play. Defeat would see them fall below Pohang once more.

Ulsan HD have been crowned champions and Gangwon FC have secured a top-three finish and place in next season’s AFC Champions League Elite, but third-placed Gimcheon Sangmu — as a military-affiliated team — are not eligible for continental competition.

It means that fourth place will be enough for AFC Champions League Two football at the very least. Should Ulsan defeat Pohang in the upcoming Korean Cup final, it would even be enough for the ACL Elite.

Coming up against the side directly competing with them, there was plenty on the line for Seoul.

And in a sign of his growing influence, Lingard — leading the team once again — was almost certainly left as the final name to be announced prior to kickoff.

There were cheers for each of the ten names before his, but it was almost as though the volume from the majority of the 29,733 in attendance was raised just that much more when “Jesse … LINGARD” rang around the stadium.

Once again, Lingard was causing all sorts of problems from set-piece duty. Seoul looked dangerous from corners twice inside the opening five minutes.

The hosts would eventually break the deadlock in the 33rd minute but, just four minutes later, Pohang equalised with their first meaningful foray forward.

It proved to be one of those days for Seoul as they spurned a host of gilt-edged opportunities to add to their tally and ultimately had to settle for a share of the spoils. It could have been worse.

On two occasions, as they committed plenty of bodies forward, Pohang looked set to hit on the counterattack only to be halted by the determined figure of Lingard chasing back — once from a corner he had taken.

Considering it was not that long ago that his on-field commitment was questioned by his own coach, it was a sure sign of how much it mattered to Lingard — who is no stranger to, whether justly or not, a perhaps unfairly negative perception regarding his character.

He was often made one of the scapegoats while being part of Manchester United’s gradual decline, simply because he enjoyed a song and dance with his closest friends in the dressing room.

Still, there is a fire in his belly — from the endeavour he displayed on the field to the disappointment on his face following the result.

As affable as he was the week before, Lingard politely declined to speak after the draw with Pohang as he solemnly made his way out of the stadium.

It may look like fun and games at times with Lingard, but it does matter.

LINGARD IS STILL a fortnight away from completing his first season at Seoul yet it would be not overly dramatic to say he has come full circle.

Having been dropped just a month into his time in South Korea, he is now playing an influential role in his team’s quest to return to the summit of K League 1. Or at least, for now, being back among the elite.

More importantly, while he will always be a popular figure in the dressing room, he now has the trust of his coach — with Kim, according to Independent, recently labelling him “a true Korean” for the way he stuck at it and earned the respect from those around him with the minimal of fuss. “An indispensable player” in fact.

In return, Lingard lauded Kim’s communication skills as one of the Seoul tactician’s greatest strengths, calling him “a leader who allows players to enjoy football”.

Whether fairly or not, Lingard has had a rougher ride than others throughout his career.

The beginning of his Seoul career saw that trend continue. Still, where he currently stands at the moment illustrates how things can turn around.

Just as he previously did for Manchester United and England, Lingard is leading the way for a famous team gunning for glory.

With a smile back on his face, and a fire in his belly.