Cho Won-Hee is a tough holding midfielder who can tackle and win the ball, with fighting spirit and enormous physical ability.
For all his talent in the defensive side of the game, it is ironic that the 27-year-old made his mark by scoring Korea Republic’s fastest goal since 1979 on his international debut against Iran in October 2005. It took only 59 seconds for the slim midfielder to surprise the watching fans in Seoul and to impress the then coach Dick Advocaat, who eventually took him to the FIFA World CupÔ eight months later. However, Cho was not given a chance to make an appearance at Germany 2006 as the Taeguk Warriors were eliminated in the group stage.
After making consistent progress in the reserves at Ulsan Hyundai Horangi and Gwangju Sangmu, Cho moved to Suwon Samsung Bluewings in 2005 when he began to prove his potential to compete in the top flight. Cho was a member of the treble-winning Bluewings side that season before lifting the K-League trophy in 2008. The following season saw him move to Wigan Athletic but a calf injury kept Cho from making his English Premiership debut until May.
Nevertheless, Cho remained an integral part of coach Huh Jung-Moo’s plan in the qualifying for South Africa 2010, as the midfield workhorse contributed to Korea Republic’s crucial wins over Saudi Arabia, Korea DPR and then UAE. Cho returned to Suwon on loan earlier this year in a hope to make his second trip to the world finals.
