East Asia Korea

Japanese football genius, Kunimoto joins Jeonbuk… Green Warriors ready to battle at the ACL

Written by Youngsub Lee
Football Tribe Korea

The 2019 K League Champion has added another talent to their already strong squad. On 9th December, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC have officially announced the signing of Japanese midfielder, Takahiro Kunimoto.

The addition, which follows the 2019 K League 1 MVP (Most Valuable Player), Kim Bo-kyung’s move, will spur Jeonbuk’s challenge in the ACL (Asian Champions League) stage. The Green Warriors have last won the tournament 2016 and remained one of the huge contenders for the title.

However, the two times ACL winner struggled in the face of Chinese outfits with world-class talents from Europe. Furthermore, the departure of striker, Kim Shin-wook to Shanghai Shenhua left doubts on their competitiveness in the region.

On joining a new club, the Japanese midfielder shared “There are regrets from the previous season. Now, I wish to challenge the title with Jeonbuk. I want to be a committed player, helping the team go further in the ACL stage.

“I do not know how soon I will be fielded amongst a very good set of players in here. However, I will show my greatest once I am given minutes.”

Kunimoto is not the only addition to the defending champion. Recently, Jeonbuk announced two signings on their defense, namely Oh Ban-suk and Koo Ja-Ryoung.

Donning the green jersey, Kunimoto will play his first game against a Japanese outfit, Yokohama F. Marinos.