Kim Bo-kyung Set to Face Former Club in Champions League Clash

The Asian Champions League group has thrown up a return to South Korea and Jeonju for Kim Bo-Kyung. In the first round of group fixtures in Group E, we see Kim Bo-Kyung's club Kashiwa Reysol travel to play Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
(Image via GettyImages)
The game at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium will kick off at 7.30 pm KST on the 13th February for those looking to attend. Kim Bo-Kyung came to Jeonbuk back in the Autumn of 2016. This was the first time the midfielder had played for a club in South Korea after moving to Japan at the age of 20. He then went on to have spells in the UK with Cardiff City and then Wigan Athletic. His move to Jeonbuk came after a short spell back in Japan. In late 2016 Jeonbuk made two big signings as they looked to win the Champions League. So in came Kim Bo-Kyung and the quite literal big signing of Kim Shin-Wook. Both players were reportedly brought in on high wages and were both featured highly in the top earners for South Koreans in the K League in 2017. Kim Bo-Kyung's first season was a successful one with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors mostly although he didn’t manage to get a K league title as they finished 2nd due to a big bribery scandal which saw them deducted 9 points and banned from the Champions League for a season. The incidents dated back to 2013 so had nothing to do with the current side. However Kim Bo-Kyung was part of a very successful midfield with Leonardo, Lee Jae-Sung and Lopes. He was arguably seen as the weakest link though, as his three midfield colleagues made the K League team of the year that season. He still was, however, a key part in helping Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors achieve what they set out for at the beginning of the season to do and that was to win the Champions League. They defeated Al Ainn of the UAE to win the title 3-2 on aggregate. After this success, Kim Bo-Kyung started the following season with Jeonbuk looking to win the title as another Champions League win was out of the question with their year suspension from the competition. However, halfway through the season, Kim Bo-Kyung headed back to the J.League this time with Kashiwa Reysol, one of the J.Leagues smaller sides. This was not a move however for Champions League football as Kashiwa Reysol are only back in the competition this season for the first time since 2015. It is thought that some of the thinking behind the move to Japan was down to trying to free up the wages of Kim Bo-Kyung for arguably better midfielders on a lower wage, such as Lee Jae-sung, and the player does enjoy playing in the J.League so would be keen on a return. So when Kim Bo-Kyung returns to South Korea to play against his former club am sure he will have very happy memories and the fans will remember the good times he had with the club as he left with no negative feelings. The game is certainly a big tie to look out for this week in the Champions League. It will be exciting to see how Kim Bo-Kyung gets on, although of course most of you will be hoping this time he will be on the losing side as Jeonbuk look to get the Champions League trophy back after a year away.