Ju Se-jong: 'I hold a World Cup assist record but didn't even realise'

The record holder for the longest assist for an outfield player at a World Cup is none other than Ju Se-jong, but it wasn't something the experienced midfielder, who represented the Taeguk Warriors in 2018, realised until it was pointed out to him.
(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Ju Se-jong's record-breaking assist came in an iconic South Korea World Cup moment. On June 27, 2018, at the World Cup in Russia, the Taeguk Warriors headed into their final Group F game against Germany staring down the barrel of yet another group stage exit, their fourth in a row. But not only that, a group stage campaign that failed to yield a single win, as had been the case in 2014.

The odds were stacked against Korea as even a potentially morale-boosting win for players and fans alike would not guarantee a place in the knockouts.

Having lost their first two matches, 1-0 to Sweden in Nizhny Novgorod and 2-1 to Mexico in Rostov-on-Don, not only did what was then Shin Tae-yong's men need to beat the reigning world champions, Germany, but they also had to rely on Mexico beating Sweden.

The match has been described as the "Miracle of Kazan," in Korea with goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo producing a string of impressive saves. Germany had 26 shots on goal and completed nearly four times the number of passes.

Korea soaked up pressure and hit Germany on the counterattack, choosing their moments carefully. Ju Se-jong came off the bench in the 69th minute, replacing Moon Seon-min. 

It signalled a change of approach in Korea's search for a goal - the passing range and vision of Ju was seen as a better route to goal than Moon's dribbling.

Korea went ahead in the 92nd minute through centre back Kim Young-gwon, a goal that then pushed Die Mannschaft to throw everything at Korea in search of an equaliser. This included goalkeeper Manuel Neuer leaving caution to the wind and joining Germany's attack. A group stage exit for the reigning World Cup winners would be unthinkable, especially to a team that was already heading home early. 

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

What happened in the sixth minute of added time will live long in the memory.

Ju Se-jong stole the ball from Neuer, looked up and sent a 70-yard pass into Son Heung-min, who managed to stay onside and keep pace with the pass before tucking it into an empty net.

With the Germans pushing and pushing for a blushes-sparing equaliser, the goal sealed the win and capped off an extraordinary game. All connected to Korea breathed a sigh of relief; at least if the team was going out, they were, at least, able to do so in a blaze of glory, ending on a high.

But the pass from Ju Sejong - was it instinct, or was it a specific instruction to try and pick Son out on the counter like that?

"There weren’t any specific instructions, says Ju Se-jong, speaking shortly after K League broke for the World Cup. Adding, "During the game, I noticed that Neuer was coming very far off his line, and I thought that if the timing was right, we could win the ball from him."

Ju Se-jong, at the time representing K League 2 Asan Mugunghwa as part of his mandatory military service, was already a K League 1 winner with FC Seoul, and was seen as one of the best midfielders in K League. So his pass over the top might not have been too much of a surprise to those who had watched him, but it was the quickness of it.

"Luckily, in that moment, [Neuer's] touch got a bit heavy, and after I won possession and looked up, I saw Son Heung-min raising his hand and preparing to run through on his own. I just tried to deliver the most accurate pass possible."

The pass was inch-perfect, lashed left-footed. Ju seemed to play down the skill involved in his pass, but the three touches he takes are the precise number needed. One to steal the ball from Neuer, one with his right foot to put the ball into a position where he could release the pass, then the third - the pass - turned out to be the longest assist in a World Cup from an outfield player at 75 yards. That's the record Ju Se-jong holds.

(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Ironically, the player who holds the record for the longest assist at a World Cup was the same man who Ju stole the ball off - Manuel Neuer. Ju admits that he wasn't aware of this stat.

"I didn’t know that. Hearing that now makes me feel proud, because it’s something people might continue talking about for the rest of my life."

The celebrations for both goals were pictures of pure joy. Korea, at this point, didn't know that Sweden were 3-0 up against Mexico. 

In the end, Korea were knocked out but could at least take pride in a giant killing and being the team that toppled the current holders of the competition.

The 2018 World Cup was Ju's first, so what advice would he give to players going to their first World Cup this year?

"There are many players who are better and more experienced than me, so rather than giving advice, I’d just like to send a message of support. Naturally, media attention and public interest will grow as the World Cup approaches, but I hope our players focus only on the goal of showing their best performances, prepare well for every match, and achieve great results. I’ll be cheering for them wholeheartedly."