Sun Junhao returns after many twists and turns, Seoul game substitute list… Return to K League after 1329 days｜Dong-A Ilbo

Son Jun-ho (32), who was finally released after being detained by Chinese police, returns to the K League after 1,329 days.

Son Jun-ho was included in the substitute list in the 18th round away game against FC Seoul in the 2024 Hana Bank K-League at the Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 pm on the 22nd.

Suwon FC coach Kim Eun-jung said, “We have to see how the game goes, but we plan to play Son Jun-ho for about 20 minutes,” adding, “We are also looking for the best midfield combination. “We will be able to check (Son) Jun-ho’s condition during the game,” he said.

He continued: “He has been in the team for four or five days and he is definitely a very good player. He expressed his expectations and said that there is no problem at all working with the existing players.”

Former national team player Son Jun-ho advanced to the Chinese league after leading Jeonbuk Hyundai to the 2020 K-League title and winning the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Son Jun-ho, who plays for Shandong Taishan (China), was also selected in the final roster for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

However, Sun Junhao was criminally detained in China in May last year, and there was no news for about 10 months, leading a difficult life. He was then dramatically released in March last year and returned to China to prepare to return to the court.

Initially, it seemed possible that he would join his former club Jeonbuk, but negotiations broke down and he ended up donning the Suwon FC uniform on the 14th.

Son Jun-ho will be able to play against Seoul on the same day after completing the additional player registration. If Son Jun-ho comes on as a substitute in the match against Seoul, it will be his first K-League appearance in 1,329 days since the match against Daegu FC on November 1, 2020.

At the same time, Seoul also included the recently introduced Portuguese striker Ronaldo in the substitute list.

Seoul head coach Kim Ki-dong said, “We judged that he needs to adapt to the atmosphere (of the new team, etc.), so we put him on the bench,” adding, “(Whether he will play in the) game will depend on the situation.”

(Seoul = News 1)