Biography
Who is Jo Hyeon-woo?
Early life
Jo Hyeon-woo was born in Seoul, South Korea, on September 25, 1991. He became interested in playing as a goalkeeper after watching Kim Byung-ji play during the 1998 FIFA World Cup. His school career began in the fifth grade at Shinjeong Elementary School when the coach needed a goalkeeper and other children pointed him out. He attended Sun Moon University before entering professional football.
Club career
After graduating from university, Jo entered the 2013 K League 1 draft and was selected by Daegu FC. Although the team suffered relegation in his first professional season, he evolved into the first-choice goalkeeper and helped Daegu earn promotion back to the top tier in 2016. He also contributed to the club winning its first Korean FA Cup title in 2018.
Jo transferred to Ulsan Hyundai in January 2020. He helped the club secure three consecutive K League 1 titles from 2022 to 2024. In the year 2024, he received the K League 1 Most Valuable Player award, becoming only the second goalkeeper in league history to achieve this honor.
International career
Jo received his first call-up to the South Korea national team in November 2015 for World Cup qualifiers. He later played a prominent role in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, making impressive saves against Sweden, Mexico, and Germany. His performance in the match against Germany earned him the Man of the Match award as South Korea secured a historic victory.
As an over-aged player, Jo represented the South Korean under-23 team at the 2018 Asian Games. He helped the squad win the gold medal, which exempted him from mandatory military service. He was later selected to represent the national team at subsequent international tournaments.
Birthday and age
Jo Hyeon-woo was born on September 25, 1991, which makes Jo 35 years old today. That birthday falls under the Libra sign. Jo shares the date with 79 other famous people.
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