The K-League 1, South Korea’s top division, officially kicked off last weekend with the first round, featuring 17 Brazilians taking to the field.
Among these 17 Brazilians is striker Yuri Tanque of Jeju United. Born in Goiás (Porangatu) and raised in the countryside of Minas Gerais (Nova Era), Yuri was the top scorer for the orange island team (Jeju Island) in 2023, scoring 11 goals and providing four assists in 37 matches. During that time, the Korean team reached the semifinals of the Korean Cup, and Yuri hopes that 2024 will be as successful a year.
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“Grateful for another season start here at Jeju United. The away point was important for all the situations that come with a first game, but we already have to move on to the next steps. We aim for great things this season and we have to maintain a very high level of concentration at all times,” said the athlete after the 1-1 draw against Gangwon.
For 2024, Yuri gained two more compatriots in the team, which already included forward Reis, formerly of Internacional and Criciúma. Italo, formerly of Amazonas FC, and Tales, formerly of Ponte Preta, joined the orange and white team for the 2024 season, promising even more cohesion among the Brazilian quartet.
“Communication improves and that helps a lot. Here in South Korea, they highly value Brazilian football and are always open to us. Now it’s up to us to join forces and give our best for Jeju, so that we can achieve good collective results,” concluded Yuri Tanque when asked about the arrival of the two new teammates.
With Yuri Tanque as the center forward, the Brazilian quartet team will take on Daejeon Citizen next Sunday at 2 a.m. (Brasília time). On the opposing side, they will face Brazilian rivals Leandro Ribeiro (29) and Farley Rosa (30) during the match.
