An inspiring football story! A 28-year-old striker, after a severe injury and a 15-month absence, lost 28 pounds, now scores a winning goal to upset Nottingham Forest.

There are numerous inspiring tales in football. This narrative centers on the protagonist, 28-year-old Korean international striker Cho Gue-sung. During the first leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 on March 13 Beijing time, Danish club Midtjylland pulled off a surprising 1-0 away victory against Premier League team Nottingham Forest, with the 28-year-old Korean forward Cho Gue-sung netting the sole goal of the game.

Many fans became familiar with Cho Gue-sung during the 2022 World Cup, in the match between South Korea and Ghana, where Cho Gue-sung scored twice, becoming the first Korean player to score two goals in a single World Cup match.

After the 2022 World Cup, Cho Gue-sung transferred from Jeonbuk Hyundai to Midtjylland in the summer window of 2023 for a fee of 3.05 million euros. After completing the 2023-24 season, he underwent knee surgery. Unfortunately, during post-operative rehabilitation in Italy, he encountered a severe infection, which directly resulted in Cho Gue-sung being unable to play for his team for 15 months. During this period, he lost 28 pounds, only returning from injury in August 2025.

Cho Gue-sung is currently 28 years old, stands 1.88 meters tall, is a right-footed center forward, and is valued at 3 million euros by Transfermarkt. After overcoming his injury, this season he has made 32 appearances across all competitions for Midtjylland, scoring 7 goals. Due to his excellent performance, he has returned to the Korean national team and is expected to compete in the 2026 USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup.

Why are Japanese and Korean football far stronger than China's national team? Because Japan and Korea have many genuine overseas players, a large group of players who can actually compete in Europe's mainstream leagues. The essence of improving football is playing high-quality matches to continuously develop skills.