How Jesse Lingard has brought cool to South Korea by...

MANY British footballers keep to themselves and refuse to embrace local culture when they move abroad. But not Jesse Lingard. The former Man Utd midfielder was released by Nottingham Forest in 2023, after an underwhelming time at the City Ground. He was stuck in a football free agent's abyss, until he surprisingly moved to South Korean side FC Seoul in February 2024 on a two-year deal - taking a huge pay cut on £17,500-per-week. At Forest, he was was earning a whopping £180,000-per-week.

Image Credit: The Sun [Jesse Lingard of FC Seoul reacting during a soccer match.]

Although it was a tough start professionally, with coach Kim Gi-dong publicly criticising him for his fitness and a subsequent knee injury ruling him of action early on in his career, he soon won over the fans. However, it isn't just Lingard's football skills that have scored him admirers in The Land of Han.

Image Credit: The Sun [Jesse Lingard eating Korean BBQ in South Korea.]

The midfielder has immersed himself in Asian culture - not just indulging in Korean BBQ - but also releasing music. While, his epic social media posts - in partnership with CGI firm Vertex - have made him and the K League appear cool, as well as drawn millions of eyes through social media to his experience.

Image Credit: The Sun [Jesse Lingard with fans in South Korea.]

Asian football expert and author John Duerden has seen first hand the impact Lingard has had from his home in Seoul. He told SunSport: "Not many foreign players make the national news in South Korea for actions on and off the pitch but Jesse Lingard has not been any normal signing.

Image Credit: The Sun [Man sitting in a chair, using a phone and holding a coffee cup.]

"For a start, he is the biggest name import to play in the 42-year-old K League and, therefore, has had more expectations and pressure than others. "In the early days, it looked as if it wasn’t going to happen at FC Seoul, one of the country’s big clubs that has struggled a little in recent years.

Image Credit: The Sun [Person kicking soccer ball in front of large golden hands sculpture.]

"He took time to settle, leading to a rebuke, of sorts, from the coach but most don’t appreciate how big a cultural difference there is between South Korea and the UK both on and off the pitch. "Just take the weather, absolutely freezing in winter and very hot and very humid in the summer and then there is the rainy season.".

Image Credit: The Sun [Person jogging in front of a large screen displaying soccer players.]

Lingard adapted. After all, he would have been use to a rainy day or two in Manchester, so that wouldn't have hurt. But, he seemed particularly enamoured with the local culture and has brought cool to a country that is producing award-winning TV in shows like Squid Game.

Image Credit: The Sun [Man in sunglasses operating a boat.]

No sooner had he made the move to the Far East, he was sharing his dining experiences on Instagram to his nine million followers. Lingard then realised there was a market for a video diary of his career in South Korea, and he rebooted his YouTube channel last year.

Image Credit: The Sun [Man wearing a face mask and shower cap taking a selfie.]

On there, and on his Instagram, he has shared his epic lifestyle. From cruising on a boat to making music and creating epic CGI clips. One of those clips dropped in December shows 'J Lingz' performing some kick ups, before volleying a ball into the sky towards a ribbon that drops a sheet to reveal a gold statue of his famous J-L hand celebration.

Image Credit: The Sun [Jesse Lingard at a press conference in Seoul, South Korea.]

Another sees the ex-Three Lions winger show off his dance moves, before Moonwalking out of shot. The former has been liked almost 4.5 million times, while the latter has drawn almost 240,000 likes since it was uploaded in November. Lingard even found time to release his first rap single before the end of last year.

Image Credit: The Sun [Jesse Lingard using his phone after successful meniscus surgery.]

Kamsahamnida, which means 'thank you' in Korean, was well received by his fans and is incredibly catchy. Duerden explained: "It is off the pitch though that Lingard has been different to any signing in the past. "His music single Kamsahamnida was a surprise but his CGI video, released in December, attracted hundreds of millions of clicks, went down very well in Korea and made national news.

Image Credit: The Sun [Jesse Lingard of FC Seoul celebrating a goal.]

"Usual interactions with foreign players have usually not progressed much past questions such as 'do you like kimchi?' Or 'how good is Son Heung-min?' and comments about chopstick wielding competence. "This is not something that has happened in the K-League before, it is a competition that is solid but seen by many, at home and abroad, as lacking a little in the excitement and coolness stakes.

"Officials at Seoul and at league headquarters were delighted. Lingard may not rival some of the megastars in Saudi Arabia in terms of talent and achievements, but he has brought a certain coolness and street cred that wasn’t really thought about when Seoul decided to try and sign him.

"It helps that he is here at a time when there is huge global interest in Korean music, food, television, beauty products, fashion, technology and movies and getting involved in that culture is always going to go down well. "Too many foreign players stay in their bubbles and rarely experience, let alone embrace, the culture. Lingard has shown what can be done. Like anywhere, the more you put in, the more you get out.".

In terms of his football, Lingard is clearly loving life on and off the pitch. After scoring his first goal of the season, with the K-League running from February to November, he performed FIVE goal celebrations in the 2-1 win over Anyang. Lingard's popularity is bigger than ever, but it's a tough league to adapt to.