It is 10pm in a humid Hanoi, where FC Seoul have gone for warm-weather pre-season, and Jesse Lingard is talking about the need to get back into the Asian Champions League.
“I didn't know what to expect but seeing the love and appreciation really settled me down and got my confidence up,” Lingard tells The Independent.
That all comes from a status as “the K League’s most important ever signing”, with which he has driven FC Seoul back to the Champions League for the first time since 2019.
Lingard later became one of the most sought-after players outside the elite after delivering West Ham United to survival in 2020-21… only for a sudden drop-off.
Exclusive interview: The former Manchester United and West Ham star tells Miguel Delaney how life at FC Seoul in South Korea has revitalised his career.
