Last weekend, a Brazilian player stole the spotlight in South Korea by scoring two goals and being selected for the second round selection of the K League, the country’s main round-robin competition. This player is Yuri Tanque, a 25-year-old center-forward who has been defending Jeju United for two years – a South Korean club based in Jeju province. In addition to the goals and the positive result for his team, the 3-1 victory over Daejeon Citizen broke an eight-year taboo for the orange island team, as they had not won their first home game in the K League since 2016.
“Praise God for the goals and for this season’s start. It’s something important for me as a center-forward. Furthermore, the victory also meant a lot to us as it broke a taboo of not winning the first home game since 2016, and that is very good. However, there is still a lot of championship ahead of us, which motivates us even more for the upcoming games and to continue striving for good achievements,” said the Brazilian.
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Trained in the youth academies of Cruzeiro and Atlético-MG, Tanque showed from an early age that striker’s instinct required, getting used to scoring many goals even when he was just a boy. At Ponte Preta – where he made his professional debut – he was the runner-up top scorer of the 2017 Copa São Paulo de Futebol Juniores, with nine goals in seven games. In the same year, he was the top scorer of the Paulista Championship in the U-20 category, with 28 goals in 20 matches. In 2018, he scored 15 goals in 12 opportunities and once again established himself as the top scorer of the tournament.
Yuri Tanque played his first professional match for Ponte Preta in 2017 and since then has had stints with teams such as Coimbra-MG, Gainare Tottori (Japan), Ferroviária, Leixões (Portugal), Capivariano, and Guarani. In the last two, he was the top scorer of the Série A3 of the Campeonato Paulista, with 10 goals in 20 games for Capivariano, and top scorer for Guarani in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B having played only in the second half, with seven goals in 17 games. Both achievements occurred in 2022.
But those who think that the striker stopped there are mistaken. In 2023, Yuri accepted the challenge of embarking on his third experience in international football, this being his first in South Korea. For Jeju United, he played in 36 matches and contributed with 11 goals and four assists, once again standing out as his team’s top scorer. Now, he hopes to replicate his good numbers in 2024 to achieve more feats for Jeju United and also “open doors” for other Brazilian players in Asia.
“I am very grateful to God for this responsibility (to fight for the league’s top scorer title), but not only that, I am also aware that my performance can open doors for other Brazilians to enter the Korean market. I am aware and happy about the quality of other Brazilians who are already here because it makes the league even stronger and more competitive. Within my personal goals, and as a striker, I always aim to be at the top of the scoring charts and will work towards that in the name of Jesus,” he concluded.
