“Always we struggle against Wolves,” Pep Guardiola said the day before taking his Manchester City side to Wolverhampton following six straight Premier League wins at the start of the season. “When you see the quality individually they have, especially up front, with Neto, with Cunha, with, er, the Korean guy… they are really good.”
The Korean Guy. Unfortunately, what was clearly meant as a compliment came out somewhat backhanded. Fortunately, Hwang Hee-chan took it in the best possible way.
And, as it turned out, Guardiola knew what he was talking about. A Ruben Dias own goal opened the scoring for Wolves and after City had levelled, Matheus Cunha set up who else but “The Korean Guy” to score the winner. How costly City’s first dropped points might be in what is unfolding as a tight title race remains to be seen.
After the goal, Wolves’ social media team cheekily posted a picture of Hwang and the score with the caption: “THE KOREAN GUY”. When he was asked about it sometime later Hwang responded, “He’s one of the best coaches in the world and he’s talking about me. For me, it’s [an] honour.”
And, perhaps showing quite how well he has taken it, when the forward went out for a meal in December after signing a new five-year contract, he celebrated with a cake that had “KOREAN GUY x WOLVES 2028” written on it in icing.
After a slow start to life at Wolves, the contract was reward for the 27-year-old thriving under new head coach Gary O’Neil, even prompting some observers to predict he could have one more big move in his career.
In those early seasons “he started off being quite a functional player,” one Wolves source told me last week. “He wasn’t ripping up trees or scoring that many goals, but managers always loved him.”
This season has been transformative for his goalscoring. Hwang has scored 13 times in 28 appearances for club and country – 10 of those in the Premier League, positioning him only four behind leading scorers Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah.
Earlier this season he became the first Wolves player in 50 years to score in six consecutive top-flight games and only the third ever to hit double figures in the Premier League, following in the footsteps of Raul Jimenez and Steven Fletcher.
Wolves are now in a strong but still finely-balanced position in the Premier League table — 13 points above relegation, four from European qualification — and Hwang’s return from the Asian Cup in Qatar, where South Korea were eliminated in the semi-finals, cannot be underestimated.
Wolves hurried him back as quickly as possible and Hwang arrived in England on a flight from Doha on Wednesday, was assessed on Thursday ahead of returning to training on Friday, and is in contention to play against Brentford.
Neto’s return from a lengthy injury has softened the blow of Hwang’s absence but it could be the first time the Wolves front three Guardiola so feared are reunited since October.
What changed to turn Hwang into one of Wolves’ most important players? Those who have worked with the player say one of his strongest attributes is his intelligence, which has made him a great fit for O’Neil. O’Neil’s demanding style relies on players being able to assume multiple systems and, within that, several individual roles within games.
Hwang is able to listen to O’Neil’s instructions and implement them exactly and immediately. In fact, he’s so good at digesting information it’s reached the point that O’Neil actually has to limit how much he tells Hwang, because he can have a tendency to do too much at once.
Add to that the fact Hwang is considered the team’s best finisher and you can see why he’s excelling. “If you want the ball to fall to anyone in box it’s him,” one Wolves source said.
“He’s one of those players that goes under the radar. He doesn’t do flash things. Doesn’t skin players. He’s probably faster than people realise. But he’s much more about timing, intelligent runs, getting into right place at right time.
“Not a highlights player at all, but if you wanted anyone one-on-one with the keeper or with the ball around the 18-yard box it’s him. He scores from difficult angles.”
There is also an element to his game that Hwang has eradicated. “He used to spend a lot of time rolling around on the pitch. But he does it less now. He stays on his feet. People warmed to him now he’s got rid of that side of his game.”
The level of superstardom South Korean players experience when they return home is generally under appreciated by fans in the UK. Son Heung-min is equivalent to David Beckham. Hwang is not quite in that sphere, but he still steps off flights to hordes of fans lining his route through the airport, still attends press conferences scheduled for no other reason than just being back.
At Wolves’ training ground, observers talk of a quiet, diligent, hard-working player.
As part of the community service he must complete (he was exempted from his country’s mandatory military service after winning gold at the 2018 Asian Games), Hwang spends time in London with the South Korean community, often coaching children.
He has invited groups to Molineux to watch games before heading to the training ground where the children train.
But there is also, they say, an almost bad-boy edge to him. Posing on the front cover of magazines: in a leather jacket with a lit match hanging from his lips, in a translucent top, wearing fashions that someone being sucked inescapably into middle-agedness can’t totally understand.
He is nicknamed “The Bull” – the Korean word for bull is Hwangso – for his aggressive, rugged style of play.
In South Korea, some see him as a successor to Son, who, at 31, is four years his senior. And he is not far off.
Online, Hwang is by far Wolves’ most popular player. His name is the most sold on the back of shirts and in some months around half of the views on the club’s official YouTube channel are from South Korea.
Viewing numbers differ significantly on videos but tend to be in five or low six figures. When Hwang scored on his debut against Watford it was watched 1.4m times.
Around 30 to 40 South Korean fans also buy tickets to every home game (a return flight from Seoul to London costs around £1,000). They wait for Hwang after the game and win, lose, or draw he gets out of his car and spends time with them.
Wolves are in a strong but still finely balanced position: 12 points above relegation, four from European qualification. A continuation of the form that has seen them lose only once in eight games can propel them towards Europe, but a drop off could suck them towards the bottom three.
Hwang is currently away with his country in Qatar for the Asia Cup and, should South Korea reach the final, he will be absent for Premier League games against Brighton, Manchester United, Chelsea and Brentford. A tricky run to miss your top scorer, although it is hoped the recent return of Neto after two months out injured will soften the blow.
Still, Hwang’s influence will undoubtedly be missed. “He is one of those players who could play in bigger teams,” one well-placed source said.
“People would be surprised but he’d do well. He can play in a fluid front three, as a false nine, on the wing. He is neither an out-and-out winger or a No 9. He’s the full package, a modern type of player that fits well into big teams.
“Diogo Jota was similar. Never the highest-profile player in team but a hugely loved player by fans, and had some of those qualities: an excellent finisher, much more combative than other players coming into league. They have a bite about them. They’re hungry. They never stop running.”
It’s an intriguing comparison to a player who moved to Liverpool for £41m in 2020. “When Jota went to Liverpool people raised eyebrows. Wolves had Raul Jimenez and Ruben Neves and other players who perhaps people knew more about. But as individuals, players like Hwang and Jota slot into Liverpools and Citys well.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s got maybe one big move in him. He probably has the hunger and desire to do that. In his head he will still think he can be Son levels. That day might come in the future.”
Who knows, maybe one day Hwang will end up playing for The Spanish Guy.
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