Jesse Lingard's home debut for FC Seoul attracted a league record attendance as thousands of fans queued to buy his club merchandise before kick-off.
The 31-year-old former England international, who was released by Nottingham Forest at the end of last season, penned a two-year deal with the South Korean side last month.
And last weekend, Lingard made his much-anticipated K League 1 debut in a 2-0 defeat to Gwangju, where he was brought on with 77 minutes played.
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It was a forgettable afternoon for fans but a week later, they were still keen to catch a glimpse of arguably their biggest-ever signing on Sunday.
In fact, FC Seoul built a shop outside the club's 66,000 capacity stadium containing Lingard merchandise – and many queued up for hours to make their purchase.
It was later confirmed that Lingard's appearance helped set a K League appearance record after an unprecedented 51,670 supporters attended the Gyeongin Derby.
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The previous attendance record was set by FC Seoul in 2018 during a game against Daegu; a clash that attracted a crowd of 45,007.
Fans must have been frustrated to see the midfielder on the bench on Sunday but FC Seoul manager Kim Gi-dong decided to introduce Lingard after the half hour mark.
Speaking after the game that finished 0-0, the former Manchester United man said: "We probably should have won in the end. I had a couple of half-chances. Not enough clear chances, but I think we can build on this.
"I think it's all about mindset and confidence coming into these games."
He added: "In front of a big crowd, first home game - amazing support throughout. We maybe should have finished off our chances."
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According to a report by Korea JoongAng Daily, Lingard has become the K League’s highest-paid player following his move.
It is believed that the midfielder will earn around 1.55 billion won per year, which equates to around $1.15 million.
Featured Image Credit: X/@Sungmo_Lee - X/@stujames75Topics: Jesse Lingard, South Korea, England
