Second-City

Korea Republic legend Cho So-hyun, into a seventh season in England and leading Championship promotion chasers Birmingham City, reflects on a career spanning 156 caps and 26 goals for her country, including the goal that helped eliminate Germany at the 2023 World Cup. The 36-year-old midfielder discusses adjusting to vice-captaincy under a different leadership culture than she experienced at home, learning English from scratch since arriving at West Ham, and finding calm through piano and guitar. She talks candidly about Korean football’s lack of investment relative to the men’s game, her ambition to reach the 2027 World Cup, and post-retirement plans to become a general manager back in South Korea – a rich, wide-ranging profile of one of the women’s game’s most experienced current players.