Unwavering self-belief pays off for ex-World Cup hero

About this time a year ago, there were whispers that Cho Gue-sung, who rose to stardom at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, wouldn't be able to play football anymore.

He had undergone knee surgery, but complications from the procedure kept him on the sidelines for over a year.

Making the South Korean national team for the 2026 World Cup seemed like a pipe dream.

But Cho, 28, never stopped believing.

That self-belief has paid off, as Cho, who rejoined his Danish club FC Midtjylland last fall, ear ...