The World Cup has its newest heartthrob, and it’s South Korean striker Cho Gue-sung, who has been making waves on social media for being extremely handsome.
Fan cams and photos of the charismatic No. 9 have gone viral after he scored South Korea’s two goals in the match against Ghana on Monday Nov. 28.
A fancam video that shows Cho sitting on the sidelines with his arms crossed then rubbing his cheek has garnered more than 8.3 million views on Twitter.
The hashtag #ChoGuesung on TikTok has 382 million views, with fans gushing over Cho.
The 24-year-old’s Instagram account has catapulted from 20,000 followers at the beginning of the World Cup to more than 2.3 million fans as of Sunday Dec. 4.
Cho reportedly had to turn off his phone from the multitude of notifications and messages he was getting.
“He had to get some rest,” Seo Jung-hwan, a South Korean journalist, told the Athletic. “His phone was going all night. It was keeping him awake. He was trying to concentrate on football and, all the time, the messages were coming.”
People are literally ready to marry him.
Cho’s newfound celebrity status has many speculating about his future opportunities in the form of brand partnerships, modeling work and TV commercials.
Cho’s meteoric rise to international fame has been compared to the mania from the 2002 World Cup, when South Korean midfielder Kim Nam-il became an overnight sensation.
Fans will next see Cho play on Monday Dec. 5 when South Korea plays Brazil in the Knockout stage.
