Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors signs Tiago Orobo, K League 1's No. 2 scorer

Brazilian forward Tiago Orobo is joining K League 1 team Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, the club announced Wednesday. He recorded 17 goals and seven assists last season, tying top scorer Ulsan HD striker Joo Min-kyu.

Then-Daejeon Hana Citizen forward Tiago Orobo in action during a K League match against FC Seoul at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on July 1. [NEWS1]

Brazilian forward Tiago Orobo is joining K League 1 team Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, the club announced Wednesday.

Orobo comes from a stint with fellow K League 1 club Daejeon Hana Citizen, where he played as a regular forward pick during the 2023 season and displayed one of the best performances by any forward in the league.

He recorded 17 goals and seven assists across 36 league fixtures, ending the season as the league’s second top scorer behind striker Joo Min-kyu of Ulsan HD.

The two scored the same amount of goals last season, but Joo edged Orobo out by having fewer minutes played — the second deciding factor when two players have the same amount of goals.

Jeonbuk’s signing of Orobo comes as the team is looking to boost its attack in 2024. The team scored 45 goals in 38 matches last season, slightly lower than the league average of 47.25.

None of Jeonbuk’s forwards managed a double-digit amount of goals. Song Min-kyu was the team’s top scorer with just seven goals.

Orobo is not necessarily an agile forward who beats defenders with his pace and scores on his own, but instead tends to stay up front and rely on good positioning that allows him to score inside the penalty area.

Orobo’s two headers against the Steelers on Aug. 20 displayed exactly that strength. He also scored with a remarkable curling shot in that match to complete a hat trick.

“I am joining Jeonbuk for the 2024 season, and I am so happy that I’ve come here,” Orobo said in a video shared on Jeonbuk’s official Instagram on Wednesday. “It is a special thing for me to be playing for Asia’s best team.”

Last season was not the first time Orobo displayed a convincing performance, as he topped the 2022 K League 2 table with 19 goals at Gyeongnam FC.

Jeonbuk had a relatively unimpressive year, as the team finished in fourth place and lost the Korean FA Cup final to the Pohang Steelers.

Although they have been one of the most successful teams in K League history with nine league titles, Jeonbuk have missed out on another title since 2022, when Ulsan’s dominance began.

Ulsan won back-to-back league titles in 2022 and 2023 for the club’s first-ever title defense.

Jeonbuk has a chance to secure more silverware next year, as they reached the knockout stage of the 2023-24 AFC Champions League that runs through May 2024.

The 2024 K League will kick off in spring next year, with the exact schedule yet to be announced.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]