Brazilian striker Junior voted K League’s top player for July

Ulsan Hyundai FC’s Brazilian forward Junior Negrao has been voted the top player for the month of July in South Korean football.

The Korea Professional Football League (K League) announced Monday that Junior beat out three other nominees — Busan I Park attacker Lee Dong-jun, Pohang Steelers forward Stanislav Iljutcenko and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors defender Hong Jeong-ho — for the season’s third Player of the Month award.

The Brazilian player won the honor in May, when the K League belatedly started the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is the first time that one player has won the monthly award twice in a year since the prize was launched last year.

Junior scored eight goals in four matches in July, leading Ulsan Hyundai to an undefeated run in July and the No. 1 ranking. Currently, he is the league’s leading scorer with 18 goals.

He earned 31.6 percent of the vote from the K League’s performance evaluation committee, which accounts for 60 percent of the award. In the fan voting, accounting for the remaining 40 percent, Junior garnered 22.8 percent, for a combined 54.4 percent.

Busan’s Lee Dong-jun finished a distant second with 20.1 percent.

Junior will receive a trophy built by Electronic Arts Korea.