Ki Sung-yueng (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...

: ;

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

: ; ; born 24 January 1989) is a South Korean professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who plays as a

central midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

or a

defensive midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundari ...

for the

K League 1 The K League 1 (Hangul: K리그1) is the men's top professional football division of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs. History The South Korean professional football league was founded in 1 ...

club FC Seoul. From 2008 to 2019, Ki was a full international for

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

, gaining over 100 caps. He was selected in their squads for three World Cups, leading them as captain in the 2018 edition in Russia, and participated in three Asian Cups, finishing as runner-up in the 2015 edition. He has also played at two Olympic Games with his country, winning bronze in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

. On 20 May 2015, Ki was voted Swansea City's Player of the Year as he scored eight goals in 33 appearances, with whom he also won the EFL Cup in 2013. He has also won the Scottish Premier League and the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,Celtic.

Early life

Ki started his football career at Suncheon Jungang Elementary School Football Club, and later joined Gwangyang Jecheol Middle School. In 2001, he went to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, Australia, to study at John Paul College under the BSP (Brain Soccer Program) overseen by Jeff Hopkins. His father saw the move as an opportunity for Ki to combine his athletic and academic pursuits as well as to learn English. Ki played his youth football for the school team and was part of the team that won the 2004 Bill Turner Cup, the national inter-school under-15 soccer competition. In 2005, he received offers from South Korean club FC Seoul and A-League club

Queensland Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland and has won the domestic title on three occasions, as well as holding the longest unbeaten record of 36 league matches without defeat. Brisb ...

, but decided to move back to South Korea to continue his education and career. After moving back to South Korea, Ki attended Kumho High School where he graduated in 2006.

Club career

FC Seoul

Ki returned to South Korea and joined FC Seoul, where he played alongside national teammate

Lee Chung-yong Lee Chung-yong (; ; born 2 July 1988) is a South Korean footballer who plays as a winger for K League 1 club Ulsan Hyundai and is a South Korean international. He is nicknamed "Blue Dragon", which is a literal translation of his given name ...

. He was an unused substitute in the last match of the 2006 League Cup. Under

Şenol Güneş Şenol Güneş, T.C., (, born 1 June 1952) is a Turkish football manager and former player. His most notable managerial achievements to date include coaching the Turkey national team to third place in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and winning two S� ...

, he made his senior debut in the K League on 4 March 2007, in a match against

Daegu FC Daegu FC ( Korean: 대구 FC) is a South Korean professional football club based in Daegu. The club was founded as a community club at the end of 2002, and made their K League 1 debut in 2003. Daegu has played mostly in the K League 1 but was rel ...

. During the 2008 season, Ki reinforced his position as a key player of FC Seoul. On 29 October 2008, Ki scored the winning goal against Seoul's biggest rivals Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the 92nd minute. Ki performed a "Kangaroo Ceremony", which he claims to be an imitation of

Emmanuel Adebayor Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor (; born 26 February 1984) is a Togolese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Togolese Championnat National club Semassi. He previously played for English clubs Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Ho ...

's ceremony, but Suwon fans have argued that this was imitation of 'chicken', which is what many Seoul fans call Suwon. He led the team to an unprecedented K League runners-up position with four goals and one assist in 21 appearances. In FC Seoul's first K League match of the 2009 season, Ki scored one goal in the 6–1 defeat of Chunnam Dragons. There was increasing speculation regarding a high-profile move abroad, with suitors including PSV,

Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...

and

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

, among others.

Celtic

On 25 August 2009, it was revealed that contact between Celtic and FC Seoul had occurred regarding the possibility of Ki's transfer to the

Parkhead Parkhead ( sco, Pairkheid) is a district in the East End of Glasgow. Its name comes from a small weaving hamlet at the meeting place of the Great Eastern Road (now the Gallowgate and Tollcross Road) and Westmuir Street. Glasgow's Eastern Necrop ...

club. However, the player's agent stated an immediate move would be unlikely given Seoul's success in the league and the Asian Champions League. Yet, three days later, Celtic clinched a £2.1 million transfer for Ki. He linked up with the Parkhead side in the January transfer window at the end of the K-League season. The signing was confirmed on 13 December 2009 after Ki passed a medical and secured a work permit. Ki reportedly turned down an offer from English club

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, then of the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

. He took the number 18 with "Ki" on his shirt. He made his debut for Celtic in a 1–1 draw against Falkirk at Celtic Park on 16 January 2010, winning the ''Man of the Match'' award from the official Celtic website. He played a further four matches for Celtic that season, but struggled to make much impact in what was a period of upheaval for the club. Ki Sung-Yueng - celtic

Ki barely played for Celtic in the first month of season 2010–11, but came off the bench to score his first competitive goal for Celtic on 22 August 2010 with a shot from 25 yards in a 4–0 victory against St Mirren in the Scottish Premier League (SPL). By the end of October he had become a first team regular and was voted the SPL Young Player of the Month for October 2010. However, on 30 October 2010, Ki found himself the recipient of apparent racist abuse during a league match away at St Johnstone. A section of the St Johnstone support were heard making barking noises – "woofing" – at Ki as he took a corner kick. Chants of "Who ate all the dogs?" were also heard from the home fans throughout the match. Ki scored his second goal of the season in a 2–2 draw with

Inverness Thistle Inverness Thistle Football Club was a football club playing in the city of Inverness in northern Scotland. Formation and timeline They were members of the Highland Football League, winning the championship eight times, including its inaugur ...

at Celtic Park. On 26 December 2010, Ki scored against St Johnstone in a 2–0 victory in the SPL, in what was his last match for Celtic before travelling to Qatar to play for South Korea in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in January. On returning to Scotland in February, Ki returned to the Celtic first team for the 2–2 draw against Rangers in a Scottish Cup tie at

Ibrox Stadium Ibrox Stadium is a Soccer-specific stadium, football stadium on the south side of the River Clyde in the Ibrox, Glasgow, Ibrox area of Glasgow, Scotland. The home of Rangers F.C., Rangers Football Club, Ibrox is the third largest List of foot ...

. Celtic played a significant part of the match with only ten men after goalkeeper Fraser Forster was sent off, but the midfield – including Ki – won praise for the manner in which they dominated the match in the second half. Ki also played in the replay at Celtic Park, an ill-tempered match which Celtic won 1–0. On 21 May 2011, Ki scored the first goal of Celtic's

Scottish Cup Final The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the Scottish Cup, is a knockout cup competition in Scottish football. Organised by the Scottish Football Association, it is the third oldest existing football competition in the w ...

win against Motherwell with a left-footed strike from around 35 yards. He also won the official Man of the Match award. Ki started the 2011–12 campaign in Celtic's opening match against Hibernian in the SPL. Scoring the second goal in a 2–0 victory, a 25-yard left foot strike into the right hand bottom corner and also won the ''Man of the Match'' award from the official Celtic website. He impressed Celtic manager

Neil Lennon Neil Francis Lennon (born 25 June 1971) is a Northern Irish football coach and former player. During his playing career he represented English clubs Manchester City, Crewe Alexandra and Leicester City. Lennon moved to Celtic in 2000, where he ...

so much in the Hibernian match that he said: Ki then went on to score another goal on 13 August 2011 in the SPL in a 5–1 win over

Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...

Celtic Park Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is al ...

, a strike into the top left-hand corner from the edge of the box. A couple of days later, it was reported that

sides

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

and several clubs from the

Russian Premier League The Russian Premier League (RPL; russian: Российская премьер-лига; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is the top division professional association football league in Russia. It was established at the end of 2001 ...

were interested in signing Ki. The next day, Celtic issued a "hands-off warning" to the interested clubs, saying it would take a bid of significant proportions for Celtic to allow the increasingly important midfielder to leave the club. On 10 September 2011, Ki again impressed against Motherwell, this time in the SPL with a superb strike from outside the box with his right foot. Celtic went on to win the match 4–0. On 29 September, he started in Celtic's 1–1 draw with Italian side

Udinese Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a ...

, scoring from a penalty after three minutes. On 18 December 2011, he scored the second goal of the match as Celtic defeated St Johnstone 2–0 at

McDiarmid Park McDiarmid Park is a stadium in Perth, Scotland, used mainly for association football. It has been the home ground of Scottish Premiership side St Johnstone since its opening in 1989. The stadium has an all-seated capacity of . As well as St J ...

in the SPL. Over the course of the 2011–12 campaign, Ki scored seven goals and had six assists, playing a key role in helping Celtic win the Scottish title.

Swansea City

On 24 August 2012, Ki transferred to Swansea City for around £6 million on a three-year contract, which was Swansea's record transfer fee until it was later broken by

Wilfried Bony Wilfried Guemiand Bony (born 10 December 1988) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a striker. Having begun his career at Issia Wazi, Bony moved to Sparta Prague in 2007, helping them to the Czech First League title in 2009–10 ...

. Ki made his debut for ''the Swans'' in a 3–1 victory against Barnsley in the second round of the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

Liberty Stadium The Swansea.com Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Swansea.com; formerly Liberty Stadium) is an all-seated sports stadium and conferencing venue located in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. The stadium opened in 2005 and was named the Liberty Stadium. It ...

on 28 August. Wearing the number 24 shirt, Ki started as a central midfielder and was substituted off in the 76th minute. Ki enjoyed a promising debut season in the Premier League. Although he failed to replicate the scoring form he displayed at Celtic, his passing style drew praise from supporters and critics, and he finished the season with 38 appearances in all competitions. On 24 February 2013, Swansea City competed in the final of the League Cup. Ki played for over an hour in the final in an unfamiliar central defensive role. The tactical switch proved to be a success, as Swansea ran out comfortable 5–0 winners against

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. ...

as Ki won his first trophy with the Welsh club.

Loan to Sunderland

On 31 August 2013, Ki joined Sunderland on a season-long loan with a mid-season re-call option. He scored his first goal for Sunderland on 17 December 2013 in a 2–1

quarter-final win over

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

, cutting inside

Ashley Cole Ashley Cole (born 20 December 1980) is an English football coach and former player who is currently a first-team coach at Premier League club Everton. As a player, he played as a left-back, most notably for Arsenal and Chelsea. Cole is cons ...

then beating goalkeeper

Mark Schwarzer Mark Schwarzer (; born 6 October 1972) is an Australian former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. He represented Australia at international level from 1993 to 2013, and was selected for both the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups ...

with a low shot in the 119th minute for the winning goal. On 26 December, he scored his second for Sunderland in a 1–0 away win over Everton. Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard played a short pass to Leon Osman who was robbed of the ball by Ki. Howard brought Ki down and was sent off, and Ki converted the

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

himself to give ''the Black Cats'' a vital win. It was Ki's first league goal. Ki's third goal for Sunderland came in a 4–1 away win at Fulham from a well-worked set piece by Adam Johnson. On 22 January 2014, Ki reached his second consecutive League Cup final as he helped Sunderland defeat Manchester United 2–1 on penalty kicks after the two-legged semi-final had finished level on aggregate, with Ki and Marcos Alonso scoring Sunderland's penalties. Ki played against Manchester City in the League Cup final on 2 March, but despite leading 1–0 at half-time, they were overpowered by City in the second half, eventually losing 3–1. Sunderland spent most of the Premier League season in the relegation zone, but Ki played his part in their recovery, even playing on despite suffering

tendonitis Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow ( tennis e ...

in his knee for several months. He played his last match for Sunderland on 10 April 2014. Sunderland succeeded in avoiding relegation, and eventually finished 14th.

Return to Swansea

Ki returned to Swansea for the start of the

2014–15 Premier League The 2014–15 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 23rd season of the Premier League, the top English professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992, and the ...

season, stating, "This is my third season in the Premier League, and I want to grow as a player and improve to help the team." He scored the first goal of the season in a 2–1 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on 16 August 2014. On 28 August, he signed a new contract to last until 2018. Ki became a regular in the team under new manager

Garry Monk Garry Alan Monk (born 6 March 1979) is an English football manager and former professional player who played as a centre back, and was most recently the manager of Championship club Sheffield Wednesday. His managerial career includes spells at ...

, and by the end of December, had started in every Premier League fixture. Ki did not play for Swansea during January 2015 as he was away on international duty with South Korea at the Asian Cup. On his return in February 2015, he went straight back in to the team and scored the equalising goal in a 1–1 draw with Sunderland. Swansea lost their next match 2–0 against

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pl ...

, but ten days later, the team recorded their second win of the season over Manchester United with Ki scoring their equalising goal in a 2–1 win. Ki played 28 times during the

2015–16 Premier League The 2015–16 Premier League (known as the Barclays Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 24th season of the Premier League, the top English professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992, and the ...

season, scoring twice. His first of the season on Boxing Day against West Bromwich Albion in an eventual 1–0 win, and the second on 8 May 2016 against

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

. He made three less appearances in the 2016–17 Premier League where, which the club struggled in for the majority of the season, Swansea narrowly avoided relegation, but the player did not score in that campaign. In the

2017–18 Premier League The 2017–18 Premier League was the 26th season of the Premier League, the top English professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1992, and the 119th season of top-flight English football overall. The season ...

season, it was another struggle for the club. Ki scored twice in two home fixtures within a month, the first against

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...

on 18 February 2018 and the second against

West Ham West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham. The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancient ...

. After that, it looked like the club was comfortable in mid-table, however with not much impact in the attacking point of view, the club struggled and Ki could not prevent them from Premier League relegation which was confirmed on the final day. After the relegation, Ki announced his departure shortly after the season finished.

Newcastle United

On 29 June 2018, Ki signed a two-year deal with Newcastle United after the expiration of his Swansea City contract, thus reuniting with former midfield partner Jonjo Shelvey. Manager Rafa Benitez gave Ki his first start for Newcastle on 26 August against Chelsea and the following weekend against Manchester City, both resulting in 2–1 defeats. Benitez would then not select Ki for the next five games, invoking the player's "lack of mobility". He came on as a substitute to replace the injured Shelvey against

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...

on 3 November and provided the game winning assist as his free kick was headed in by Ayoze Pérez to secure a 1–0 victory for Newcastle, their first league win of the season. From then on, he was part of Newcastle's march out of the relegation zone, jumping from bottom of the table to 15th by Christmas. His good form was halted as the South Korean had to join his national team to take part in the AFC Asian Cup in the

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

. After coming back to his club in the end of January 2019 with an achilles injury sustained in a match against the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, Ki announced he would retire from his international duties to fully focus on his club career. During his absence, local youngster

Sean Longstaff Sean David Longstaff (born 30 October 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Newcastle United as a midfielder. Career Longstaff began his career with the youth team of Newcastle United. He moved on loan ...

impressed and took over the starting spot in midfield alongside Isaac Hayden. Ki's game time became sporadic, the South Korean starting six out of the eleven remaining league games, and completing 90 minutes only twice. Despite Newcastle securing safety in the

, manager Rafa Benitez refused to extend his contract and was replaced by Steve Bruce. Under Bruce, Ki was given very little opportunities, making only three league appearances in the 2019–20 season, two of which coming off the bench. Up until January, Ki would rarely feature on the team sheet, moreover illness and a knock sustained in training in December furthered hindered his chances to play. His final appearance for Newcastle, an

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

game against

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

on 4 January 2020, ended in a 1–1 draw. Bruce and Newcastle allowed Ki to ponder his options in search of more game time during the winter

transfer window A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer wi ...

, and on 31 January 2020, he left the club by mutual consent.

Mallorca

On 25 February 2020, Ki joined RCD Mallorca for the remaining of the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...

, with the Balearic club engaged in a relegation battle from the Spanish top tier. He made his

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...

debut on 7 March, replacing Takefusa Kubo in the last fifteen minutes of a vital 2–1 away win against

Eibar Eibar ( eu, Eibar, es, Éibar) is a city and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country of Spain. It is the head town of Debabarrena, one of the '' eskualde / comarca'' of Gipuzkoa. Eibar has 27,138 inhabitants ( Eusta ...

, thus becoming the first Korean player to wear the shirt of Los Bermellones. His spell in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, however, was put to an abrupt end after the emergence of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, with La Liga being put on hold for three months, and as the league resumed in early June, Ki was unable to train with his team-mates having sustained an ankle injury. He left Mallorca five days before the expiring of his contract, having made only one appearance.

Return to FC Seoul

After spending eleven years in Europe, Ki agreed to return to FC Seoul and signed a contract until 2023 on 21 July 2020. It was reported that Ki and Seoul had already held talks in January that year about a possible come back to South Korea after the midfielder terminated his contract with Newcastle, but negotiations fell off as Ki accused Seoul of negotiating in bad faith. At the time of his signing, the club was sitting in eleventh place out of twelve teams halfway through the 2020 K League season. He made his return for the club on 30 August 2020, coming on as a substitute in a 3–0 away defeat to league leaders

Ulsan Hyundai Ulsan Hyundai FC ( ko, 울산 현대 축구단) is a South Korean professional football club based in Ulsan that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. Founded in 1983 as Hyundai Horang-i, they joined the K League ...

. Caretaker manager Kim Ho-young would then give Ki time to regain fitness by bringing him off the bench the three following games, and his impact on the team was quickly praised for providing more stability in FC Seoul's midfield. However, on 16 September, Ki suffered another setback in a 1–0 loss against

Incheon United Incheon United FC is a South Korean professional football club based in Incheon that competes in the K League 1, the top flight of South Korean football. Founded in 2003, the club is a so-called "community club", with the government of the city ...

, sustaining a hamstring injury. After FC Seoul ultimately managed to remain in the division, Ki was promoted captain of his club for the 2021 season. He started the new campaign in impressive fashion, greatly contributing in FC Seoul's four wins in the opening six games. He scored decisive goals in three consecutive games which Seoul won by a single-goal margin, including a last-minute winner against Incheon United on 13 March. On 12 April, he was voted the EA Sports Player of the Month for these performances.

International career

On the international stage, Ki has played in the 2007 U-20 World Cup and for the South Korea national team as well as the South Korea under-23 team. On 7 June 2008, he made his international debut in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

. On 1 June 2010, Ki was picked in the 23-man South Korea squad for the

2010 World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

finals. On 12 June, Ki played in South Korea's first match of the World Cup, against

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

. Ki played a part in all three group matches and assisted twice in two different matches against Greece and

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

which helped him and his country get through to the knockout stages of the competition. On 20 December 2011, Ki (along with

Ji So-yun Ji So-yun ( ko, 지소연, ; born 21 February 1991) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for WK League club Suwon FC and the South Korean national team. Club career Ji started her career in Japan, playing fo ...

of Kobe INAC Japan) was awarded the South Korean Player of the Year award. The decision was announced by the Korean Football Association (KFA) based on his international and club performance in the SPL. In the 2012 Summer Olympics, Ki scored the fifth and vital penalty for South Korea in their quarter-final match against Great Britain, allowing South Korea to progress to the semi-finals. South Korea lost 3–0 to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

in the semi-final, but defeated Japan 2–0 in the third-place play-off to win the bronze medal. Ki was selected for the South Korea squad for the

2014 World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting righ ...

in Brazil. He played in all three matches as Korea were eliminated at the group stage after one draw and two defeats. Following the World Cup, Ki was made captain of the national team by new coach

Uli Stielike Ulrich "Uli" Stielike (born 15 November 1954) is a German former footballer and manager. Usually a central midfielder or sweeper, Stielike was well known for his stamina and footballing intelligence.Radnedge, Keir. (2004). The Complete Encyclope ...

. Ki also played for South Korea in the 2015 Asian Cup during January, helping his country reach the final against hosts Australia. He provided the assist for

Son Heung-min Son Heung-min ( ko, 손흥민; ; born 8 July 1992) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and captains the South Korea national team. Considered one of the best forwards i ...

to tie the final at 1–1 and force extra time, but the Australians scored again during the extra 30 minutes to win 2–1. Ki captained for South Korea in the

2018 World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...

and played the first two matches before missing the last group stage match against

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

due to a left calf injury suffered against

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

took the captain's armband in Ki's place. Ki retired from international duties after his country's game against

in the 2019 Asian Cup. South Korea won the match 1–0, though Ki was substituted after suffering a hamstring injury mid-game.

Personal life

Family

His father, Ki Young-ok, was general manager of Gwangju FC between 2015 and 2019. He resigned from his position in December 2019, citing "deteriorating health" after four years at the club without receiving any salary. The club, who faced financial difficulties, managed to climb to the country's top tier under his tenure but failed to establish itself in the K League. Ki confirmed in March 2013 that he was dating actress Han Hye-jin, and announced their engagement in May 2013. The couple filed their marriage registration on 25 June 2013, and wed on 1 July at the Intercontinental Hotel Seoul. Both are devout

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

. They have a daughter, born on 13 September 2015.

Controversies

On 19 November 2007, Ki wrote, "If you are frustrated, why don't you go out and play?" on his Cyworld page in response to the criticism by Korean fans after the South Korea U-23 team's goalless draw against

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...

. Ki later deleted his statement after being heavily condemned for his careless behaviour. On 25 January 2011, during the 2011 AFC Asian Cup semi-final match between Japan and South Korea, Ki scored the opening goal through a

. Ki created a controversy by celebrating his goal by scratching his cheek in front of a pitch-side camera in an allegedly racist slur at Japanese people. Asian Cup tournament director Tokuaki Suzuki said no action would be taken on part of the AFC and that FIFA has not contacted the AFC regarding the matter. In the summer of 2013, it was widely reported Ki had previously insulted then-South Korea national team manager Choi Kang-hee on his Facebook page before and after the match against

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

in February 2012. Ki wrote, "Now everyone should have realised the value of the players who play overseas. eshould have left us alone, otherwise, ewill be hurt." Ki later apologised for his "mischievous and inappropriate remarks" and his father visited the KFA to apologise as well. On 24 February 2021, Ki was accused of sexual and physical assault by two former elementary school teammates. Those allegations emerged in a context of accusations of bullying against professional basketball and volleyball players in South Korea, including twin sisters Lee Da-yeong and Lee Jae-yeong who were suspended indefinitely by their teams, and

Park Sang-ha Park Sang-ha (Hangul: 박상하; born 4 April 1986 in Jecheon, Chungcheongbuk-do) is a South Korean volleyball player. He currently plays as a middle blocker for the Daejeon Samsung Fire Bluefangs. Career Clubs Park was selected fifth overall b ...

who announced his retirement soon after. Although the press release detailing the accusations did not name Ki as a perpetrator, it described a "star player who recently joined a club in the greater Seoul area", and the acts took place while in sixth grade of elementary school at South Jeolla Province in the year 2000. Ki, along with another player, allegedly forced the victims to perform sexual acts on them between January and June 2000. Ki, first via his agency C2 Global and then on social media, categorically denied the accusations stating "he had no connection whatsoever" to the case and threatened to take legal action.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ki goal.''

Honours

Celtic * Scottish Premier League: 2011–12 *

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...

runner-up: 2011–12 Swansea City * Football League Cup:

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

Sunderland * Football League Cup runner-up: 2013–14 FC Seoul *

Korean FA Cup The Korean FA Cup is a national football cup knockout competition of South Korea, held annually by the Korea Football Association (KFA). Before the FA Cup was established in 1996, two predecessor competitions named All Joseon Football Tournament ...

runner-up:

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

South Korea U23 * Summer Olympics bronze medal:

South Korea * AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 2015 Individual * K League 1 Best XI:

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, 2009 *

K League Players' Player of the Year The K League Players' Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the year in South Korea. The award has been presented since 2007 and the winner is chosen by a vote amongst the members of the ...

: 2009 * AFC Youth Player of the Year: 2009 * Korean FA Player of the Year: 2011, 2012, 2016 * AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 2015 * Swansea City Player of the Season: 2014–15

References

External links

Ki Sung-yueng – National Team Stats
at KFA * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ki, Sung-Yueng 1989 births Living people Sportspeople from Gwangju Association football midfielders South Korean footballers South Korean expatriate footballers South Korea under-17 international footballers South Korea under-20 international footballers South Korea under-23 international footballers South Korea international footballers FC Seoul players Celtic F.C. players Swansea City A.F.C. players Sunderland A.F.C. players Newcastle United F.C. players RCD Mallorca players K League 1 players Scottish Premier League players Premier League players La Liga players Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2011 AFC Asian Cup players Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 AFC Asian Cup players 2018 FIFA World Cup players Olympic footballers of South Korea Olympic medalists in football Olympic bronze medalists for South Korea South Korean emigrants to Australia South Korean expatriate sportspeople in Scotland South Korean expatriate sportspeople in Wales South Korean expatriate sportspeople in England South Korean expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate footballers in Scotland Expatriate footballers in Wales Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Spain Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics South Korean Christians Asian Young Footballer of the Year winners Haengju Ki clan FIFA Century Club 2019 AFC Asian Cup players People educated at John Paul College (Brisbane)