Ko Jong-soo ( born October 30, 1978) is a South Korean football coach and former football player.

Growth Background

Born in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, he graduated from Yeosu West Elementary School, Yeosu Gubong Middle School, and Kumho High School.

Career

He rose to stardom during the 1998 World Cup, along with

Lee Dong-Gook Lee Dong-gook (, ; born 29 April 1979) is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is a record scorer in the K League 1, and had brief spells in Europe with Werder Bremen and Middlesbrough. He also played for ...

, and Ahn Jung-Hwan. He was once called "the greatest technician in Korea," for his pace, skillful free kicks, and his left foot. He can operate in central midfield as well on the left wing. In the early 2000s in the K-League, there was a nickname for where he'd kick the ball called "Go Jong-soo Zone ", and his skills were so good that if he kicked a free kick there, there was a high probability that it'd lead to a goal. He also scored a free kick goal against then-world goalkeeper Chilavert in 2001. He was traded to Chunnam for the services of Kim Nam-Il who went to Suwon in exchange, but did not renew the contract. He is not a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

under the regulations. He had no choice but to play for any other team but Chunnam. In September 2006, he has stated that he has managed to shed over 20 lbs weighing 78 kg whereas he weighed about 76 kg during his heyday. In spite of renewed hopes of his much anticipated return, the latest Ko sighting was in December 2006. Ko was reportedly not in football shape and evaded reporter questions by driving off in a white Mercedes Benz. (But Ko denied this claim, saying: "After hearing that news, once I thought to give up the life of footballer.") On 8 January 2007,

Daejeon Citizen Daejeon Hana Citizen Football Club ( Korean 대전 하나 시티즌 축구단) is a South Korean professional football team based in Daejeon that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. At the time of its foundation in 19 ...

signed Ko one year after Chunnam Dragons agreed on his transfer. His wage will be decided based on how well he performs in winter training camp in Cyprus. Ko expressed a strong desire to return to the sport, telling an interviewer: "I will play for Daejeon regarding this chance as the last." In February 2009, he announced his retirement.

Play Style

He is considered a player who is good at using his left foot, is skilled at taking free kicks, and can bring creativity to mid-field lines. He became known as "L'enfant Terrible" after wowing audiences with sensuous passes, shots, and sharp crosses.

Things Else

He played for the Korea-Japan All-Star game in January 2001, and scored a fantastic free-kick against Jose Luis Chilavert. On September 4, 2002, he scored the longest-left goal (57m) in an away game against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the K-League. In 2007, he was named the ' most anticipated soccer player of 2007 ' by a leading online newspaper and a website specializing in overseas soccer.

Club statistics

National team statistics

International goals

:''Results list South Korea's goal tally first.''

Honours

Club

;Suwon Bluewings *

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 ...

(3) :

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, 2004 *

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 ...

(1) : 2002 * K-League Cup (4) : 1999 (Daehan Fire Insurance Cup), 1999 (Adidas Cup),

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

, 2001 *

Korean Super Cup The Korean Super Cup was the annual curtain-raiser to the South Korean football season from 1999 to 2006, and was contested between the champions of K League and Korean FA Cup. It was dropped from the South Korean football calendar in 2007. Afte ...

(2): 1999, 2000 * AFC Champions League (2) : 2000–01, 2001–02 *

Asian Super Cup The Asian Super Cup was an annual football competition between the winners of the Asian Club Championship and the Asian Cup Winners' Cup. The competition started in 1995, but came to an end in 2002 after both major AFC tournaments were merged int ...

(2) : 2001, 2002

Individual

* 1993 Winner of the Daejeon Soccer Contest * 1994 Baek-Rok-Ki Soccer contest Player of the Year * 1997 Adidas Cup Most Assist Soccer Player * 1998 Won the Best Sports Player of Sports Seoul * 1998 K-League MVP Award * 1998 K-League Best 11 selected * 1999 K-League Best 11 selected * 2000 Adidas Cup Winner Score King * 2000 Hummel-Stu popular award * AFC 's Goal in February 2001 * The 2001 AFC Player of the Month ' * Winner of the 2007 Windsor Awards

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ko, Jong-soo 1978 births Living people People from Yeosu Suwon Samsung Bluewings players Kyoto Sanga FC players Jeonnam Dragons players Daejeon Hana Citizen FC players K League 1 players J1 League players K League 1 Most Valuable Player Award winners 1998 FIFA World Cup players 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup players Footballers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers of South Korea Association football midfielders Expatriate footballers in Japan South Korean expatriate sportspeople in Japan South Korean expatriate footballers South Korea international footballers South Korean footballers Sportspeople from South Jeolla Province Daejeon Hana Citizen FC managers K League 2 managers South Korean football managers