Kim Bo-kyung (; or ; born 6 October 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 le ...

who plays as a

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 ...

for Korean club

Suwon Samsung Bluewings ''(The Blue, White and Reds)''Tricolor'' , short name = SSB , image = , caption = , founded = , ground = Suwon World Cup Stadium , capacity = 44,031 , owner = Cheil Worldwide(Samsung's subsidiary) , chairma ...

Club career

Cerezo Osaka

In 2010, Kim dropped out of

Hongik University Hongik University (, colloquially ''Hongdae'') is a private university in Seoul, South Korea. Founded by an activist in 1946, the university is located in Mapo-gu district of central Seoul, South Korea with a second campus(branch campus) in S ...

and signed a three-year contract for

J1 League The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the J ...

side

Cerezo Osaka is a Japanese professional football club based in Osaka. The club currently plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name ''Cerezo'' (Spanish for cherry blossom) is also the flower of the city of Osaka. ...

. After he was loaned out to

J. League Division 2 The or simply J2 is the second division of the and the second level of the Japanese association football league system. The top tier is represented by the J1 League. It (along with the rest of the J.League) is currently sponsored by Meiji Ya ...

side

Oita Trinita is a Japanese football club currently playing in J2 League, having been relegated after the 2021 season after a three-year stint in J1 League. The club's home town is Ōita, Ōita, Ōita city, but the club draws support from Beppu, Ōita, Beppu, ...

for the 2010 season, he returned to Cerezo Osaka. During the 2011 season, Kim scored 8 goals. In 2012, while

Levir Culpi Levir Culpi (born 28 February 1953) is a Brazilian professional football coach and former player who played as a centre-back. Playing career Known as Levir during his playing days, he was born in Curitiba, Paraná, and started his career with ...

resigned and Cerezo Osaka appointed

Sérgio Soares Sérgio Soares da Silva (born 11 January 1967) is a Brazilian football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Playing career Born in São Paulo, Soares began his career with hometown side Juventus, making his first team debut in ...

as the new manager, he remained a key player for the team, scoring 7 goals in 15 matches. When he left the team to participate in the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, he was the fourth leading goal scorer in

Cardiff City

On 10 July 2012, his agents confirmed that his club

, had entered talks with Welsh

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

side Cardiff City over a possible transfer. On 12 July, Cardiff City and Cerezo Osaka agreed to a fee believed to be around £2.5 million. The deal was completed on 27 July, when Kim signed a three-year deal. He made his debut on 18 September in a 2–0 win over

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east ...

coming on for

Craig Noone Craig Stephen Noone (born 17 November 1987) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for A-League club Macarthur FC. He has also played professional football for Plymouth Argyle, Exeter City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Cardif ...

. Kim's first start for Cardiff came 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, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

in a 4–0 win at

Cardiff City Stadium The Cardiff City Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd) is a stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales. It is the home of Cardiff City Football Club and the Wales national football team. Following expansion of the Ninian Stand in July 2014 ...

on 27 October. Kim scored his first goal for Cardiff in their 4–1 victory over

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. T ...

on 7 December. His second was the opening goal at

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

in a 2–1 victory for Cardiff on 19 January. On 17 April 2013, Cardiff City won the

title and were promoted to 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 Foo ...

, making Kim the 12th Premier League player from Korea. He scored his first

goal against

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

on 24 November 2013, to secure a late 2–2 home draw with an injury time headed equaliser. On 24 January 2015, Cardiff City announced Kim's contract had been terminated by mutual consent.

Wigan Athletic

On 6 February 2015,

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...

announced that Kim agreed a contract until the end of 2014–15 season. After his contract expired, local rivals

tried to sign him, but Kim failed to get a work permit.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

At the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup, Kim scored once against

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and once against Mamelodi FC.

International career

Kim's international career began in 2009 as a member of the South Korea U-20. He participated in the

2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which was hosted by Egypt from 24 September to 16 October 2009. The tournament was initially going to take place between 10 and 31 July. However, the 2009 FIFA Confedera ...

, scoring 2 goals in 4 matches. After the U-20 World Cup, he was selected by

Hong Myung-Bo Hong Myung-bo ( ko, 홍명보, Hanja: 洪明甫; ; born 12 February 1969) is a South Korean former footballer who played as a sweeper, and the current head coach of Ulsan Hyundai. Hong is often considered one of the greatest Asian footballers ...

, then the head coach of the South Korea U-23 team. On 9 January 2010, Kim made his first international appearance for

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

in a friendly match against

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

and participated in 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 ...

later that year. He scored his first and second goals on 12 June 2012, in a World Cup qualifying match against

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. Kim was included in Hong's squad for the

and contributed to winning the bronze medal. He scored the winning goal against

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

via a spectacular left-foot volley shot and helped his side advance to the knockout stage. He was also included in the team of the tournament for his outstanding performances.

Career statistics

Club

International goals

:''Scores and results list

's goal tally first.''

Honours

Club

Cardiff City *

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...

: 2012–13 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors *

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

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 ...

(2):

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

* KFA Cup:

Country

South Korea U-23 *

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

bronze medal:

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

bronze medal:

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 gather ...

South Korea *

EAFF E-1 Football Championship EAFF E-1 Football Championship, known as the East Asian Football Championship from 2003 to 2010, and the EAFF East Asian Cup for the 2013 and 2015 editions, is a men's international football competition in East Asia for member nations of the East ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Individual

* K League 1 Best XI:

* K League 1 Most Valuable Player:

* K League 1 top assist provider:

References

External links

Profile at Kashiwa Reysol

Kim Bo-kyung – National Team stats at KFA
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Bo-Kyung 1989 births Living people Association football midfielders South Korean footballers South Korea international footballers South Korean expatriate footballers South Korean expatriate sportspeople in the United Kingdom South Korean expatriate sportspeople in Wales Expatriate footballers in Wales South Korean expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate footballers in England South Korean expatriate sportspeople in Japan Expatriate footballers in Japan 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2011 AFC Asian Cup players Oita Trinita players Cerezo Osaka players Cardiff City F.C. players Wigan Athletic F.C. players Matsumoto Yamaga FC players Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors players Kashiwa Reysol players Ulsan Hyundai FC players J1 League players J2 League players English Football League players Premier League players K League 1 players 2014 FIFA World Cup players Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers of South Korea Olympic medalists in football Olympic bronze medalists for South Korea Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Asian Games medalists in football Footballers at the 2010 Asian Games Asian Games bronze medalists for South Korea Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games South Korean Buddhists Sportspeople from South Jeolla Province