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Choi Sung-kuk
Choi Sung-Kuk.jpg
Choi with Suwon Samsung Bluewings in 2011
Personal information
Full name Choi Sung-kuk
Date of birth (1983-02-08) 8 February 1983 (age 42)
Place of birth Seoul, South Korea
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Second striker
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2002 Korea University
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2006 Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i 84 (10)
2005 Kashiwa Reysol (loan) 8 (0)
2007–2010 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 49 (7)
2009–2010 → Gwangju Sangmu (draft) 48 (13)
2011 Suwon Samsung Bluewings 12 (1)
Total 201 (31)
International career
1997–1998 South Korea U17 6 (2)
1999–2003 South Korea U20 20 (12)
2001–2006 South Korea U23 40 (3)
2002–2011 South Korea 26 (2)
Medal record
Representing  South Korea
Men's football
AFC Asian Cup
Bronze 2007 Indonesia/Malaysia
/Thailand/Vietnam
Team
Asian Games
Bronze 2002 Busan Team
AFC Youth Championship
Gold 2002 Qatar Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
Choi Sung-kuk
Hangul
최성국
Hanja
崔成國
RR Choe Seongguk
MR Ch'oe Sŏngguk

Choi Sung-kuk (born 8 February 1983) is a former South Korean footballer. He played as a second striker, which is a forward player who plays just behind the main striker. Choi was a talented player who represented his country in many important tournaments. His football career ended when he was banned from all football activities.

Early Life and Football Start

Choi Sung-kuk was born in Seoul, South Korea. He started playing football at Donggok Elementary School. When he played for Jeongmyeong High School, people noticed his amazing talent. They even called him "Korean Maradona" because he was so good. After high school, Choi studied at Korea University for two years.

Club Career Highlights

Starting with Ulsan Hyundai

Choi joined the K League club Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I on 27 February 2003. He quickly became a strong player in the professional league. In his first season, he scored seven goals. He was even considered for the K League Rookie of the Year award.

In 2004, Choi played for the Olympic team, which made it harder to focus on his club. He scored only one goal in 19 league games that year. In 2005, he was loaned to J1 League club Kashiwa Reysol in Japan for five months.

Success and Moving Clubs

The next year, Choi showed great improvement. He became the top goalscorer in the 2006 Korean League Cup. He also had a memorable game in the 2006 AFC Champions League against Al-Shabab. Choi helped Ulsan win 6–0 by breaking through the opponents' defense and scoring two goals. After the 2006 season, he moved to Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.

In December 2008, Choi joined the military football team Gwangju Sangmu. This was part of his military duty in South Korea.

Final Club and Career End

Choi moved to Suwon Samsung Bluewings before the 2011 season. He signed a three-year contract and was even named the new captain for Suwon. However, his career soon faced a major challenge.

In August 2011, it was announced that Choi would no longer be able to play in any football leagues in South Korea. Later, in January 2012, FIFA (the international football organization) gave him a lifelong ban from all sports. This meant his professional football career came to an end.

International Career for South Korea

Youth National Teams

Choi Sung-kuk played for South Korea's national youth teams.

  • He was part of the South Korean under-17 team for the 1998 AFC U-16 Championship. He scored two goals in six games.
  • In 2002, he helped the South Korean under-23 team win a bronze medal at the Asian Games.
  • He also won the 2002 AFC Youth Championship with the South Korean under-20 team.

Senior National Team

In March 2003, Choi was called up to the senior national team for the first time. He played his first game in a 0–0 draw against Colombia. He scored his first goal for the senior team in a 1–0 win against Oman in 2004.

Choi also played in the 2004 Summer Olympics, where South Korea reached the quarter-finals. He was part of South Korea's team for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. He scored a goal in the first match against Saudi Arabia. South Korea finished third in the tournament.

Personal Life and Later Activities

Choi Sung-kuk comes from a family of athletes. His mother, Kim Jae-young, was a gymnast. His father played field hockey in school. In December 2005, Choi married Kwak Seon-hye, and they had a child a year later.

After his football career ended, Choi worked as a clerk in a hospital. In April 2016, he started working as a commentator for a sports website called Spoplay.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i 2003 K League 27 7 0 0 27 7
2004 K League 19 1 4 3 0 0 23 4
2005 K League 16 1 1 0 0 0 17 1
2006 K League 22 1 1 0 13 8 4 4 40 13
Total 84 10 6 3 13 8 4 4 107 25
Kashiwa Reysol 2005 J1 League 8 0 0 0 4 0 12 0
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 2007 K League 27 3 0 0 1 0 8 3 36 6
2008 K League 18 4 2 0 8 3 28 7
2010 K League 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 7 1
Total 49 7 2 0 9 3 11 4 71 14
Gwangju Sangmu (draft) 2009 K League 26 9 0 0 2 0 28 9
2010 K League 22 4 3 1 2 0 27 5
Total 48 13 3 1 4 0 55 14
Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2011 K League 12 1 1 1 0 0 6 0 19 2
Career total 201 31 12 5 30 11 21 8 264 55

International Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
South Korea 2003 4 1
2004 4 0
2005 3 0
2006 3 0
2007 7 1
2008 3 0
2010 1 0
2011 1 0
Career total 26 2

Honours and Awards

Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i

  • K League 1: 2005
  • Korean Super Cup: 2006
  • A3 Champions Cup: 2006

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma

South Korea U20

  • AFC Youth Championship: 2002

South Korea U23

  • Asian Games bronze medal: 2002

South Korea

Individual Awards

  • Korean FA Cup top goalscorer: 2001
  • K League All-Star: 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010
  • Korean League Cup top goalscorer: 2006
  • K League All-Star Game Most Valuable Player: 2008

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Choi Sung-kuk para niños

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