History of FC Seoul facts for kids

FC Seoul is a famous professional football club from Korea. They play in Seoul, the capital city. This article tells you about their exciting journey, from when they first started to becoming one of the top teams in the country.

How FC Seoul Started (1983–1989)

FC Seoul began on December 22, 1983. It was first called Lucky-Goldstar Football Club. The club was owned by the Lucky-Goldstar Group, which is now known as LG Group. Their mascot was a bull, called Hwangso.

In their first year, 1984, they finished seventh out of eight teams. But they quickly got better! In 1985, they won their first championship. A great player from Thailand, Piyapong Pue-On, helped them a lot. He scored the most goals and had the most assists in the league that year.

Moving to Seoul (1990–1995)

The Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso team always wanted to play in Seoul. In 1989, the K League (Korea Professional Football League) invited some clubs to play in the capital city. So, Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso moved to Seoul Stadium at the end of 1989.

They had a great first season in Seoul and won the championship again! In 1991, the club changed its name to LG Cheetahs. This name was inspired by the LG Twins, another sports team owned by LG Group.

The Anyang Years (1996–2003)

After a few years in Seoul, the club had to move again in 1996. This was because of a K League rule that wanted teams to be spread out. The team didn't go far, though. They moved to Anyang, a city right next to Seoul. They were then known as the Anyang LG Cheetahs.

During this time, many fans started to support the team. A big rivalry also grew with the Suwon Samsung Bluewings. This was partly because LG Group and Samsung Group, who owned the Suwon team, were big business rivals. The Anyang LG Cheetahs kept getting stronger. In 2000, they won their third championship, thanks to amazing striker Choi Yong-Soo.

Coming Back to Seoul (2004–2006)

After the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan, many new, big stadiums were built. The KFA wanted K League clubs to use these stadiums. This would help pay for their upkeep. The Seoul World Cup Stadium was empty, and the city of Seoul wanted a team to play there.

At first, they thought about starting a brand new club. But playing in the Seoul World Cup Stadium meant paying for some of its building costs. This would be too much for a new team. So, the KFA tried to get an existing club to move to Seoul.

The Anyang LG Cheetahs, with help from LG Group, decided to move. LG Group saw it as a way to get more attention. Also, the club felt they had the right to return to Seoul because they were forced to leave before. In February 2004, they announced their move. They agreed to pay about 15 billion Korean won (around US$15 million at the time) for stadium costs. This move caused some debate among football fans. But the KFA allowed it because other companies didn't want to pay the high fees to start a new club in Seoul.

The Seoul–Suwon Derby

One of the biggest rivalries in Korean football is the Seoul–Suwon derby. It started when the team was in Anyang, playing against Suwon. The Anyang team was part of LG, and the Suwon team was owned by Samsung. These two companies were huge rivals in business.

When the Anyang team moved to Seoul, some fans thought the rivalry would end. But it didn't! The matches between FC Seoul and Suwon Samsung are still the biggest events in the K League. The fans of both teams really don't like each other. This keeps the derby exciting and intense. On April 8, 2007, a record 55,397 fans watched the Seoul–Suwon derby. This was the most people ever at a professional sports event in South Korea at that time. FC Seoul also has a derby with Incheon United.

Şenol Güneş as Manager (2007–2009)

Şenol Güneş became FC Seoul's manager on December 8, 2006. His team started the 2007 season amazingly well. They won every match, including a big 4–1 victory over Suwon Samsung. But then, many key players got injured. This caused the team to struggle. They missed out on the play-offs but reached the League Cup final.

The next season under Güneş was much better. There were fewer injuries. Even though star player Park Chu-young left, young talents like Ki Sung-Yong and Lee Chung-Yong improved a lot. Striker Dejan Damjanović scored 14 goals. FC Seoul finished second in the K League and made it to the play-offs. They beat Ulsan Hyundai in the semi-final but lost to Suwon in the final. Even with the loss, they qualified for the AFC Champions League. Şenol Güneş left the club on November 25, 2009.

Playing in the AFC Champions League (2009)

FC Seoul played in the AFC Champions League for the first time in 2009. This is a big competition for top clubs in Asia. They won their first match against Sriwijaya FC. After some tough games, it looked like they might not make it to the next round. But a dramatic win against the champions, Gamba Osaka, and another surprising result, helped them move on.

On June 24, 2009, they beat Kashima Antlers in the Round of 16. This sent them to the quarter-finals of the competition!

Nelo Vingada's Year (2010)

FC Seoul hired Nelo Vingada as their new manager on December 14, 2009. Vingada had an incredible year in 2010. He led FC Seoul to win both the K League Cup and the K League championship! His record was 20 wins, 2 draws, and 6 losses. His winning percentage of 71% is the highest ever in the K League.

On May 5, 2010, FC Seoul had 60,747 fans at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. This was the highest number of people ever at a single professional sports match in South Korea. For the whole 2010 season, FC Seoul also set new attendance records. They had 546,397 total fans and an average of 32,576 fans per game.

FC Seoul wanted Vingada to stay, but they couldn't agree on his salary. So, Vingada left on December 13, 2010, and went back to Portugal.

Winning the Double (2010)

In 2010, FC Seoul achieved something special called "the Double." This means they won two major trophies in the same season.

First, they beat Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the final of the Posco Cup 2010. This made them the champions of the League Cup.

Then, they became the K League champions! They won against Jeju United in the final of the K League Championship. The second game of the final had 56,759 fans, which was a new record for a K League Championship match. This was the first time in FC Seoul's history that they won both the League Cup and the K League championship in one year.

Choi Yong-Soo's Leadership (2011-present)

FC Seoul's former star player, Choi Yong-Soo, became the club's manager in 2012. He had been an assistant manager and temporary manager before that. Under his leadership, Seoul won the K League championship again in 2012. They also finished as runners-up in the 2013 AFC Champions League, showing they were one of Asia's top teams.

See also

• FC Seoul
• Football in Seoul