Hwang Hee-chan facts for kids
Hwang in 2024
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Hwang Hee-chan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 26 January 1996 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Chuncheon, Gangwon, South Korea | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Wolverhampton Wanderers | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2014 | Pohang Steelers | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2020 | Red Bull Salzburg | 86 | (28) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | → FC Liefering (loan) | 31 | (13) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | → Hamburger SV (loan) | 20 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | RB Leipzig | 20 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 30 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022– | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 77 | (17) | |||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | South Korea U17 | 7 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | South Korea U20 | 12 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | South Korea U23 | 22 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016– | South Korea | 73 | (16) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 June 2025 |
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| Hwang Hee-chan | |
| Hangul |
황희찬
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|---|---|
| Hanja |
黄喜燦
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| Revised Romanization | Hwang Huichan |
| McCune–Reischauer | Hwang Hŭich'an |
Hwang Hee-chan (Korean: 황희찬) was born on January 26, 1996. He is a professional footballer from South Korea. He plays as a forward for Wolverhampton Wanderers in England. He also plays for the South Korea national team.
In South Korea, Hwang is known as "Hwangso." This Korean word means "bull." He got this nickname because of his strong and energetic way of playing football.
Contents
Hwang Hee-chan's Early Football Journey
Hwang Hee-chan was born in Chuncheon, South Korea. His family moved to Bucheon soon after he was born. They lived there until he was eleven years old.
Starting Football in School
Hwang began playing football at Uijeongbu Singok Elementary School. In 2008, he was the top scorer in two big youth competitions in South Korea: the Hwarangdaegi Tournament and the Dongwon Youth Cup. He also played very well for the South Korean national under-12 team. Hwang scored 22 goals in the Kanga Cup, which was a new record for that tournament. Because of his amazing performances, he won the grand prize of the Cha Bum-kun Football Award. This award is given to the best young footballers in South Korea.
After elementary school, he went to Pohang Jecheol Middle School. There, he joined the Pohang Steelers under-15 team. In 2011, his team won the middle school division of the Korean National School League. Hwang was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the competition.
Later, he joined Pohang Jecheol High School and the Pohang Steelers under-18 team. In 2013, he scored 12 goals in 12 games for his team in the K League Junior. This helped his high school win the league. He also led Pohang to another title in the high school division of the National School League. He was again the MVP and the top scorer.
Playing for Clubs
Red Bull Salzburg
In December 2014, Hwang Hee-chan decided to join the Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg. This was instead of signing with his youth club, Pohang Steelers. On November 3, 2016, Hwang scored two goals in a Europa League match against Nice. This helped his team get their first Europa League win of that season.
During the 2017–18 season, Salzburg had their best European football season ever. They won their UEFA Europa League group and then beat strong teams like Real Sociedad and Borussia Dortmund. This meant they reached the quarter-finals for the first time. On April 12, Hwang scored a goal against Lazio, helping his team win 4–1 and move to the semi-finals. On August 31, 2018, Hwang went on loan to Hamburger SV until the end of the 2018–19 season.
In the 2019–20 season, Hwang played alongside other talented attackers like Erling Haaland and Takumi Minamino at Salzburg. They were especially praised for their games in the Champions League. Hwang was involved in eight goals, scoring three goals and assisting three others. He also won two penalty kicks for his team. People described his playing style as energetic, with good passing and dribbling skills. Overall, Hwang had an amazing season, scoring 16 goals and providing 22 assists in 40 games.
RB Leipzig
On July 8, 2020, Hwang signed a five-year contract with RB Leipzig in Germany. On September 12, he scored a goal and set up another in his first game for Leipzig. This was in a cup match against Nürnberg. He helped Leipzig reach the 2021 DFB-Pokal Final by scoring in earlier rounds.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
On August 29, 2021, Hwang joined the Premier League team Wolverhampton Wanderers on a loan deal. On September 11, he scored Wolves' second goal against Watford in his very first game as a substitute. On October 2, he scored both goals in Wolves' 2–1 win against Newcastle United at their home stadium, Molineux.
On January 26, 2022, Wolves announced that Hwang would join the club permanently starting July 1, 2022. He signed a contract until 2026. He scored five goals in his first season in the Premier League.
On September 30, 2023, Hwang scored the winning goal against Manchester City. This gave the champions their first loss of the 2023–24 season. On October 28, 2023, Hwang scored his sixth goal in the first ten games of the season. This made him the first Wolves player to do so in 50 years.
On December 21, 2023, Hwang signed a new long-term contract with Wolves, keeping him at the club until 2028. On December 27, he scored two goals in a 4–1 win against Brentford. He became only the third Wolves player to score at least 10 Premier League goals in one season.
In July 2024, during a friendly match, Hwang reportedly heard a racist comment from a player on the Como 1907 team. Wolves supported Hwang and filed a complaint.
Hwang scored his first goal of the 2024–25 season in a 2–0 win over Manchester United. This helped his team move out of the relegation zone.
Playing for His Country
Youth and Olympic Teams
In the 2012 AFC U-16 Championship, Hwang was the top scorer with five goals. This included three goals against North Korea.
Hwang played in the 2016 Summer Olympics. He scored a goal in a group match against Germany, which ended in a 3–3 draw.
He also played for the under-23 team at the 2018 Asian Games. In the final against Japan, he scored the second and winning goal for South Korea. This win was very important because it meant Hwang and his teammates would not have to do mandatory military service.
Senior National Team
In a friendly match on March 28, 2018, Hwang scored South Korea's second goal against Poland.
Hwang played for South Korea in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He started in the first two matches against Sweden and Mexico.
In the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Hwang scored the winning goal in extra time against Portugal. This 2–1 win helped South Korea move on to the Round of 16. They were later knocked out by Brazil.
Hwang was called up for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. He had a hip injury just before the competition, so he missed the first two matches. He played as a substitute in later games. In a 2–1 quarter-final win over Australia, he scored a penalty goal. He also won a free-kick that led to Son Heung-min's winning goal.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Red Bull Salzburg | 2015–16 | Austrian Bundesliga | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Austrian Bundesliga | 26 | 12 | 6 | 2 | — | 3 | 2 | 35 | 16 | ||
| 2017–18 | Austrian Bundesliga | 20 | 5 | 3 | 3 | — | 14 | 5 | 37 | 13 | ||
| 2019–20 | Austrian Bundesliga | 27 | 11 | 5 | 1 | — | 8 | 4 | 40 | 16 | ||
| Total | 86 | 28 | 15 | 6 | — | 25 | 11 | 126 | 45 | |||
| FC Liefering (loan) | 2014–15 | Austrian 2. Liga | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | 13 | 2 | |||
| 2015–16 | Austrian 2. Liga | 18 | 11 | — | — | — | 18 | 11 | ||||
| Total | 31 | 13 | — | — | — | 31 | 13 | |||||
| Hamburger SV (loan) | 2018–19 | 2. Bundesliga | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 2 | ||
| RB Leipzig | 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 18 | 0 | 5 | 3 | — | 3 | 0 | 26 | 3 | |
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 20 | 0 | 6 | 3 | — | 3 | 0 | 29 | 3 | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 2021–22 | Premier League | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 31 | 5 | |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2022–23 | Premier League | 27 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 32 | 4 | |
| 2023–24 | Premier League | 29 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 31 | 13 | ||
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 25 | 2 | ||
| Total | 77 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 1 | — | 88 | 19 | |||
| Career total | 264 | 65 | 26 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 28 | 11 | 326 | 87 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 2016 | 3 | 0 |
| 2017 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 73 | 16 | |
- Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hwang goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 June 2017 | Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar |  Qatar |
2–2 | 2–3 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 27 March 2018 | Stadion Śląski, Chorzów, Poland |  Poland |
2–2 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 3 | 22 January 2019 | Rashid Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates |  Bahrain |
1–0 | 2–1 (aet) | 2019 AFC Asian Cup |
| 4 | 10 October 2019 | Hwaseong Stadium, Hwaseong, South Korea |  Sri Lanka |
3–0 | 8–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 17 November 2020 | BSFZ-Arena, Maria Enzersdorf, Austria | Qatar |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 9 June 2021 | Goyang Stadium, Goyang, South Korea | Sri Lanka |
4–0 | 5–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 11 November 2021 | Goyang Stadium, Goyang, South Korea |  United Arab Emirates |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 6 June 2022 | Daejeon World Cup Stadium, Daejeon, South Korea |  Chile |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 23 September 2022 | Goyang Stadium, Goyang, South Korea |  Costa Rica |
1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 10 | 2 December 2022 | Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar |  Portugal |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2022 FIFA World Cup |
| 11 | 17 October 2023 | Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, South Korea |  Vietnam |
2–0 | 6–0 | Friendly |
| 12 | 16 November 2023 | Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea |  Singapore |
2–0 | 5–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 13 | 2 February 2024 | Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar |  Australia |
1–1 | 2–1 (aet) | 2023 AFC Asian Cup |
| 14 | 6 June 2024 | National Stadium, Kallang, Singapore | Singapore |
7–0 | 7–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 15 | 10 September 2024 | Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat, Oman |  Oman |
1–0 | 3–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 16 | 20 March 2025 | Goyang Stadium, Goyang, South Korea | Oman |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Awards and Achievements
Red Bull Salzburg
- Austrian Bundesliga: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20
- Austrian Cup: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2019–20
RB Leipzig
- DFB-Pokal runner-up: 2020–21
South Korea U23
- Asian Games: 2018 (Gold Medal)
- AFC U-23 Championship runner-up: 2016 (Silver Medal)
Individual Awards
- AFC U-16 Championship top goalscorer: 2012
- Korean FA Goal of the Year: 2022
- IFFHS Asian Men's Team of the Year: 2022, 2023, 2024
See also
In Spanish: Hwang Hee-chan para niños
