Ki Sung-yueng facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ki Sung-yueng

Ki in 2024
Personal information
Date of birth	(1989-01-24) 24 January 1989 (age 36)
Place of birth	Gwangju, South Korea
Height	1.89 m
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	FC Seoul
Number	6
Youth career
2001–2005	John Paul College
2005	Kumho High School [ko]
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2006–2009	FC Seoul	64	(7)
2010–2012	Celtic	66	(9)
2012–2018	Swansea City	139	(12)
2013–2014	→ Sunderland (loan)	27	(3)
2018–2020	Newcastle United	21	(0)
2020	Mallorca	1	(0)
2020–	FC Seoul	110	(5)
National team
2004	South Korea U17	6	(3)
2006–2007	South Korea U20	16	(2)
2007–2012	South Korea U23	22	(1)
2008–2019	South Korea	110	(10)
Honours Representing  South Korea Men's football Olympic Games Bronze 2012 London Team AFC Asian Cup Silver 2015 Australia Team Bronze 2011 Qatar Team AFC Youth Championship Bronze 2006 India Team
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 December 2023. † Appearances (Goals).

Ki Sung-yueng (Hangul: 기성용; Hanja: 奇誠庸; born 24 January 1989) is a South Korean professional footballer. He plays as a central midfielder or a defensive midfielder for the K League 1 club FC Seoul.

From 2008 to 2019, Ki played for the South Korea national team. He played in 110 games for his country. He was part of three World Cup teams. He even captained the team in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He also played in three Asian Cups, finishing second in 2015. Ki also represented his country in two Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal in 2012.

In 2015, Ki was named Swansea City's Player of the Year. He scored eight goals in 33 games that season. He also won the EFL Cup with Swansea in 2013. Before that, he won the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Cup with Celtic.

Early Life and Football Start

Ki began his football journey at Suncheon Jungang Elementary School. Later, he joined Gwangyang Jecheol Middle School. In 2001, he moved to Brisbane, Australia, to study at John Paul College. This move helped him play football and learn English.

He played youth football for his school team. They won the 2004 Bill Turner Cup, a national competition for under-15 soccer teams. In 2005, he received offers from FC Seoul in South Korea and Queensland Roar in Australia. He chose to return to South Korea to continue his studies and football career. He then attended Kumho High School, graduating in 2006.

Club Career Highlights

Starting at FC Seoul

After returning to South Korea, Ki joined FC Seoul. He played alongside his future national teammate Lee Chung-yong. He made his first senior game in the K League on 4 March 2007. This was against Daegu FC.

In 2008, Ki became a very important player for FC Seoul. On 29 October 2008, he scored the winning goal against their rivals, Suwon Samsung Bluewings, in the last minutes of the game. He celebrated with a "Kangaroo Ceremony". He helped his team finish second in the K League that year. He scored four goals and made one assist in 21 games.

In 2009, Ki scored a goal in FC Seoul's first K League match. They won 6–1 against Chunnam Dragons. Many big clubs from Europe, like PSV and Porto, became interested in signing him.

Time with Celtic

On 25 August 2009, Celtic in Scotland showed interest in Ki. Three days later, Celtic bought Ki for about £2.1 million. He joined the team in January 2010. Ki chose the number 18 shirt. He played his first game for Celtic on 16 January 2010 against Falkirk. He was named Man of the Match in that game.

Ki playing for Celtic in 2010

Ki scored his first goal for Celtic on 22 August 2010. It was a powerful shot from 25 yards in a 4–0 win against St Mirren. By October, he was a regular player and was named SPL Young Player of the Month. On 21 May 2011, Ki scored the first goal in Celtic's Scottish Cup Final win against Motherwell. He hit the ball from about 35 yards. He also won the Man of the Match award for this final.

In the 2011–12 season, Ki continued to play well. He scored in Celtic's first game against Hibernian. His manager, Neil Lennon, praised him a lot. Lennon said Ki was a "class player" and very important to the team. Ki scored another goal against Dundee United on 13 August 2011. He helped Celtic win the Scottish title that season. He scored seven goals and made six assists.

Moving to Swansea City

Ki as a Swansea City player

On 24 August 2012, Ki joined Swansea City for about £6 million. This was a record transfer fee for Swansea at the time. He signed a three-year contract. Ki played his first game for Swansea on 28 August in a 3–1 win against Barnsley. He wore the number 24 shirt.

Ki had a good first season in the Premier League. He played 38 games in total. On 24 February 2013, Swansea City played in the League Cup final. Ki played in a new position, central defense. Swansea won the final 5–0 against Bradford City. This was Ki's first trophy with the Welsh club.

Loan to Sunderland

Ki in action for Sunderland in December 2013

On 31 August 2013, Ki joined Sunderland on loan for a season. He scored his first goal for Sunderland on 17 December 2013. It was a winning goal in the League Cup against Chelsea. On 26 December, he scored his second goal against Everton. He scored from a penalty kick after the Everton goalkeeper was sent off.

On 22 January 2014, Ki helped Sunderland reach another League Cup final. They beat Manchester United in a penalty shootout. Ki played in the League Cup final on 2 March against Manchester City. Sunderland lost 3–1. Ki played well for Sunderland despite a knee injury. He helped them avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Back to Swansea

Ki returned to Swansea for the 2014–15 Premier League season. He scored the first goal of the season in a 2–1 win over Manchester United. This game was played at Old Trafford. On 28 August, he signed a new contract until 2018. Ki became a regular player under the new manager, Garry Monk. He played in every Premier League game until January 2015. He missed January games because he was playing for South Korea in the Asian Cup. When he returned, he scored an equalizing goal against Sunderland. He also scored against Manchester United again in a 2–1 win.

In the 2015–16 season, Ki played 28 times and scored twice. Swansea avoided relegation in the 2016–17 season, but Ki did not score. In the 2017–18 season, Ki scored twice in home games. However, Swansea was relegated from the Premier League. After this, Ki left the club.

Joining Newcastle United

Ki with South Korea at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

On 29 June 2018, Ki signed a two-year deal with Newcastle United. He joined his former teammate Jonjo Shelvey. Ki started his first game for Newcastle on 26 August against Chelsea. He then played against Manchester City. Both games ended in 2–1 defeats.

Ki came on as a substitute against Watford on 3 November. He helped Newcastle win 1–0 by setting up a goal from a free kick. This was Newcastle's first league win of the season. Ki helped Newcastle move out of the relegation zone. His good form was paused when he joined the South Korean team for the AFC Asian Cup. After returning with an Achilles injury, Ki decided to retire from international football. This allowed him to focus fully on his club career. However, he played less often after this.

Under the new manager, Steve Bruce, Ki had very few chances to play. He made only three league appearances in the 2019–20 season. He also had some illness and injuries. His last game for Newcastle was an FA Cup match on 4 January 2020. On 31 January 2020, he left Newcastle United.

Short Time at Mallorca

On 25 February 2020, Ki joined RCD Mallorca in Spain. He joined them for the rest of the season. Mallorca was fighting to stay in Spain's top league. He played his first game in La Liga on 7 March. He became the first Korean player to play for Mallorca. However, his time in Spain ended quickly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also got an ankle injury. He left Mallorca after playing only one game.

Return to FC Seoul

After playing in Europe for eleven years, Ki returned to FC Seoul. He signed a contract until 2023 on 21 July 2020. He had talked about returning earlier, but the talks didn't work out. When he signed, the club was near the bottom of the league.

He played his first game back for FC Seoul on 30 August 2020. He came on as a substitute in a 3–0 loss. He slowly regained his fitness and helped stabilize the team's midfield. However, he suffered a hamstring injury on 16 September.

After FC Seoul managed to stay in the top division, Ki became the team's captain for the 2021 season. He started the season very well. He scored important goals in three games in a row. He was voted the EA Sports Player of the Month for March 2021.

International Career

Ki has played for South Korea at many levels. He played in the 2007 U-20 World Cup. He also played for the senior national team and the under-23 team.

On 7 June 2008, he made his first game for the senior national team. This was a World Cup qualification match against Jordan.

On 1 June 2010, Ki was chosen for South Korea's team for the 2010 World Cup. He played in all three group games. He made two assists, helping his country reach the knockout stages. On 20 December 2011, Ki was named the South Korean Player of the Year. This award was given by the Korean Football Association (KFA).

In the 2012 Summer Olympics, Ki scored the winning penalty kick for South Korea. This was in their quarter-final match against Great Britain. South Korea won a bronze medal after beating Japan 2–0 in the third-place game.

Ki was also chosen for the South Korea team for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He played in all three matches. After this World Cup, Ki became the captain of the national team.

Ki played for South Korea in the 2015 Asian Cup. He helped his country reach the final against Australia. He assisted a goal that tied the game 1–1. But Australia scored again and won 2–1.

Ki captained South Korea in the 2018 World Cup. He played the first two games. He missed the last group game against Germany due to a calf injury. Son Heung-min took over as captain.

Ki retired from international football after the game against Philippines in the 2019 Asian Cup. South Korea won 1–0, but Ki had to leave the game early due to a hamstring injury.

Personal Life

Family

Ki's father, Ki Young-ok, was the general manager of Gwangju FC from 2015 to 2019. He left his job due to health reasons.

In March 2013, Ki confirmed he was dating actress Han Hye-jin. They announced their engagement in May 2013. They got married on 1 July 2013. Both Ki and Han are Christians. They had a daughter on 13 September 2015.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ki goal.

List of international goals scored by Ki Sung-yueng

No.	Date	Venue	Caps	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	10 September 2008	Hongkou Football Stadium, Shanghai, China	2	North Korea	1–1	1–1	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	11 October 2008	Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, South Korea	3	Uzbekistan	1–0	3–0	Friendly
3	6 June 2009	Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates	11	United Arab Emirates	2–0	2–0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
4	14 October 2009	Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea	16	Senegal	1–0	2–0	Friendly
5	25 January 2011	Thani bin Jassim Stadium, Doha, Qatar	35	Japan	1–0	2–2 (aet) (0–3 p)	2011 AFC Asian Cup
6	13 October 2015	Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea	78	Jamaica	2–0	3–0	Friendly
7	17 November 2015	New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane, Laos	80	Laos	1–0	5–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
8					2–0
9	6 October 2016	Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, South Korea	87	Qatar	1–0	3–2	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
10	13 June 2017	Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar	93	Qatar	1–2	2–3	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours and Awards

Ki Sung-yueng has won many awards and trophies throughout his career:

Celtic

• Scottish Premier League: 2011–12
• Scottish Cup: 2010–11
• Scottish League Cup runner-up: 2011–12

Swansea City

• Football League Cup: 2012–13

Sunderland

• Football League Cup runner-up: 2013–14

FC Seoul

• Korean FA Cup runner-up: 2022

South Korea U20

• AFC Youth Championship third place: 2006

South Korea U23

• Summer Olympics bronze medal: 2012

South Korea

• AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 2015

Individual Awards

• K League 1 Best XI: 2008, 2009
• K League Players' Player of the Year: 2009
• K League All-Star: 2009
• AFC Youth Player of the Year: 2009
• Scottish Premier League Young Player of the Month: October 2010
• Korean FA Player of the Year: 2011, 2012, 2016
• Korean FA Fans' Player of the Year: 2011, 2012
• AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 2015
• Swansea City Player of the Season: 2014–15
• K League Player of the Month: March 2021

See also

In Spanish: Ki Sung-yueng para niños

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps