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Kim Byung-ji facts for kids

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Kim Byung-ji
Kim Byung-Ji from acrofan.jpg
Kim in 2010
Personal information
Full name Kim Byung-ji
Date of birth (1970-04-08) 8 April 1970 (age 55)
Place of birth Miryang, Gyeongnam, South Korea
Height 1.84 m (6 ft +12 in)
Playing position Goalkeeper
Youth career
1983–1985 Milyang Middle School
1986–1988 Aloysius Technical High School
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1992 Sangmu FC (draft)
1992–2000 Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i 177 (2)
2001–2005 Pohang Steelers 137 (0)
2006–2008 FC Seoul 58 (0)
2009–2012 Gyeongnam FC
2013–2015 Jeonnam Dragons 101 (0)
Total 595 (2)
National team
1995–2008 South Korea 61 (0)
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).
Kim Byung-ji
Hangul
김병지
Hanja
金秉址
Revised Romanization Gim Byeong-ji
McCune–Reischauer Kim Pyŏng-ji

Kim Byung-ji (born 8 April 1970) is a famous former football goalkeeper from South Korea. He played for the South Korea national team and many different clubs in the K League.

Playing Career Highlights

Kim Byung-ji played professional football for 24 years, from 1992 to 2015. He holds amazing records in the K League and Korean League Cup. He played a record-breaking 706 games! As a goalkeeper, he also managed to keep 229 "clean sheets," which means his team didn't let in any goals in those games. He even scored three goals himself, which is very rare for a goalkeeper!

Kim was part of the South Korean team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In one tough match, South Korea lost 5–0 to the Netherlands. Even though the team faced a lot of criticism, Kim Byung-ji was praised for his efforts. He faced 17 shots on target from the Netherlands team and was seen as the only player who performed well despite the big loss.

Kim's Unique Playing Style

Kim Byung-ji was known as a "sweeper-keeper." This means he didn't just stay in his goal area. He would often run out of the penalty box quickly to clear the ball, acting almost like an extra defender. He was also famous for his quick reflexes and making incredible saves.

However, Kim was also known for being very active and sometimes a bit unpredictable in his play. In a match against Paraguay in 2001, he tried to dribble the ball away from his goal, but he lost it. This surprised the South Korea manager at the time, Guus Hiddink.

Kim had a friendly competition with another great goalkeeper, Lee Woon-jae, for the starting spot on the national team, especially for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Because of Kim's unpredictable play in that 2001 match, manager Hiddink decided to choose Lee Woon-jae as the main goalkeeper for the World Cup.

Life After Football

After retiring from playing football in 2015, Kim Byung-ji started a new career. He became a YouTuber and runs his own channel called "Kkong-byung-ji-tv."

His experience in football led him to important roles off the field too. On January 27, 2021, he was chosen as a vice-president of the Korea Football Association (KFA).

Later, on May 28, 2022, he signed with an entertainment company called Angry Dogs.

On December 15, 2022, Kim Byung-ji became the president of Gangwon FC, a football club. He then left his role at the KFA the next month to focus completely on leading Gangwon FC.

More recently, on October 20, 2024, he even played as a goalkeeper in a special "icon match" hosted by Nexon.

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Note(s) Ref.
2021 Vincenzo Youth football team coach
2021–present Kick A Goal Himself
2022 Steel Ball Himself (host)

Achievements and Awards

Kim Byung-ji has won many awards and honours throughout his career:

Player Honours

Sangmu FC

  • Korean Semi-professional League (Spring): 1992
  • Korean Semi-professional League (Autumn): 1991

Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i

  • K League 1: 1996
  • Korean FA Cup runner-up: 1998
  • Korean League Cup: 1995, 1998

Pohang Steelers

  • Korean FA Cup runner-up: 2001, 2002

FC Seoul

  • Korean League Cup: 2006

Individual Awards

  • Korean Semi-professional League (Autumn) Best Player: 1991
  • K League All-Star: 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2015
  • K League 1 Best XI: 1996, 1998, 2005, 2007
  • K League All-Star Game Most Valuable Player: 2000

Records

  • Most appearances in K League history: 706 appearances
  • Most clean sheets in K League history: 229 clean sheets

Television Personality Honours

List of awards and nominations received by TV personality Kim Byung-ji
Award ceremony Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
SBS Entertainment Awards 2022 Leader of the Year Award Kick A Goal Won

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Kim Byung-ji para niños

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