Kim Joo-sung facts for kids
Kim Joo-sung, born on January 17, 1964, is a famous former football player from South Korea. Many people think he is one of the best Asian footballers from the 1900s. He was even chosen as one of the top players in Asia for the entire 20th century, coming in second place!
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Kim Joo-sung | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 17 January 1964 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Yangyang, Gangwon, South Korea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Winger, sweeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1977–1979 | Seongsu Middle School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1980–1982 | Choongang High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1999 | Busan Daewoo Royals | 203 | (34) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | → VfL Bochum (loan) | 34 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 237 | (38) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984 | South Korea U20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1987 | South Korea B | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1996 | South Korea | 76 | (14) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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| Kim Joo-sung | |
| Hangul |
김주성
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| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Gim Ju-seong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kim Chu-sŏng |
Contents
Playing for Football Clubs
Kim Joo-sung started his professional football journey in 1987. He joined a team called Daewoo Royals. In his very first year, he helped his team win the K League championship. Because of his amazing start, he was also named the K League Young Player of the Year.
Playing in Germany
In 1992, Kim Joo-sung went to Germany to play for a team called VfL Bochum. This team was in the Bundesliga, which is a very big league. He had some challenges playing in this new league.
His team, VfL Bochum, ended up moving down to a lower league called the 2. Bundesliga. Kim Joo-sung helped them win the 2. Bundesliga title in the 1993–94 season. This win helped the team get back into the top league. However, he soon returned to play for his old team, Daewoo, in South Korea.
Changing Positions
After the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Kim Joo-sung started playing a new position. He used to be a winger or an attacking midfielder, which means he played closer to the opponent's goal. But because of a knee problem, he started playing as a sweeper. A sweeper plays further back, helping to defend the goal.
This change worked out really well! In the 1997 season, his team, Daewoo Royals, won the K League again. Kim Joo-sung was even given the K League MVP Award for being the most valuable player. He stopped playing football in 1999. As a special honor, his jersey number 16 was retired by the team, meaning no one else would wear it.
Playing for South Korea
Kim Joo-sung was chosen to play for the South Korea national team for the first time in a big competition at the 1986 FIFA World Cup. He also played for South Korea in the 1986 Asian Games, where his team won a gold medal!
Becoming Asia's Best
After these games, Kim Joo-sung became known as one of the best footballers in Asia and South Korea. In the 1988 AFC Asian Cup, he showed off his great dribbling skills and helped South Korea reach the final match. Even though South Korea lost to Saudi Arabia in a penalty shootout, Kim Joo-sung was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
He was also named the Most Outstanding Player in the Asian qualifying games for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. South Korea won these games without losing a single match! Kim Joo-sung was voted the Asian Footballer of the Year three years in a row, from 1989 to 1991.
Playing for the World Team
On October 8, 1991, Kim Joo-sung was chosen to play for an official World XI team. This team was made up of some of the best players from around the world. They played against the German national team in a special charity match organized by FIFA.
How He Played
Kim Joo-sung had a few cool nicknames, like "Wild Horse" and "Samson". These names came from his incredible speed and his long, curly hair. He usually played as a winger, which is a player who runs fast along the sides of the field. But he was also good at playing as an attacking midfielder (who helps score goals) or a sweeper (who helps defend). Kim Joo-sung was also known for having amazing energy and great dribbling skills, which means he was very good at controlling the ball.
After Retiring from Football
After he stopped playing football, Kim Joo-sung continued his education. In September 2003, he started studying sports management at De Montfort University in England. He studied there until February 2004, when his studies took him to Switzerland.
Career Statistics
These tables show how many games Kim Joo-sung played and how many goals he scored for his clubs and for the South Korean national team.
Club Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Busan Daewoo Royals | 1987 | K League | 28 | 10 | ? | ? | — | 28 | 10 | |
| 1988 | K League | 10 | 3 | ? | ? | — | 10 | 3 | ||
| 1989 | K League | 8 | 2 | ? | ? | — | 8 | 2 | ||
| 1990 | K League | 9 | 2 | — | — | 9 | 2 | |||
| 1991 | K League | 37 | 14 | — | — | 37 | 14 | |||
| 1992 | K League | 8 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 1994 | K League | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 1995 | K League | 25 | 1 | — | 5 | 1 | 30 | 2 | ||
| 1996 | K League | 20 | 2 | ? | ? | 6 | 0 | 26 | 2 | |
| 1997 | K League | 16 | 0 | ? | ? | 18 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| 1998 | K League | 13 | 0 | ? | ? | 15 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 1999 | K League | 26 | 0 | ? | ? | 7 | 0 | 33 | 0 | |
| Total | 203 | 34 | ? | ? | 52 | 1 | 255 | 35 | ||
| VfL Bochum (loan) | 1992–93 | Bundesliga | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |
| 1993–94 | 2. Bundesliga | 21 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 22 | 4 | ||
| Total | 34 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 237 | 38 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 1 | 290 | 39 | ||
International Statistics
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Appearances and goals by national team and year National team Year Apps Goals South Korea 1985 8 3 1986 10 1 1987 5 1 1988 6 2 1989 8 1 1990 18 4 1991 5 1 1992 0 0 1993 4 0 1994 5 1 1995 1 0 1996 6 0 Career total 76 14 -
Appearances and goals by competition Competition Apps Goals Friendlies 14 3 Minor competitions 19 3 Asian Games 11 3 AFC Asian Cup 9 2 Summer Olympics 1 0 FIFA World Cup qualification 13 3 FIFA World Cup 9 0 Total 76 14
- Results list South Korea's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 July 1985 | Seoul, South Korea | 1 |  Indonesia |
2–0 | 2–0 | 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 30 July 1985 | Jakarta, Indonesia | 2 | Indonesia |
4–0 | 4–1 | 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 3 December 1985 | Los Angeles, United States | 5 |  Mexico |
1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 4 | 28 September 1986 | Seoul, South Korea | 15 |  China |
2–1 | 4–2 | 1986 Asian Games |
| 5 | 14 June 1987 | Daejeon, South Korea | 21 |  Thailand |
2–0 | 4–2 | 1987 Korea Cup |
| 6 | 6 December 1988 | Doha, Qatar | 26 |  Japan |
2–0 | 2–0 | 1988 AFC Asian Cup |
| 7 | 9 December 1988 | Doha, Qatar | 27 |  Qatar |
2–0 | 3–2 | 1988 AFC Asian Cup |
| 8 | 20 October 1989 | Singapore | 35 | China |
1–0 | 1–0 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 28 July 1990 | Beijing, China | 44 | Japan |
2–0 | 2–0 | 1990 Dynasty Cup |
| 10 | 23 September 1990 | Beijing, China | 49 |  Singapore |
2–0 | 7–0 | 1990 Asian Games |
| 11 | 5–0 | ||||||
| 12 | 11 October 1990 | Pyongyang, North Korea | 54 |  North Korea |
1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 13 | 9 June 1991 | Seoul, South Korea | 57 | Indonesia |
2–0 | 3–0 | 1991 Korea Cup |
| 14 | 11 June 1994 | Duncanville, United States | 66 |  Honduras |
3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
Awards and Honors
Kim Joo-sung won many awards and honors throughout his football career, both with his clubs and with the national team.
Club Honors
Busan Daewoo Royals
- K League 1: 1987, 1991, 1997 (Won the top league championship)
- Korean National Championship: 1989
- Korean League Cup: 1997, 1997+, 1998+
VfL Bochum
- 2. Bundesliga: 1993–94 (Won the second division league)
International Honors
South Korea B
- Summer Universiade silver medal: 1987
South Korea
- Asian Games: 1986 (Gold medal)
- AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 1988 (Second place)
- Dynasty Cup: 1990
Individual Awards
- World XI: 1991 (Chosen for a team of the world's best players)
- AFC Asian Cup Most Valuable Player: 1988
- AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 1988
- FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC) Most Outstanding Player: 1990
- IFFHS Asian Men's Player of the Year: 1989, 1990, 1991 (Won this award three times in a row!)
- IFFHS Asia's Player of the 20th Century runner-up: 1999 (Second best Asian player of the 1900s)
- IFFHS Asian Men's Team of the 20th Century: 2021
- MasterCard Asian/Oceanian Team of the 20th Century: 1998
- Dynasty Cup Most Valuable Player: 1990
- Korean FA Best XI: 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988
- Korean FA Most Valuable Player: 1991
- K League Rookie of the Year: 1987
- K League 1 Best XI: 1987, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1999
- K League All-Star: 1991, 1995, 1997, 1998
- K League 1 Most Valuable Player: 1997
- K League '90s All-Star Team: 2003
- K League 30th Anniversary Best XI: 2013
