Seol Ki-hyeon facts for kids
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Seol with Fulham in 2009
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 8 January 1979 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Jeongseon, Gangwon, South Korea | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Winger | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Gyeongnam FC (manager) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1996 | Gangneung Commercial High School | |||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2000 | Kwangwoon University | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Royal Antwerp | 25 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2004 | Anderlecht | 72 | (18) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 69 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Reading | 30 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | Fulham | 18 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | → Al-Hilal (loan) | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Pohang Steelers | 16 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Ulsan Hyundai | 34 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Incheon United | 73 | (11) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 344 | (64) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | South Korea U20 | 12 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | South Korea U23 | 25 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2009 | South Korea | 82 | (19) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Sungkyunkwan University (caretaker) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Sungkyunkwan University | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019– | Gyeongnam FC | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Korean name | |
| Hangul |
설기현
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| Hanja |
薛琦鉉
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| Revised Romanization | Seol Gi-hyeon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sŏl Ki-hyŏn |
Seol Ki-hyeon (Hangul: 설기현; Hanja: 薛琦鉉; born on January 8, 1979) is a famous South Korean former professional footballer. He played as a winger, which means he played on the sides of the field. Today, he is the manager of Gyeongnam FC, a football club. Seol Ki-hyeon made history as the first South Korean player to score a goal in the UEFA Champions League, which is a very important European football competition. He achieved this while playing for Anderlecht.
Contents
Seol Ki-hyeon's Football Journey
Starting in Belgium
In July 2000, Seol Ki-hyeon began his European football adventure. He joined a Belgian club called Royal Antwerp. He quickly showed his talent, becoming the second South Korean player ever to score ten or more goals in a European season. This was a big achievement, following in the footsteps of the legendary player Cha Bum-kun.
After a successful year with Royal Antwerp, Seol moved to Anderlecht, another top team in the same league. He had an amazing start there, scoring three goals in just 12 minutes during the 2001 Belgian Super Cup. He also became the first South Korean player to score in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Champions League. In the 2003–04 season, he helped Anderlecht win the Belgian First Division title.
Playing in England: Wolverhampton Wanderers
In August 2004, Seol Ki-hyeon moved to England. He joined Wolverhampton Wanderers, a club in the Championship league. The manager, Glenn Hoddle, really liked Seol's skills. He often played Seol in different attacking roles, like a striker, an attacking midfielder, or a winger.
Seol hoped to help Wolves get promoted to the Premier League, England's top football league. When they didn't get promoted, he looked for other clubs. He wanted to play in the Premier League, even though he still had two years left on his contract with Wolves.
Time at Reading FC
Seol Ki-hyeon joined Reading on July 12, 2006. Reading had just been promoted to the Premier League. He quickly became a fan favorite and was voted Reading's Player of the Month for August. On September 16, 2006, he scored his first Premier League goal in a 2–1 win against Sheffield United.
He continued to score important goals for Reading. His third goal, and first at home, came in a 2–0 win against Charlton Athletic. He scored his fourth goal in the very last game of that season against Blackburn Rovers.
Moving to Fulham
On August 31, 2007, Seol left Reading and joined Fulham. He signed a three-year contract with the club. His manager at Reading, Steve Coppell, mentioned that their relationship had become difficult, which led to the move.
After a change in managers at Fulham, Seol didn't play as much. He scored his first goal for Fulham in August 2008 against Hull City. In January 2009, he went on loan to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. Even though he was on loan, he hoped to return to Fulham and earn his place back in the team.
Seol scored another goal for Fulham in a Europa League game in July 2009. However, his contract with Fulham was ended by agreement in January 2010.
Retirement from Playing
After leaving Fulham, Seol Ki-hyeon played for several clubs in the K League in South Korea. These clubs included Pohang Steelers, Ulsan Hyundai, and Incheon United. On March 2, 2015, he announced that he was retiring from playing football. He decided to become the interim manager for Sungkyunkwan University. His official retirement ceremony took place during a friendly match between South Korea and Jamaica in October 2015.
International Career Highlights
Seol Ki-hyeon proudly represented South Korea in two FIFA World Cup tournaments: 2002 and 2006. In the 2002 World Cup, which was hosted by South Korea, he played a key role. He helped his country reach the semi-finals, which was an incredible achievement. He also scored a very important goal against Italy in the round of 16, helping South Korea win that match. Because of his great performance, he was even nominated for the Ballon d'Or award that year.
Becoming a Manager
On December 26, 2019, Seol Ki-hyeon was appointed as the manager of Gyeongnam FC. He continues to lead the team today.
Seol Ki-hyeon in Media
Seol Ki-hyeon was sponsored by the famous sportswear company Nike. He even appeared in some of their commercials. One of his most famous appearances was in a global Nike advertising campaign called "Secret Tournament" (also known as "Scopion KO"). This commercial was directed by Terry Gilliam and featured many other famous football players from around the world, like Thierry Henry, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho.
Achievements and Awards
Seol Ki-hyeon won several important titles and awards during his career:
Anderlecht
- Belgian First Division: 2003–04
- Belgian Super Cup: 2001
Al-Hilal
- Saudi Crown Prince Cup: 2008–09
Ulsan Hyundai
- Korean League Cup: 2011
South Korea U20
- AFC Youth Championship: 1998
South Korea
- AFC Asian Cup third place: 2000
Individual
- Korean FA Fans' Player of the Year: 2006
See also
In Spanish: Seol Ki-hyeon para niños
