Ki with Swansea City in 2012
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Personal information | |||
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Full name | Ki Sung-yueng | ||
Date of birth | 24 January 1989 | ||
Place of birth | Gwangju, South Korea | ||
Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
Playing position | Centre Midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current team
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Swansea City | ||
Number | 4 | ||
Youth career | |||
2001–2005 | John Paul College | ||
2005 | Kumho High School | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2006–2009 | FC Seoul | 64 | (7) |
2009–2012 | Celtic | 66 | (9) |
2012– | Swansea City | 112 | (10) |
2013–2014 | → Sunderland (loan) | 27 | (3) |
National team‡ | |||
2004 | South Korea U-17 | 6 | (3) |
2006–2007 | South Korea U-20 | 16 | (2) |
2007–2012 | South Korea U-23 | 22 | (1) |
2008– | South Korea | 91 | (9) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:00, 30 April 2017 (UTC). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 28 March 2017 |
Ki Sung-yueng | |
Hangul | 기성용 |
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Hanja | 奇誠庸 |
Revised Romanization | Gi Seong-yong |
McCune–Reischauer | Ki Sŏng'yong |
Ki Sung-yueng (Korean: 기성용, Korean pronunciation: [ki.sʌŋ.joŋ]; born 24 January 1989) is a South Korean professional footballer who currently plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Swansea City, and serves as captain of the South Korean national team.
Ki is known for his vision, technique, long-range passing and shooting, along with his good set-pieces.
He has been a full international for South Korea since 2007, gaining over 70 caps. Ki was selected in their squads for two World Cups and the 2011 and 2015 AFC Asian Cups, finishing as runner-up in the latter tournament. He has also played at two Olympic Games with his country, winning bronze in 2012.
On 20 May 2015, Ki was voted as Swansea City Player of the Year as he netted 8 goals in 33 appearances.
In 2001, Ki went to Brisbane, Australia to study at John Paul College under the BSP (Brain Soccer Program) overseen by Jeff Hopkins. His father saw the move as an opportunity for Ki to combine his athletic and academic pursuits as well as learn English. While in Australia he was known by his English name David. Ki played his youth football for the school team and was part of the team that won the 2004 Bill Turner Cup, the national inter-school U-15 soccer competition. In 2005, he received offers from Korean club FC Seoul and A-League club Queensland Roar, but decided to move back to South Korea to continue his career. After moving back to Korea, Ki attended Kumho High School and then enrolled at Kyonggi University. Ki has also expressed a desire to one day return to Australia to finish his career and raise his family.