Hong Deok-young


Hong Deok-young was a South Korean football player, manager and referee. He was one of the first South Koreans to be capped for their country at international level. He was the main goalkeeper of the football team|South Korea national team] for the 1948 Summer Olympics, 1954 FIFA World Cup and 1954 Asian Games|1954 Asian Games]. After retiring, he became an international football referee from 1957 to 1967. In later life, Hong went blind due to complication of diabetes mellitus, which already had an impact on his eyesight during his playing career, requiring him to wear glasses on the pitch. He died on 13 September 2005.

International career

Seoul FC, temporary national team before South Korea was established, left for Shanghai in April 1947 and played five matches against Shanghai's amateur football teams. Hong participated in these games.
Hong participated at the 1948 Summer Olympics, the first international tournament of South Korean football, and contributed to a 5–3 win over Mexico, its first-ever win. In the quarter-finals, however, South Korea met the eventual champions Sweden and lost 12–0, the margin of their biggest defeat so far. He struggled in Sweden's 48 shots, and was wounded in the chest after the match.
Hong was selected for the national team for the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland. South Korea qualified for the World Cup by defeating Japan in 1954 FIFA [World Cup qualification (AFC – Group 13)|qualifiers]. However, Korean players got airline tickets late, and arrived in Switzerland about ten hours before the start of their first match. They lost 9–0 to Hungary's "Magical Magyars" in their first match. They met Hungary in the worst condition after taking an airplane for 46 hours, and four players of them left the field in exhaustion during the match. The substitute system didn't exist in football at the time, and so South Korea finished the match with only seven players. Manager Kim Yong-sik changed seven players in the second line-up due to his concern about players' stamina, but they lost 7–0 to Turkey. Hong played both matches and became the goalkeeper who conceded the most goals in a single World Cup by conceding 16 goals.

Career statistics

International



  • CompetitionAppsGoals
    Friendlies70
    Asian Games40
    Summer Olympics20
    FIFA World Cup qualification20
    FIFA World Cup20
    Total170


    • Honours

    Joseon Textile
    South Korea
    Individual