Kim Joo-sung


Kim Joo-sung is a former South Korean footballer who mainly played as an attacking midfielder. An icon of the Daewoo Royals with a brief stint in Germany for VfL Bochum, Kim was also a long-time South Korean national team captain and finished second in the IFFHS Asia's Player of the Century polls.

Club career

Kim joined the Daewoo Royals in 1987. In his first professional season, he won the K League and was named the K League Young Player of the Year. Bundesliga club VfL Bochum signed him on loan in 1992, yet he struggled to adapt to the new environment and suffered relegation. Later on, Kim helped Bochum win the 1993–94 2. Bundesliga before coming back to South Korea at Daewoo's request. Playing a key part in the Daewoo Royals' title win, he became 1997's K League MVP. Two years later, Kim announced his retirement, with the Royals also retiring his number 16.

International career

Kim was selected for the South Korea national team for the 1986 FIFA World Cup, playing in a major competition for the first time. He also played for South Korea in the [Football at the Football at the 1986 Asian Games|1986 Asian Games|1986 Asian Games], winning a gold medal.
Afterwards, Kim became the greatest footballer in Asia and South Korea. In the 1988 AFC Asian Cup, he performed a key role with great dribbles, leading South Korea to the final. He became the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, although South Korea lost to Saudi Arabia after the penalty shoot-out in the final. He was also named the Most Outstanding Player in the Asian qualification of the 1990 FIFA World Cup after South Korea won the competition without a defeat. He was voted Asian Footballer of the Year for three consecutive years from 1989 to 1991.
Kim's domination over Asia interested European clubs at the time. However, he showed poor performance in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, failing to live up to their expectations. He could go to Europe two years after the end of the World Cup.
On 8 October 1991, he played for the official World XI against Germany in a charity match organised by FIFA.

After retirement

In September 2003, Kim attended a sports management masters course at De Montfort University, Leicester until February 2004, when his studies took him to Switzerland.

Career statistics

International



  • CompetitionAppsGoals
    Friendlies143
    Minor competitions193
    Asian Games113
    AFC Asian Cup92
    Summer Olympics10
    FIFA World Cup qualification133
    FIFA World Cup90
    Total7614


    • No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition
    121 July 1985Seoul, South Korea12–02–01986 FIFA World Cup qualification
    230 July 1985Jakarta, Indonesia24–04–11986 FIFA World Cup qualification
    33 December 1985Los Angeles, United States51–01–2Friendly
    428 September 1986Seoul, South Korea152–14–21986 Asian Games
    514 June 1987Daejeon, South Korea212–04–21987 Korea Cup
    66 December 1988Doha, Qatar262–02–01988 AFC Asian Cup
    79 December 1988Doha, Qatar272–03–21988 AFC Asian Cup
    820 October 1989Singapore351–01–01990 FIFA World Cup qualification
    928 July 1990Beijing, China442–02–01990 Dynasty Cup
    1023 September 1990Beijing, China492–07–01990 Asian Games
    1123 September 1990Beijing, China495–07–01990 Asian Games
    1211 October 1990Pyongyang, North Korea541–01–2Friendly
    139 June 1991Seoul, South Korea572–03–01991 Korea Cup
    1411 June 1994Duncanville, United States663–03–0Friendly

    Honours

    Busan Daewoo Royals
    VfL Bochum
    South Korea B
    South Korea
    Individual