Seol Ki-hyeon


Seol Ki-hyeon is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a winger, and who currently is the manager of Gyeongnam FC. He is also the first South Korean footballer to score in the history of the UEFA Champions League, during his time at Anderlecht.

Club career

Career in Belgium

In July 2000, Seol joined a Belgian club Royal Antwerp. He became the second South Korean footballer to score in double figures during a season in Europe, following Cha Bum-kun. After a successful season with Royal Antwerp, Seol moved to Anderlecht in the same league. He scored a hat-trick in the space of 12 minutes in the 2001 Belgian Super Cup. He also became the first South Korean player to score in the qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. He won the 2003–04 Belgian First Division with Anderlecht.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

In August 2004, Seol moved to England, joining a Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Wolverhampton manager at the time, Glenn Hoddle, preferred Seol as one of his first-choice forwards, using him in various roles such as striker, attacking midfielder and winger.
Disappointed by the failure of Wolves' promotion, Seol sought Premier League clubs interested in him before the 2006 FIFA World Cup despite having two years left on his contract. He was reported as saying "At this stage, I'm frustrated not to be in the Premiership. I think there will be some good news after the World Cup."

Reading

Seol eventually joined newly promoted Premier League club Reading on 12 July 2006 for a reported transfer fee of £1.5 million. He was voted the Reading Player of the Month for August by fans after showing great performances early in the season. On 16 September 2006, he scored his first Premiership goal in a 2–1 win over Sheffield United. On 1 October 2006, he scored his second goal for Reading in a 1–0 win over West Ham United. His third goal for Reading, his first at home, came on 18 November 2006 in the 2–0 win against Charlton Athletic. However, his performance was not consistently kept during the rest of the season. He scored his fourth goal in the last game of the season against Blackburn Rovers.

Fulham

Seol left Reading for Fulham on 31 August 2007 for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract, with Liam Rosenior going the other way. Reading boss Steve Coppell admitted that strained relations between him and Seol led to the move.
After his manager Lawrie Sanchez was replaced by Roy Hodgson, Seol wasn't chosen as Hodgson's player during the rest of the season. He scored his first goal for Fulham in a 2–1 defeat to Hull City on 16 August 2008, but he still didn't show something special the next season. On 14 January 2009, he signed an initial six-month loan move to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia with a view to moving permanently. However, he stated that he desired to stay at Fulham to win his place in the squad at the end of his loan deal.
Seol scored his second goal for the club in a Europa League qualifier against FK Vėtra on 30 July 2009, but he failed to made a twist for his status. On 15 January 2010, It was announced that his contract with Fulham was cancelled by mutual consent.

Retirement

Seol played for Pohang Steelers, Ulsan Hyundai, and Incheon United in the K League after leaving Fulham. During his K League career, he was criticised for poor communication with clubs and fans about his future. He announced his retirement on 2 March 2015 in order to become the interim manager of Sungkyunkwan University. His retirement ceremony took place in a friendly match between South Korea and Jamaica on 13 October 2015.

International career

Seol Ki hyeonwas a participant in 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup. In the 2002 World Cup hosted by his country, he helped South Korea to reach the semi-finals as a starter. He also scored crucial equaliser in the round of 16 against Italy. He was nominated for the Ballon d'Or in that year.

Managerial career

On 26 December 2019, Seol was appointed as manager of Gyeongnam FC.

Media

Seol was sponsored by sportswear company Nike and appeared in Nike commercials. In a global Nike advertising campaign in the run up to the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, he starred in a "Secret Tournament" commercial directed by Terry Gilliam, appearing alongside football players such as Thierry Henry, Ronaldo, Edgar Davids, Fabio Cannavaro, Francesco Totti, Ronaldinho, Luís Figo, and Hidetoshi Nakata, with former player Eric Cantona the tournament "referee".

Career statistics

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
15 April 2000Seoul, South Korea4–09–02000 AFC Asian Cup qualification
25 April 2000Seoul, South Korea8–09–02000 AFC Asian Cup qualification
35 April 2000Seoul, South Korea9–09–02000 AFC Asian Cup qualification
49 April 2000Seoul, South Korea1–04–02000 AFC Asian Cup qualification
59 April 2000Seoul, South Korea2–04–02000 AFC Asian Cup qualification
67 October 2000Dubai, United Arab Emirates3–24–22000 LG Cup
711 February 2001Dubai, United Arab Emirates3–14–12001 Dubai Tournament
826 May 2002Suwon, South Korea2–12–3Friendly
918 June 2002Daejeon, South Korea1–12–1 2002 FIFA World Cup
1020 November 2002Seoul, South Korea1–02–3Friendly
1114 February 2004Ulsan, South Korea2–05–0Friendly
1231 July 2004Jinan, China1–13–42004 AFC Asian Cup
1326 May 2006Seoul, South Korea1–02–0Friendly
142 September 2006Seoul, South Korea1–01–12007 AFC Asian Cup qualification
156 September 2006Suwon, South Korea1–08–02007 AFC Asian Cup qualification
166 September 2006Suwon, South Korea3–08–02007 AFC Asian Cup qualification
176 February 2008Seoul, South Korea2–04–02010 FIFA World Cup qualification
186 February 2008Seoul, South Korea4–04–02010 FIFA World Cup qualification
195 September 2009Seoul, South Korea3–13–1Friendly

Honours

Anderlecht
Al-Hilal
Ulsan Hyundai
South Korea U20
South Korea
Individual