Seol Ki-hyeon

Seol Ki-hyeon (Korean: 설기현; Hanja: 薛琦鉉 ; born 8 January 1979) 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.

In this Korean name, the family name is Seol.
Seol Ki-hyeon
Seol.JPG
Seol with Fulham in 2009
Personal information
Date of birth (1979-01-08) 8 January 1979
Place of birth Jeongseon, Gangwon, South Korea
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 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 71 (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 343 (64)
International career
1999 South Korea U20 12 (7)
1999–2000 South Korea U23 25[lower-greek 1] (10)
2000–2009 South Korea 82 (19)
Managerial career
2015 Sungkyunkwan University (caretaker)
2016–2018 Sungkyunkwan University
2019– Gyeongnam FC
Medal record
Representing  South Korea
Men's football
AFC Asian Cup
Bronze medal – third place2000 LebanonTeam
AFC Youth Championship
Gold medal – first place 1998 Thailand Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
Korean name
Hangul
설기현
Hanja
薛琦鉉
Revised RomanizationSeol Gi-hyeon
McCune–ReischauerSŏl Ki-hyŏn

Club career

Career in Belgium

In July 2000, Seol joined a Belgian club Royal Antwerp.[1] He became the second South Korean footballer to score in double figures during a season in Europe, following Cha Bum-kun.[2] 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.[3] He also became the first South Korean player to score in the qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.[4] He won the 2003–04 Belgian First Division with Anderlecht.[5]

Wolverhampton Wanderers

In August 2004, Seol moved to England, joining a Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers.[6] The Wolverhampton manager at the time, Glenn Hoddle, preferred Seol as one of his first-choice forwards,[6] using him in various roles such as striker, attacking midfielder and winger.[7]

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."[8]

Reading

Seol eventually joined newly promoted Premier League club Reading on 12 July 2006 for a reported transfer fee of £1.5 million.[9] He was voted the Reading Player of the Month for August by fans after showing great performances early in the season.[10] On 16 September 2006, he scored his first Premiership goal in a 2–1 win over Sheffield United.[11] On 1 October 2006, he scored his second goal for Reading in a 1–0 win over West Ham United.[12] His third goal for Reading, his first at home, came on 18 November 2006 in the 2–0 win against Charlton Athletic.[13] 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.[9][14] Reading boss Steve Coppell admitted that strained relations between him and Seol led to the move.[15]

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,[16] 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.[17] However, he stated that he desired to stay at Fulham to win his place in the squad at the end of his loan deal.[18]

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.[19] On 15 January 2010, It was announced that his contract with Fulham was cancelled by mutual consent.[20]

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 having no respect for clubs and lying to fans.[21][22] 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.[23]

International career

Seol was 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.[24] He was nominated for the Ballon d'Or in that year.[25]

Managerial career

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

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 (branded "Scopion KO") 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".[27][28]

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[29]
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
Royal Antwerp 2000–01Belgian First Division 251021———2711
Anderlecht 2001–02Belgian First Division 20300—3[lower-alpha 1]11[lower-alpha 2]3247
2002–03Belgian First Division 311230—8[lower-alpha 3]1—4213
2003–04Belgian First Division 19310—6[lower-alpha 1]1—264
2004–05Belgian First Division 1000—1[lower-alpha 1]0—20
Total 711840—183139424
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2004–05Championship 3742111——406
2005–06Championship 3242020——364
Total 6984131——7610
Reading 2006–07Premier League 2744000——314
2007–08Premier League 300000——30
Total 3044000——344
Fulham 2007–08Premier League 1202010——150
2008–09Premier League 410020——61
2009–10Premier League 2000102[lower-alpha 3]1—51
Total 181204021—262
Al Hilal (loan) 2008–09Saudi Pro League 7050517[lower-alpha 4]0—241
Pohang Steelers 2010K League 16700002[lower-alpha 4]0—187
Ulsan Hyundai 2011K League 3454272——459
Incheon United 2012K League 40711———418
2013K League 1 26431———295
2014K League 1 7000———70
Total 731142———7713
Career total 343642961942941342181
  1. Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  2. Appearance in Belgian Super Cup
  3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. Appearances in AFC Champions League

International
Appearances and goals by national team and year[30]
National team Year Apps Goals
South Korea 2000166
2001111
2002143
200330
2004152
200540
200694
200720
200842
200941
Career total8219
Results list South Korea's goal tally first.
List of international goals scored by Seol Ki-hyeon
No. DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1 5 April 2000Seoul, South Korea Laos4–09–02000 AFC Asian Cup qualification
2 8–0
3 9–0
4 9 April 2000Seoul, South Korea Myanmar1–04–02000 AFC Asian Cup qualification
5 2–0
6 7 October 2000Dubai, United Arab Emirates Australia3–24–22000 LG Cup
7 11 February 2001Dubai, United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates3–14–12001 Dubai Tournament
8 26 May 2002Suwon, South Korea France2–12–3Friendly
9 18 June 2002Daejeon, South Korea Italy1–12–1 (a.e.t.)2002 FIFA World Cup
10 20 November 2002Seoul, South Korea Brazil1–02–3Friendly
11 14 February 2004Ulsan, South Korea Oman2–05–0Friendly
12 31 July 2004Jinan, China Iran1–13–42004 AFC Asian Cup
13 26 May 2006Seoul, South Korea Bosnia and Herzegovina1–02–0Friendly
14 2 September 2006Seoul, South Korea Iran1–01–12007 AFC Asian Cup qualification
15 6 September 2006Suwon, South Korea Chinese Taipei1–08–02007 AFC Asian Cup qualification
16 3–0
17 6 February 2008Seoul, South Korea Turkmenistan2–04–02010 FIFA World Cup qualification
18 4–0
19 5 September 2009Seoul, South Korea Australia3–13–1Friendly

Honours

Anderlecht

Al-Hilal

Ulsan Hyundai

South Korea U20

South Korea

Individual

Notes
  1. Includes three appearances and one goal against non-national teams.

References
  1. 벨기에 찍고 빅리그 간다 (in Korean). The Hankyoreh. 3 January 2001. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  2. [카드 뉴스] 유럽 리그에서 두 자릿수 득점의 금자탑을 쌓은 한국 선수들 (in Korean). Football Tribe. 11 December 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  3. "Anderlecht pakt Supercup" (in Dutch). Het Belang van Limburg. 4 August 2001. Archived from the original on 29 November 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  4. 설기현, 험난했던 영국 프리미어리그 입성 (in Korean). The Hankyoreh. 7 July 2006. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  5. Nackaerts, Luc (26 January 2005). "Belgium 2003/04". RSSSF. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  6. 울버햄튼의 영원한 기억…'쎄올(Seol)' (in Korean). JoongAng Ilbo. 30 October 2006. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  7. 울버햄튼 감독, "설기현 최고 멀티플레이어" 극찬 (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. 21 January 2005. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  8. "Seol Ki-hyun looking to Premier League". The Korea Herald. 20 July 2006. Archived from the original on 22 June 2006. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  9. "Coppell reveals Seol exit reason". BBC Sport. 11 September 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  10. "Seol voted as Reading player of the month". AFC. 6 September 2006. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  11. Holt, Sarah (16 September 2006). "Sheff Utd 1–2 Reading". London: BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 April 2007.
  12. Warren, Dan (1 October 2006). "West Ham 0–1 Reading". London: BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 April 2007.
  13. "Reading 2–0 Charlton". London: BBC Sport. 18 November 2006. Retrieved 27 April 2007.
  14. "Rosenior signs as Seol departs". Reading. 1 September 2007. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  15. "Coppell reveals Seol exit reason". London: BBC Sport. 11 September 2007. Retrieved 13 September 2007.
  16. May, John (16 August 2008). "Hull City 2–1 Fulham". London: BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
  17. "Seol Moves to Saudi Club". The Korea Times. 14 January 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  18. "Seol to return to Fulham". Sky Sports. 27 June 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  19. "FK Vetra 0–3 Fulham". BBC Sport. 30 July 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
  20. "Best Of Luck". Fulham. 15 January 2010. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  21. 인천 간판스타 설기현, 이런 은퇴는 씁쓸. Naver.com (in Korean). OhmyNews. 4 March 2015.
  22. 논란의 이적, 축구계 배신의 아이콘은 누구?. Naver.com (in Korean). OhmyNews. 1 August 2016.
  23. '은퇴' 설기현 "모든 분들께 감사하다, 좋은 지도자 되겠다" (in Korean). Xportsnews. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  24. "Korea's golden moment". London: BBC Sport. 18 June 2002. Retrieved 2 January 2008.
  25. "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or") 2002". RSSSF. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
  26. 경남FC 신임감독에 한일월드컵 주역 설기현 선임 (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 26 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  27. "A lighter shoe, cooler kits, a faster ball, a Secret Tournament – every touch counts". NikeBiz. Nike. Archived from the original on 2 June 2002. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  28. Cozens, Claire (3 April 2002). "Cantona hosts World Cup with a difference". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  29. "Ki-hyeon Seol". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  30. "Seol Ki-hyeon at Korea Football Association" (in Korean). KFA. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  31. Benjamin, Zaid (2 October 2009). "Saudi Arabia 2008/09". RSSSF. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  32. Stokkermans, Karel; Zlotkowski, Andre (10 September 2015). "South Korea 2011". RSSSF. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  33. 설기현 SEOL Ki-Hyeon MF (in Korean). KFA. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  34. Stokkermans, Karel (4 March 2011). "Asian Nations Cup 2000". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  35. 설기현, 축구 팬들이 뽑은 올해의 선수 (in Korean). JoongAng Ilbo. 28 December 2006. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
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