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| Ki Sung-yueng | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ki Sung-yueng |
| Fullname | Ki Sung-yueng |
| Birth date | 1989-01-24 |
| Birth place | Gwangju, South Korea |
| Height | 1.88 m |
| Position | Central midfielder |
| Youthclubs | Gwangju Middle School Bongdong High School |
| Years1 | 2007–2009 |
| Clubs1 | FC Seoul |
| Years2 | 2009–2012 |
| Clubs2 | Swansea City A.F.C. |
| Years3 | 2012–2019 |
| Clubs3 | Swansea City A.F.C. |
| Years4 | 2015–2017 |
| Clubs4 | Newcastle United F.C. |
| Years5 | 2017–2019 |
| Clubs5 | Swansea City A.F.C. |
| Years6 | 2019–2021 |
| Clubs6 | RCD Mallorca |
| Nationalyears1 | 2005–2009 |
| Nationalteam1 | South Korea U20 |
| Nationalyears2 | 2006–2012 |
| Nationalteam2 | South Korea U23 |
| Nationalyears3 | 2008–2019 |
| Nationalteam3 | South Korea |
Ki Sung-yueng (born 24 January 1989) is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. He featured prominently for FC Seoul, Swansea City A.F.C., Newcastle United F.C. and RCD Mallorca, and captained the South Korea at major tournaments including the FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup. Known for passing range and tactical intelligence, he won domestic and international recognition across K League 1, the Premier League, and international competitions.
Born in Gwangju during the late 1980s, he attended local schools and joined youth setups that included Gwangju Jeil High School and regional academies. Early coaches noted his composure and technique, leading to selection for South Korea U20 squads for tournaments such as the FIFA U-20 World Cup. He progressed through youth systems associated with FC Seoul and featured in youth international fixtures against sides from Japan U20, Australia U20 and Germany U20.
He began his professional career at FC Seoul in the K League 1, making senior appearances and attracting interest from European clubs including scouts from La Liga, Bundesliga and English Football League teams. In 2009 he moved to Swansea City A.F.C., then managed by Brendan Rodgers, contributing to the club's promotion campaigns and subsequent Premier League consolidation. At Swansea he played alongside teammates from Gylfi Sigurðsson, Wayne Routledge, Jonjo Shelvey and worked under managers Michael Laudrup and Garry Monk. A loan spell to Newcastle United F.C. reunited him with Rafa Benítez and featured fixtures against Manchester United F.C., Chelsea F.C. and Arsenal F.C.. Later in his career he signed for RCD Mallorca in La Liga, appearing in matches versus FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. Throughout his club career he participated in cup competitions including the FA Cup and the EFL Cup.
He represented South Korea national football team across youth and senior levels, captaining the senior side in tournaments such as the 2012 Summer Olympics qualification campaigns, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup cycles. He was part of squads at multiple AFC Asian Cup tournaments and played alongside national teammates such as Park Ji-sung, Son Heung-min, Lee Chung-yong and Kim Young-gwon. Notable international fixtures included qualifiers versus Iran, Japan and friendlies against Brazil and Spain. His international tenure involved appearances in World Cup qualification matches organized by the Asian Football Confederation.
As a deep-lying playmaker and central midfielder he was noted for passing accuracy, vision, long-range distribution and set-piece delivery, drawing comparisons in role to established midfielders from Spain and Germany. Analysts in The Guardian, BBC Sport and FourFourTwo examined his tactical contribution in possession phases and defensive transitions, highlighting performances against Manchester City F.C. and Tottenham Hotspur F.C.. Coaches including Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup praised his football intelligence, while opponents such as Chelsea F.C. midfielders acknowledged his positional discipline during Premier League fixtures.
He comes from a family in Gwangju and has been involved in charity work and ambassadorial roles in South Korea, engaging with organizations tied to youth sport and cultural promotion. Off the pitch he has appeared in media programs on SBS and participated in events with South Korean celebrities, interacting with figures from K-pop and Korean entertainment. He fulfilled mandatory national service obligations associated with South Korean athletes and has maintained connections with former club communities including Swansea City A.F.C. supporters.
Club appearances and goals spanned competitions in K League 1, the Premier League, Segunda División and La Liga, as well as domestic cup tournaments like the FA Cup and the Copa del Rey. Internationally he earned over 100 caps for South Korea national football team and scored multiple goals in competitive and friendly fixtures against teams such as Uzbekistan national football team and Australia national football team.
He won domestic honours with Swansea City A.F.C. including the League Cup (as part of the club’s cup campaigns) and achieved promotion honors in the English Football League Championship. With South Korea national football team he earned medals at regional tournaments including the Asian Games and represented the nation at multiple FIFA World Cup finals. Individually he received selections to tournament squads and national team captaincy acknowledgements, and was recognized by outlets such as Korea Football Association listings and UEFA reports.
Category:South Korean footballers Category:1989 births Category:Living people