Ji So-Yun

In 1998, when Ji was in the second grade at Imun Elementary School, she caught the attention of coach Kim Kwang-yeol, who suggested she join the football academy at the school. Kim had thought she was a boy and only realised she was a girl when he saw her resident registration number on the application form, but considered it a waste of Ji's talent if she were unable to play, so invited her to play for the boys' team anyway. Ji was the only girl on the team. She appeared in the television show Let's Go! Dream Team that saw elementary schoolers take on professional football players in a penalty shoot-out. Even as a fifth grader, she was regularly included in Imun's starting XI alongside older boys, and coaches considered her to be several years ahead of her male peers, none of whom went on to play football professionally. After graduating from elementary school, Ji finally had the opportunity to play for an elite girls' team as she attended Oju Middle School in Seoul's Songpa District, where Choi In-cheol was the girls' football coach. She soon earned a reputation as the best emerging talent in South Korean women's football, playing a key role for Oju as the team won nine domestic tournaments in a row, and achieved a record 60-match unbeaten streak. Choi In-cheol left Oju in 2004 to manage the girls' football team at Dongsan Information Industry High School, and upon graduating from middle school Ji followed him there in 2006. The same year, Ji became a household name as the…

Ji had long hoped to play in the United States but considering a potential move too risky, she decided to sign a contract with Nadeshiko League side INAC Kobe Leonessa, initially joining the club for one year. Ji played for INAC Kobe for three years, making 48 appearances and scoring 21 goals in total, helping the side to win three consecutive Nadeshiko League titles. She was named in the league's Best XI in 2012 and 2013. In November 2013, Ji was subject to a transfer bid from English club Chelsea. She agreed to a two-year contract in January 2014. When the transfer was officially confirmed later that month, Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said of Ji: "She is one of the best midfielders in the world and our fans will love her." In one of her final matches for the Japanese club, Ji scored against her soon-to-be new club, Chelsea, in the International Women's Club Championship final. Ji was named Players' Player of the Year after her first season in England, as Chelsea narrowly missed out on the FA WSL 1 title on the last day of the season. She was named PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year in April 2015 and was also named in the PFA WSL Team of the Year. In the 2015 FA Women's Cup final, staged at Wembley Stadium for the first time, Ji scored the only goal of the match to win the cup for Chelsea. In October 2015 she also scored in Chelsea's 4–0 win over Sunderland which secured the club's first FA WSL 1 title and a league and cup double. Ji made her 100th appearance for…

Ji represented South Korea at senior level before appearing at youth level. In October 2006, she made her senior team debut while playing at the 2006 Peace Queen Cup. On 30 November 2006, she became the youngest goalscorer (15 years, 282 days) for the South Korean senior team after scoring two goals against Chinese Taipei at the 2006 Asian Games. Ji played for the South Korea under-17s at the 2007 AFC U-16 Women's Championship and the 2008 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. She scored two goals in four matches at the U-17 World Cup. Ji participated in the 2009 Summer Universiade when attending Hanyang Women's University. She won a gold medal and the Most Valuable Player award at the tournament. While Ji was part of the national under-20 team, South Korea finished second at the 2009 AFC U-19 Women's Championship and third at the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. She showed her goal scoring ability at both tournaments, becoming the top goalscorer at the AFC U-19 Championship and the second top goalscorer at the U-20 World Cup, ultimately winning the Silver Ball and the Silver Shoe awards at the U-20 World Cup. On 13 June 2015, Ji scored her first World Cup goal with a penalty kick in a Group E match against Costa Rica at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. After finishing as runners-up in Group E, South Korea reached the World Cup knockout stages for the first time. Ahead of the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup final, Ji had scored four goals in the competition, including a crucial goal in a…

Ji grew up in Imun-dong, Seoul, where she lived in government-subsidised housing with her mother, Kim Ae-ri, and younger brother. Her parents divorced when she was in elementary school. Ji's mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer for which she underwent surgery in 2002, and has also received treatment for ovarian tumours and chronic pain, which forced her to give up work. As a result the family received government benefits and struggled financially. When Ji's family background later became publicly known, she received grants from Dongdaemun Police Station and Dongdaemun District Office. Ji's parents, particularly her father, initially objected to her pursuing a career in football. However, she was encouraged to play by the owner of a local bunsik shop. As a middle schooler, Ji was involved in a fight in which her school's players physically assaulted girls from a rival football team. Ji's family was one of several which had to pay compensation. Her mother has cited this incident as a turning point for Ji, who became determined to support her family through playing football rather than adding to their financial burdens.