Ki Sung-yueng

FC Seoul

Ki returned to South Korea and joined FC Seoul, where he played alongside national teammate Lee Chung-yong. He was an unused substitute in the last match of the 2006 League Cup. Under Şenol Güneş, he made his senior debut in the K League on 4 March 2007, in a match against Daegu FC. During the 2008 season, Ki reinforced his position as a key player of FC Seoul. On 29 October 2008, Ki scored the winning goal against Seoul's biggest rivals Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the 92nd minute. Ki performed a "Kangaroo Ceremony", which he claims to be an imitation of Emmanuel Adebayor's ceremony, but Suwon fans have argued that this was imitation of 'chicken', which is what many Seoul fans call Suwon. He led the team to an unprecedented K League runners-up position with four goals and one assist in 21 appearances. In FC Seoul's first K League match of the 2009 season, Ki scored one goal in the 6–1 defeat of Chunnam Dragons. There was increasing speculation regarding a high-profile move abroad, with suitors including PSV, Hamburger SV and Porto, among others.

Celtic

On 25 August 2009, it was revealed that contact between Celtic and FC Seoul had occurred regarding the possibility of Ki's transfer to the Parkhead club. However, the player's agent stated an immediate move would be unlikely given Seoul's success in the league and the Asian Champions League. Yet, three days later, Celtic clinched a £2.1 million transfer for Ki. He linked up with the Parkhead side in…

On the international stage, Ki has played in the 2007 U-20 World Cup and for the South Korea national team as well as the South Korea under-23 team. On 7 June 2008, he made his international debut in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Jordan. On 1 June 2010, Ki was picked in the 23-man South Korea squad for the 2010 World Cup finals. On 12 June, Ki played in South Korea's first match of the World Cup, against Greece. Ki played a part in all three group matches and assisted twice in two different matches against Greece and Nigeria which helped him and his country get through to the knockout stages of the competition. On 20 December 2011, Ki (along with Ji So-yun of Kobe INAC Japan) was awarded the South Korean Player of the Year award. The decision was announced by the Korean Football Association (KFA) based on his international and club performance in the SPL. In the 2012 Summer Olympics, Ki scored the fifth and vital penalty for South Korea in their quarter-final match against Great Britain, allowing South Korea to progress to the semi-finals. South Korea lost 3–0 to Brazil in the semi-final, but defeated Japan 2–0 in the third-place play-off to win the bronze medal. Ki was selected for the South Korea squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He played in all three matches as Korea were eliminated at the group stage after one draw and two defeats. Following the World Cup, Ki was made captain of the national team by new coach Uli Stielike. Ki also played for…

Ki started his football career at Suncheon Jungang Elementary School Football Club, and later joined Gwangyang Jecheol Middle School. In 2001, he went to Brisbane, Australia, to study at John Paul College under the BSP (Brain Soccer Program) overseen by Jeff Hopkins. His father saw the move as an opportunity for Ki to combine his athletic and academic pursuits as well as to learn English. Ki played his youth football for the school team and was part of the team that won the 2004 Bill Turner Cup, the national inter-school under-15 soccer competition. In 2005, he received offers from South Korean club FC Seoul and A-League club Queensland Roar, but decided to move back to South Korea to continue his education and career. After moving back to South Korea, Ki attended Kumho High School where he graduated in 2006.

Family and marriage

His father, Ki Young-ok, was general manager of Gwangju FC between 2015 and 2019. He resigned from his position in December 2019, citing "deteriorating health" after four years at the club without receiving any salary. The club, who faced financial difficulties, managed to climb to the country's top tier under his tenure but failed to establish itself in the K League. Ki confirmed in March 2013 that he was dating actress Han Hye-jin, and announced their engagement in May 2013. The couple filed their marriage registration on 25 June 2013, and wed on 1 July at the Intercontinental Hotel Seoul. Both are devout Christians. They have a daughter, born on 13 September 2015.

Controversies

On 25 January 2011, during the 2011 AFC Asian Cup semi-final match between Japan and South Korea, Ki scored the opening goal through a penalty kick. Ki created a controversy by celebrating his goal by scratching his cheek in front of a pitch-side camera in an allegedly racist slur at Japanese people, though Ki stated that it was actually directed at fans in Scotland whom he alleged had racially abused him and another Korean player. Asian Cup tournament director Tokuaki Suzuki said no action would be taken on part of the AFC and that FIFA has not contacted the AFC regarding the matter. In the summer of 2013, it was widely reported Ki had previously insulted then-South Korea national team manager Choi Kang-hee on his Facebook page before and after the match…