Seol Ki-hyeon (; born 8 January 1979) is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a winger. 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 (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".
Career statistics Club +Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeague National cup League cup ContinentalOther TotalDivision Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps GoalsRoyal Antwerp2000–01Belgian First Division251021———2711Anderlecht2001–02Belgian First Division20300—31132472002–03Belgian First Division321230—81—43132003–04Belgian First Division19310—61—2642004–05Belgian First Division1000—10—20Total721840—183139524Wolverhampton Wanderers2004–05Championship3742111——4062005–06Championship3242020——364Total6984131——7610Reading2006–07Premier League2744000——3142007–08Premier League300000——30Total3044000——344Fulham2007–08Premier League1202010——1502008–09Premier League410020——612009–10Premier League20001021—51Total181204021—262Al Hilal (loan)2008–09Saudi Pro League70505170—241Pohang Steelers2010K League167000020—187Ulsan Hyundai2011K League3454272——459Incheon United2012K League40711———4182013K League 126431———2952014K League 17000———70Total731142———7713 Career total344642961942941342281
International +Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSouth Korea2000166200111120021432003302004152200540200694200720200842200941Career total8219
Results list South Korea's goal tally first. +List of international goals scored by Seol Ki-hyeonNo. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition1 5 April 2000 Seoul, South Korea 4–0 9–0 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification28–039–04 9 April 2000 Seoul, South Korea 1–0 4–0 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification52–06 7 October 2000 Dubai, United Arab Emirates 3–2 4–2 2000 LG Cup7 11 February 2001 Dubai, United Arab Emirates 3–1 4–1 2001 Dubai Tournament8 26 May 2002 Suwon, South Korea 2–1 2–3 Friendly9 18 June 2002 Daejeon, South Korea 1–1 2–1 2002 FIFA World Cup10 20 November 2002 Seoul, South Korea 1–0 2–3 Friendly11 14 February 2004 Ulsan, South Korea 2–0 5–0 Friendly12 31 July 2004 Jinan, China 1–1 3–4 2004 AFC Asian Cup13 26 May 2006 Seoul, South Korea 1–0 2–0 Friendly14 2 September 2006 Seoul, South Korea 1–0 1–1 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification15 6 September 2006 Suwon, South Korea 1–0 8–0 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification163–017 6 February 2008 Seoul, South Korea 2–0 4–0 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification184–019 5 September 2009 Seoul, South Korea 3–1 3–1 Friendly
Honours Anderlecht Belgian First Division: 2003–04 Belgian Super Cup: 2001
Al-Hilal Saudi Crown Prince Cup: 2008–09
Ulsan Hyundai Korean League Cup: 2011
South Korea U20 AFC Youth Championship: 1998
South Korea AFC Asian Cup third place: 2000
Individual Korean FA Fans' Player of the Year: 2006
Notes
References
External links
Seol Ki-hyeon – National Team Stats at KFA
Profile at alhilal.com