Seol Ki-Hyeon

He is also the first South Korean footballer to score in the history of the UEFA Champions League, during his time at Anderlecht.

Seol Ki-hyeon

Seol with Fulham in 2009
Personal information
Date of birth	(1979-01-08) 8 January 1979 (age 45)
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 [ko]
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1997–2000	Kwangwoon University [ko]
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	(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 2000 Lebanon Team AFC Youth Championship 1998 Thailand Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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 having no respect for clubs and lying to fans. 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.

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. He was nominated for the Ballon d'Or in that year.

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

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".

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