Suwon Samsung Bluewings

Founded in December 1995, they have won the national championship on four occasions (1998, 1999, 2004 and 2008), as well as the Asian Club Championship (the predecessor to the AFC Champions League) twice, in 2000–01 and 2001–02.

Suwon Samsung Bluewings

Full name	Suwon Samsung Bluewings Football Club 수원 삼성 블루윙즈 축구단
Nickname(s)	Cheong-Baek-Jeok Korean: 청백적 (The Blue, White and Reds) Tricolor
Founded	1995; 29 years ago (1995)
Ground	Suwon World Cup Stadium
Capacity	44,031
Owner	Cheil Worldwide (Samsung's subsidiary)
Chairman	Lee Jun
Head coach	Yeom Ki-hun
League	K League 2
2023	K League 1, 12th of 12 (relegated)
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours

The club was officially founded in December 1995 by Samsung Electronics, becoming the ninth member of the K League from the 1996 season. It was also the first club to be founded in one specific city, a plan which led to the K-League initiating plans to encourage its other clubs to forge similar links with local communities.

Former South Korean national team manager Kim Ho took charge of the side from their first season in the K-League, and the team finished runners-up in the championship play-off that season. The championship was secured in 1998 and retained in 1999 as Suwon started to dominate Korean football.

Suwon lifted the Asian Club Championship twice in succession in 2000–01 and 2001–02, and also added the Asian Super Cup to their roll of honors on two occasions.

In the 2002 season, Suwon also won the Korean FA Cup for the first time, achieving a continental double.

The departure of Kim Ho in 2003 saw Korean football legend Cha Bum-kun appointed manager ahead of the 2004 season, and the club won its third league title in his debut season as manager.

Suwon finished runners-up in both major domestic competitions in 2006, as Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma claimed victory in the K-League championship play-off final and Chunnam Dragons won in the FA Cup final, thwarting Suwon's attempts to win the first ever domestic double in South Korean football.

The 2008 season became one of the most successful seasons in the club's history. Suwon achieved a domestic double by winning the K League Championship and the League Cup.

In the 2023 season, the club was relegated to the second-tier K League 2 for the first time in its history after finishing in last place.

Crest

 

The current crest has been used by the Bluewings since 2008. It depicts the Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a prominent symbol of the city of Suwon. The wing on the top of the crest is the club's first crest and symbolises their will to rise to the sky [sic] of world football.

Colours

The Bluewings' colours are blue, red and white. Blue is the colour of Samsung and also symbolises youth and hope. Red is the symbol of bravery, passion, challenge, vitality and dynamism. White represents benevolence, purity and fair play.

Stadium

 

The Suwon Samsung Bluewings used the 11,808-seat Suwon Sports Complex as their home stadium from 1995 through 2001.

Samsung began building the Suwon World Cup Stadium, the current home of the Bluewings, in 1996, but construction stopped in 1998 due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. With the support of the city of Suwon and Gyeonggi Province, the stadium was completed in May 2001. It was used as a venue for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Based on the shape of the roof of the stadium, fans sometimes call the stadium the "Big Bird".

Training ground

The Bluewings' training ground is located in Dongtan, a district of Hwaseong.

Current squad

As of 23 July 2023

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 2 DF   KOR Yoon Seo-ho 3 DF   KOR Jang Ho-ik 4 DF   NED Dave Bulthuis 5 DF   KOR Han Ho-gang 6 MF   KOR Han Seok-jong 7 MF   KOR Ko Seung-beom (vice-captain) 8 MF   KOR Choi Sung-keun 9 FW   PRK An Byong-jun 10 MF   KOR Jeong Seung-won 11 DF   KOR Kim Tae-hwan 13 MF   KOR Kim Bo-kyung 14 FW   KOR Jeon Jin-woo 15 DF   KOR Go Myeong-seok 16 MF   KOR Lee Jong-sung 17 FW   KOR Kim Kyung-jung 18 FW   GHA Maxwell Acosty 19 MF   KOR Kang Tae-won 20 FW   KOR Park Hee-jun 21 GK   KOR Yang Hyung-mo 22 MF   KOR Kwon Chang-hoon 23 DF   KOR Lee Ki-je (captain) 24 MF   KOR Heo Dong-ho 25 DF   KOR Jang Seok-hwan 26 MF   KOR Yeom Ki-hun

No. Pos. Nation Player 27 FW   KOR Ko Moo-yeol 28 DF   KOR Lee Gyu-seok 29 FW   KOR Lee Sang-min 30 MF   KOR Jin Hyun-tae 31 GK   KOR Lee Seong-ju 32 FW   KOR Seo Dong-han 33 DF   KOR Park Dae-won 34 GK   KOR Park Ji-min 35 DF   KOR Kwak Sung-hoon 36 MF   KOR Myung Jun-jae 37 FW   KOR Kim Ju-chan 42 MF   KOR Lim Hyun-sub 44 FW   SRB Fejsal Mulić 45 FW   BRA Werik Popó 47 MF   KOR Park Seung-soo 50 DF   KOR Ko Jong-hyun 66 DF   KOR Kim Joo-won 77 DF   KOR Son Ho-jun 81 MF   JPN Kazuki Kozuka 88 MF   KOR Yu Je-ho 91 MF   KOR Kim Seong-ju 97 FW   BRA Rodrigo Bassani (on loan from Figueirense) 99 GK   KOR An Chan-gi

Out on loan and military service

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF   KOR Hwang In-taek (to Seoul E-Land) — DF   KOR Hwang Myeong-hyun (to Jeonnam Dragons) — DF   KOR Kim Sang-jun (to Busan IPark) — DF   KOR Min Sang-gi (to Busan IPark)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF   KOR Kang Hyun-muk (to Gimcheon Sangmu for military service) — MF   KOR Park Sang-hyeok (to Seongnam FC) — FW   KOR Koo Min-seo (to Siheung Citizen)

Club captains

 

Year	Captains	Vice-captain(s)
1996	Kim Doo-ham	Yoon Sung-hyo
1997	Shin Sung-hwan
1998	Jung Sung-hoon
1999	Shin Hong-gi
2000
2001	Park Kun-ha
2002	Seo Jung-won
2003	Kim Jin-woo	Lee Woon-jae
2004	Lee Byung-keun	Kim Young-sun
2005	Choi Sung-yong	Kim Dae-eui
2006	Kim Nam-il	Cho Jae-min
2007	Lee Kwan-woo	Lee Jung-soo
2008	Song Chong-gug	Kwak Hee-ju
2009	Lee Woon-jae	Hong Soon-hak
2010	Cho Won-hee	Kim Dae-eui
2011	Choi Sung-kuk	Yeom Ki-hun
2012	Kwak Hee-ju	Oh Beom-seok
2013	Kim Do-heon	Oh Jang-eun
2014	Yeom Ki-hun
2015		Kim Eun-sun
2016		Hong Chul, Shin Se-gye
2017		Koo Ja-ryong, Lee Jong-sung
2018	Kim Eun-sun
2019	Yeom Ki-hun	Choi Sung-keun, Hong Chul
2020		Choi Sung-keun, Kim Min-woo
2021	Kim Min-woo	Min Sang-gi
2022	Min Sang-gi	Choi Sung-keun
2023	Lee Ki-je	Ko Seung-beom

Notable players

Hall of Fame
  Seo Jung-won (1999–2004)
  Park Kun-ha (1996–2006)
  Lee Woon-jae (1996–2011)
  Lee Byung-keun (1996–2006)
  Kim Jin-woo (1996–2007)
  Ko Jong-soo (1996–2004)
  Denis Laktionov (1996–2003, 2006–2007)
  Sandro (2000–2002, 2005–2007)
  Nádson (2003–2008)
  Kwak Hee-ju (2003–2013, 2015–2016)
  Natanael Santos (2013–2017)

Greatest ever team (10th anniversary)

In the spring of 2005, as part of the club's celebration of its 10th anniversary, Suwon fans voted for the best players in the club's history. The players who received the most votes in each position were named in the club's greatest ever team.

• Goalkeeper

  Lee Woon-jae (1996–2011)

• Defenders

  Park Kun-ha (1996–2006)
  Choi Sung-yong (2002–2006)
  Lee Byung-keun (1996–2006)

• Midfielders

  Ko Jong-soo (1996–2004)
  Denis Laktionov (1996–2003, 2006–2007)
  Kim Do-heon (2001–2005, 2009–2014)
  Seo Jung-won (1999–2004)
  Kim Jin-woo (1996–2007)

• Forwards

  Nádson (2003–2008)
  Saša Drakulić (1998–2000)

Greatest ever team (20th anniversary)

In the spring of 2015, as part of the club's celebration of its 20th anniversary, Suwon fans voted for the best players in the club's history. The players who received the most votes in each position were named in the club's greatest ever team.

• Goalkeeper

  Lee Woon-jae (1996–2011)

• Defenders

  Choi Sung-yong (2002–2006)
  Mato Neretljak (2005–2008, 2011)
  Lee Byung-keun (1996–2006)
  Kwak Hee-ju (2003-2013, 2015–2016)

• Midfielders

  Denis Laktionov (1996–2003, 2006–2007)
  Ko Jong-soo (1996–2004)
  Kim Jin-woo (1996–2007)
  Seo Jung-won (1999–2004)

• Forwards

  Park Kun-ha (1996–2006)
  Nádson (2003–2008)

 

Domestic

• K League 1
  • Winners (4): 1998, 1999, 2004, 2008
  • Runners-up (4): 1996, 2006, 2014, 2015

• Korean FA Cup
  • Winners (5): 2002, 2009, 2010, 2016, 2019
  • Runners-up (3): 1996, 2006, 2011

• Korean League Cup
  • Winners (6): 1999, 1999s, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2008

• Korean Super Cup
  • Winners (3): 1999, 2000, 2005

International

• Asian Club Championship
  • Winners (2): 2000–01, 2001–02

• Asian Cup Winners' Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 1997–98

• Asian Super Cup
  • Winners (2): 2001, 2002

• A3 Champions Cup
  • Winners (1): 2005

Season	Division	Teams	League	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	League Cup	FA Cup	Super Cup	AFC	Other	Manager
1996	1	9	Runners-up	32	18	9	5	57	33	+24	63	6th (A)	Runners-up				Kim Ho
1997		10	5th	18	7	7	4	23	23	0	28	6th (A) 3rd (P)	Quarter-final		Runners-up (CW)		Kim Ho
1998		10	Champions	20	13	1	6	34	22	+12	35	6th (A) 4th (PM)	Quarter-final				Kim Ho
1999		10	Champions	29	23	0	6	60	26	+34	64	Winners (A) Winners (D)	1st round	Winners	4th (CC)		Kim Ho
2000		10	5th	27	14	0	13	48	43	+5	36	Winners (A) 8th (D)	Quarter-final	Winners			Kim Ho
2001		10	3rd	27	12	5	10	40	35	+5	41	Winners (A)	1st round		Champions (CC) Winners (SC)		Kim Ho
2002		10	3rd	27	12	9	6	40	26	+14	45	4th (A)	Winners		Champions (CC) Winners (SC)		Kim Ho
2003		12	3rd	44	19	15	10	59	46	+13	72	No competition	Round of 32	No competition			Kim Ho
2004		13	Champions	27	14	6	7	32	24	+8	46	4th (S)	Round of 16				Cha Bum-kun
2005		13	10th	24	6	10	8	29	32	–3	28	Winners (S)	Round of 16	Winners	Winners (A3) Group E 2nd (CL)		Cha Bum-kun
2006		14	Runners-up	29	12	10	7	31	25	+6	46	12th (S)	Runners-up				Cha Bum-kun
2007		14	3rd	27	15	6	6	36	25	+11	51	Semi-final (S)	Round of 16	Competition ceased			Cha Bum-kun
2008		14	Champions	28	18	4	6	49	26	+23	58	Winners (S)	Round of 16				Cha Bum-kun
2009		15	10th	28	8	8	12	29	32	–3	32	Quarter-final (PK)	Winners		Round of 16 (CL)	Winners (PP)	Cha Bum-kun
2010		15	7th	28	12	5	11	39	44	–5	41	Semi-final (PC)	Winners		Quarter-final (CL)	Runners-up (ST)	Cha Bum-kun   Yoon Sung-hyo
2011		16	4th	30	17	4	9	51	33	+18	55	Semi-final (RC)	Runners-up		Semi-final (CL)		Yoon Sung-hyo
2012		16	4th	44	20	13	11	61	51	+10	73	Competition ceased	Quarter-final				Yoon Sung-hyo
2013		14	5th	38	15	8	15	50	43	+7	53		Round of 16		Group H, 4th (CL)		Seo Jung-won
2014		12	Runners-up	38	19	10	9	52	37	+15	67		Round of 32				Seo Jung-won
2015		12	Runners-up	38	19	10	9	60	43	+17	67		Round of 32		Round of 16 (CL)		Seo Jung-won
2016		12	7th	38	10	18	10	56	59	–3	48		Winners		Group G, 3rd (CL)		Seo Jung-won
2017		12	3rd	38	17	13	8	63	41	+22	64		Semi-final		Group G, 3rd (CL)		Seo Jung-won
2018		12	6th	38	13	11	14	53	54	–1	50		Semi-final		Semi-final (CL)		Seo Jung-won   Lee Byung-keun (C)   Seo Jung-won
2019		12	8th	38	12	12	14	46	49	–3	48		Winners				Lee Lim-saeng
2020		12	8th	27	8	7	12	27	30	–3	31		Quarter-final		Quarter-final (CL)		Lee Lim-saeng   Ju Seung-jin (C)   Park Kun-ha
2021		12	6th	38	12	10	16	42	50	–8	46		Quarter-final				Park Kun-ha
2022		12	10th	38	11	11	16	44	49	–5	44		Quarter-final				Park Kun-ha   Lee Byung-keun
2023		12	12th	38	8	9	21	35	57	–22	33		Quarter-final				Lee Byung-keun   Choi Sung-yong (C)   Kim Byung-soo   Yeom Ki-hun (C)

• K League Championship results are not counted.
• The 1998, 1999 and 2000 seasons had penalty shoot-outs instead of draws.
• A – Adidas Cup, P – Pro-Specs Cup, PM – Philip Morris Cup, D – Daehan Fire Insurance Cup, S – Samsung Hauzen Cup, PK – Peace Cup Korea, PC – Posco Cup, RC – Rush & Cash Cup
  CW – Asian Cup Winners Cup, CC – Asian Club Championship, SC – Asian Super Cup, CL – AFC Champions League, A3 – A3 Champions Cup, PP – Pan-Pacific Championship, ST – Saitama City Cup

AFC Champions League record

All results (home and away) list Suwon's goal tally first.

Season	Round	Opposition	Home	Away	Agg.
2005	Group E	Hoang Anh Gia Lai	6–0	5–1	2nd
		Shenzhen Jianlibao	0–0	0–1
		Júbilo Iwata	2–1	1–0
2009	Group G	Kashima Antlers	4–1	0–3	2nd
		Singapore Armed Forces	3–1	2–0
		Shanghai Shenhua	2–1	1–2
	Round of 16	Nagoya Grampus	—	1–2	—
2010	Group G	Gamba Osaka	0–0	1–2	1st
		Singapore Armed Forces	6–2	2–0
		Henan Jianye	2–0	2–0
	Round of 16	Beijing Guoan	2–0	—	—
	Quarter-final	Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma	2–0	1–4	3–4
2011	Group H	Sydney FC	3–1	0–0	1st
		Shanghai Shenhua	4–0	3–0
		Kashima Antlers	1–1	1–1
	Round of 16	Nagoya Grampus	2–0	—	—
	Quarter-final	Zob Ahan	1–1	2–1 (a.e.t.)	3–2
	Semi-final	Al-Sadd	0–2	1–0	1–2
2013	Group H	Central Coast Mariners	0–1	0–0	4th
		Guizhou Renhe	0–0	2–2
		Kashiwa Reysol	2–6	0–0
2015	Group G	Urawa Red Diamonds	2–1	2–1	2nd
		Beijing Guoan	1–1	0–1
		Brisbane Roar	3–1	3–3
	Round of 16	Kashiwa Reysol	2–3	2–1	4–4 (a)
2016	Group G	Gamba Osaka	0–0	2–1	3rd
		Shanghai SIPG	3–0	1–2
		Melbourne Victory	1–1	0–0
2017	Group G	Kawasaki Frontale	0–1	1–1	3rd
		Guangzhou Evergrande	2–2	2–2
		Eastern	5–0	1–0
2018	Play-off	Thanh Hóa	5–1	—	—
	Group H	Sydney FC	1–4	2–0	1st
		Kashima Antlers	1–2	1–0
		Shanghai Shenhua	1–1	2–0
	Round of 16	Ulsan Hyundai	3–0	0–1	3–1
	Quarter-final	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	0–3 (a.e.t.)	3–0	3–3 (4–2 p)
	Semi-final	Kashima Antlers	3–3	2–3	5–6
2020	Group G	Guangzhou Evergrande	0–0	1–1	2nd
		Vissel Kobe	0–1	2–0
	Round of 16	Yokohama F. Marinos	3–2		—
	Quarter-final	Vissel Kobe	1–1 (a.e.t.) (6–7 p)		—