Kim Seung-gyu


Kim Seung-gyu is a South Korean football player for Japanese club Kashiwa Reysol, and also currently the goalkeeper for South Korea national football team. He is well known for his quick reflexes.

Club career

After graduation of middle school, in 2006, he entered Ulsan Hyundai by the draft system of K League. He played as under-18 team player during 2006 and 2007, and started to play as a senior player in 2008. Kim was named the Best XI of the season in the 2013 K League 1 due to his outstanding performance. In 2016, he opted to move abroad, playing for Vissel Kobe in Japan.

International career

Kim Seung-gyu made his International debut for the senior team against Peru on 14 August 2013 in a goalless draw, keeping a clean sheet in his debut.
Kim was named in the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad as the second choice keeper behind Jung Sung-ryong. He did not play the first two games, but after Jung Sung-ryong's poor performance against Algeria he was selected to play against Belgium. He made numerous saves, but conceded one as Korea lost 1–0. Despite the loss, Kim was well praised by the fans for his performance, conceding only one goal against one of the top ranked teams in the world on his World Cup debut. Following the World Cup he was made the first choice keeper for the South Korea national football team.
Kim was named as a wild card player for the South Korea under-23 national team to play in the 2014 Asian Games. Kim helped his team get a gold medal for the first time in 28 years. Kim conceded no goals in the six matches he played and was granted a military exemption. Due to his outstanding performance, he is compared to Korea's former goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae.
In May 2018 he was named in South Korea's preliminary 28 man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, but the manager Shin Tae-yong chose Jo Hyeon-woo as the starting goalkeeper, so he didn't appear at the tournament.
Under Paulo Bento, South Korea's new manager who attach importance to precise passing, he regained the starting position of the national team by polishing up his passing and goal kick skills,

Career statistics

Club

International clean sheets

#DateVenueOpponentResultCompetition
114 August 2013Suwon0–0Friendly match
225 January 2014Los Angeles1–0Friendly match
313 January 2015Canberra1–02015 AFC Asian Cup
411 June 2015Kuala Lumpur3–0Friendly match
516 June 2015Bangkok2–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
62 August 2015Wuhan2–02015 EAFF East Asian Cup
72 August 2015Wuhan0–02015 EAFF East Asian Cup
88 September 2015Sidon3–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
98 October 2015Kuwait City1–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
1012 November 2015Suwon4–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
1127 March 2016Bangkok1–0Friendly match
126 September 2016Seremban0–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
137 June 2017Ras al-Khaimah0–0Friendly match
1431 August 2017Seoul0–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
155 September 2017Tashkent0–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
163 February 2018Antalya1–0Friendly match
177 September 2018Goyang2–0Friendly match
1831 December 2018Abu Dhabi0–0Friendly match
197 January 2019Dubai1–02019 AFC Asian Cup
2011 January 2019Al Ain1–02019 AFC Asian Cup
2116 January 2019Abu Dhabi2–02019 AFC Asian Cup
2222 March 2019Ulsan1–0Friendly match
237 June 2019Busan1–0Friendly match
2410 September 2019Ashgabat2–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2515 October 2019Pyongyang0–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2614 November 2019Beirut0–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2718 December 2019Busan1–02019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship

Honours

Ulsan Hyundai
South Korea U23
South Korea
Individual