'FC Seoul legend' Ki Sung-yueng (36) is trying to leave his former team once again. The next destination being mentioned is Pohang Steelers.
According to the football community on the 24th, Ki Sung-yueng is pushing for a transfer to Pohang. If he ends up wearing Pohang's black and red striped uniform instead of Seoul’s, he would be finishing his 'Seoul second term' after five years since rejoining Seoul in July 2020.
This is news that has surprised many football fans. Ki Sung-yueng is a legendary midfielder of Korean football who played 110 A-match games before retiring from the national team in 2019. He has also left his mark on the European stage through stints with Celtic, Swansea, Sunderland, Newcastle, and Mallorca.
In the K League, he is a Seoul legend, having made his professional debut there in 2006 and playing for nearly four years with love from Seoul fans before leaving for Celtic at the end of 2009.
Ki Sung-yueng's domestic return was also with Seoul. He returned to the K League wearing the Seoul uniform in the summer of 2020 and played as a starting midfielder. His K League career record stands at 198 games, 14 goals, and 19 assists, all while playing for Seoul.
However, Ki Sung-yueng's playing time began to decrease last year. This is due to manager Kim Gi-dong leaving Pohang to head to Seoul, which brought about a change in leadership, along with Ki Sung-yueng facing frequent injuries.
Last season, Ki Sung-yueng played only 20 games due to an Achilles tendon issue. This season, he has only appeared in 8 games due to a hamstring injury. He was chosen by manager Kim Gi-dong for the opening match, but after collapsing in a match against Daejeon in April, he has been sidelined for over two months.
Currently, Ki Sung-yueng is said to have recovered his physical condition. However, he has not yet returned to the field, notably being excluded from the lineup in the match against Jeonbuk on the 21st. While he is participating in training, he has not yet had the opportunity to play.
For this reason, Ki Sung-yueng has started looking for a new challenge to secure playing time. According to sources in the football community, he is seeking 'a place where he can play more' and is in discussions with Pohang. However, a Pohang official stated in a currency that they learned about the news from the reports and are currently checking internally.
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