Choi Jun Explained

Choi Jun should not be confused with Jun Choi.

Choi Jun
Birth Date:17 April 1999
Birth Place:South Korea
Height:1.77 m
Currentclub:FC Seoul
Clubnumber:16
Position:Full-back
Youthyears1:2015-2017
Youthclubs1:Ulsan Hyundai
Years1:2020
Clubs1:Ulsan Hyundai
Caps1:0
Goals1:0
Years2:2020
Clubs2:Gyeongnam FC (loan)
Caps2:20
Goals2:2
Years3:2021-2023
Clubs3:Busan IPark
Caps3:92
Goals3:4
Years4:2024–
Clubs4:FC Seoul
Caps4:14
Goals4:0
Nationalyears1:2018-2019
Nationalteam1:South Korea U20
Nationalcaps1:23
Nationalgoals1:3
Nationalyears2:2021-2023
Nationalteam2:South Korea U23
Nationalcaps2:10
Nationalgoals2:2
Club-Update:28 May 2024
Nationalteam-Update:24 September 2023 (UTC)
Youthclubs2:Yonsei University
Youthyears2:2018–2019
Hangul:최준
Hanja:崔俊
Mr:Ch'oe Chun
Rr:Choe Jun

Choi Jun (; born 17 April 1999) is a South Korean footballer currently playing as a full-back for FC Seoul.[1]

He is considered one of the most promising players of his generation in South Korea, regarding his versatility (mainly used as a right-back, he can also play as a left-back, a wing-back or a midfielder), his pace, his technique and his work rate.[2] [3]

Club career

The beginnings

A product of K League 1 Ulsan Hyundai's academy and a graduate from Yonsei University, in 2020 he moved to Ulsan's senior team, after his performances for the national youth teams gained the attention of scouts from several European clubs. However, as the "Horangi" could already count on more experienced players such as Park Joo-ho (on the left side) and Kim Tae-hwan (on the right), Choi was soon loaned to K League 2 side Gyeongnam, where he consequently played his first professional season.

Gyeongnam

He made his professional debut on July 1, 2020, playing the entirety of a Korean FA Cup match against Jeonnam Dragons, with his side eventually suffering a 4–0 away loss. Being at the start of his senior career, Choi initially had mixed fortunes in Changwon, registering two assists but also five yellow cards in his first ten matches with Gyeongnam. However, as the season progressed he was praised for showing a hard-working attitude and a good chemistry with his team-mates on the right wing (alternatively, Ko Kyung-min or Negueba). On October 25, 2020, he registered his first goal ever, by netting the winner in a 4–3 away win against Bucheon FC 1995.

As Gyeongnam gained a spot in the promotion play-offs, Choi had the opportunity to take part in two more matches: a 1–1 draw against Daejeon Hana Citizen (Gyeongnam advanced to the following round due to a better placement in the regular league table) and the final against Suwon FC. In this occasion, Choi scored the opening goal of the match, but then An Byong-jun equalized, scoring a penalty kick in the final moments of injury time and giving Suwon the promotion to K League 1, again due to better placement.

Choi closed his experience in Changwon having registered 20 league appearances and two goals.

Busan IPark

Once returned to Ulsan, Choi soon joined Busan IPark (who had just been relegated in K League 2) on a permanent basis, together with fellow team-mates Jung Hoon-sung and Lee Sang-heon, as part of the operation that brought Lee Dong-jun to the "Horangi".[4]

FC Seoul

On 5 January 2024, Jun joined FC Seoul.[5]

International career

He has frequently represented South Korea at Under-19 and Under-20 level.

In 2018, he took part both in the Toulon Tournament, where the South Korean selection was eliminated in the group stage,[6] and the AFC Under-19 Championship, where his side reached the final before losing 1–2 to eventual winners Saudi Arabia.[7]

In 2019, he was selected by head coach Chung Jung-yong to take part in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland, being one of the only two players in South Korea's 21-men list (together with Jeong Ho-jin) who hadn't started their senior career, yet. Used as a left-back, he played every match of his side, assisting Oh Se-hun's winner against Japan in the round of 16 and scoring, in order, one penalty in South Korea's successful shoot-out against Senegal (in the quarter-finals) and the only goal of the victory against Ecuador in the semi-finals.[8] [9] [10] As a result, he played a considerable role in the Taeguk Warriors' road to the tournament's final, then lost to Ukraine with the score of 3–1.[11]

Career statistics

Club

ClubSeasonLeagueKorea CupPlay-offsTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Ulsan Hyundai2020K League 100000000
Gyeongnam FC (loan)2020K League 22021000212
Busan IPark20213020000302
20223101000320
20233120021333
FC Seoul2024K League 11400000140
Career total126620211307

Honours

International

South Korea U19

South Korea U20

South Korea U23

Individual

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Marcantonio. Tomas. Busan IPark - Transfer Updates. 2021-02-09. K League United South Korean football news, opinions, match previews and score predictions.
  2. Web site: Jeong. Yun-Cheol. June 15, 2019. European football clubs eye young S. Korean players. February 9, 2021. The Dong-a Ilbo.
  3. Web site: Edrupt. James. 2020 Season Review: Gyeongnam FC. 2021-02-09. K League United South Korean football news, opinions, match previews and score predictions.
  4. Web site: Wilde. Todd. February 8, 2021. Busan IPark have announced the signing of Korean youth international Choi Jun from Ulsan Hyundai. Choi is the second player to join the club as part of the Lee Dong-jun transfer. One more set to be announced.... February 9, 2021. Twitter.
  5. Web site: FC서울, 측면 수비수 최준 영입…"수비 안정성 더해" . January 13, 2024. Seoul Broadcasting System.
  6. Web site: Festival International Espoirs. 2021-02-09. festival-foot-espoirs.com.
  7. Web site: Saudi Arabia emerge champions Football News AFC U-19 Championship 2020. 2021-02-10. the-AFC. en-GB.
  8. Web site: FIFA.com. FIFA U-20 World Cup 2019 - News - Sehun heads Korea Republic into quarter-finals . https://web.archive.org/web/20190607094044/https://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/news/sehun-heads-korea-republic-into-quarter-finals. dead. June 7, 2019. 2021-02-09. www.fifa.com. en-GB.
  9. Web site: FIFA.com. FIFA U-20 World Cup 2019 - News - Korea Republic complete thrilling comeback on penalties . https://web.archive.org/web/20190609154855/https://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/news/korea-republic-complete-thrilling-comeback-on-penalties. dead. June 9, 2019. 2021-02-09. www.fifa.com. en-GB.
  10. Web site: FIFA.com. FIFA U-20 World Cup 2019 - News - Korea Republic edge Ecuador to set up historic final . https://web.archive.org/web/20190611221647/https://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/news/korea-republic-edge-ecuador-to-set-up-historic-final. dead. June 11, 2019. 2021-02-09. www.fifa.com. en-GB.
  11. Web site: FIFA.com. FIFA U-20 World Cup 2019 - News - Spirited comeback earns Ukraine first U-20 title . https://web.archive.org/web/20190615195250/https://www.fifa.com/u20worldcup/news/spirited-comeback-earns-ukraine-first-u-20-title. dead. June 15, 2019. 2021-02-09. www.fifa.com. en-GB.