| Ji So-yun | |
| Birth Date: | 1991 2, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Seoul, South Korea[1] |
| Height: | 1.60 m |
| Currentclub: | Seattle Reign FC |
| Clubnumber: | 91 |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Youthyears1: | 2006–2008 |
| Youthclubs1: | Dongsan Info & Industry HS |
| Youthyears2: | 2009–2010 |
| Youthclubs2: | Hanyang Women's University |
| Years1: | 2011–2013 |
| Clubs1: | INAC Kobe Leonessa |
| Caps1: | 48 |
| Goals1: | 21 |
| Years2: | 2014–2022 |
| Clubs2: | Chelsea |
| Caps2: | 124 |
| Goals2: | 37 |
| Years3: | 2022–2024 |
| Clubs3: | Suwon FC |
| Caps3: | 23 |
| Goals3: | 8 |
| Years4: | 2024– |
| Clubs4: | Seattle Reign FC |
| Caps4: | 6 |
| Goals4: | 1 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2007–2008 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 15 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 11 |
| Nationalteam1: | South Korea U17 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2007–2010 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 17 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 13 |
| Nationalteam2: | South Korea U20 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2006– |
| Nationalcaps3: | 160 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 71 |
| Nationalteam3: | South Korea |
| Pcupdate: | 29 April 2024 |
| Ntupdate: | 5 June 2024 |
| Hangul: | 지소연 |
| Hanja: | 池笑然 |
| Rr: | Ji Soyeon |
| Mr: | Chi Soyŏn |
Ji So-yun (Korean: 지소연, pronounced as /ko/; born 21 February 1991) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Seattle Reign FC of the National Women's Soccer League and the South Korea national team.
Ji started her career in Japan, playing for Nadeshiko League champions INAC Kobe Leonessa between 2011 and 2013. In November 2013, Ji was subject to a transfer bid from English club Chelsea.[2] She agreed to a two-year contract in January 2014.[3] When the transfer was officially confirmed later that month, Chelsea manager Emma Hayes said of Ji: "She is one of the best midfielders in the world and our fans will love her."[4] In one of her final matches for the Japanese club, Ji scored against her soon-to-be new club, Chelsea, in the International Women's Club Championship final.[5]
Ji was named Players' Player of the Year after her first season in England, as Chelsea narrowly missed out on the FA WSL 1 league title on the last day of the season.[6] She was named PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year in April 2015 and was also named in the PFA WSL Team of the Year.[7] [8]
In the 2015 FA Women's Cup Final, staged at Wembley Stadium for the first time, Ji scored the only goal of the match to win the Cup for Chelsea.[9] In October 2015 she also scored in Chelsea's 4–0 win over Sunderland which secured the club's first FA WSL title and a League and Cup double.[10]
On 1 April 2018, Ji made her 100th appearance for Chelsea in a 1–1 draw against Arsenal.[11]
In the light of her performances for Chelsea over the years and the instrumental role she played in Chelsea's 2020–21 FA WSL winning team, Suzanne Wrack of The Guardian claimed that Ji was the best foreign player in the history of WSL.[12]
After spending eight years with Chelsea, Ji left the club following the 2021–22 season. She made over 200 appearances and scored 68 goals in all competitions, and won six league titles, four FA Cups, two league cups, and one Community Shield.[13]
On 24 May 2022, Ji returned to her homeland and joined WK League side Suwon FC, her first spell with a South Korean club.[14] On her WK League debut on 18 August 2022, she scored a brace in a 3–0 victory against Boeun Sangmu.[15]
On 24 January 2024, the National Women's Soccer League club Seattle Reign FC announced that they had signed Ji on a two-year contract through the 2025 season.[16]
Ji represented South Korea at under-17 level and was part of the under-20 team that finished as runners-up at the 2009 AFC U-19 Women's Championship, and in third place at the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.[17]
In October 2006, Ji made her senior team debut while playing at the 2006 Peace Queen Cup. On 30 November 2006, she became the youngest goalscorer for the South Korean senior team after scoring two goals against Chinese Taipei at the 2006 Asian Games.[17] [18]
Ji is the all-time top scorer of the South Korea women's national team with 71 goals.[18]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[20] | League cup[21] | International[22] | Other[23] | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| INAC Kobe Leonessa | 2011 | Nadeshiko League | 16 | 8 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 20 | 8 | ||||
| 2012 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 | — | — | 25 | 7 | |||||
| 2013 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | 31 | 19 | ||||
| Total | 48 | 21 | 11 | 6 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | 76 | 34 | ||||
| Chelsea | 2014 | FA WSL | 12 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 19 | 9 | |||
| 2015 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 26 | 10 | ||||
| 2016 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 23 | 10 | ||||
| 2017 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | 10 | 6 | ||||||
| 2017–18 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 3 | — | 28 | 12 | ||||
| 2018–19 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | — | 30 | 9 | ||||
| 2019–20 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 19 | 7 | |||||
| 2020–21 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 3 | |||
| 2021–22 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 22 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 124 | 37 | 26 | 17 | 26 | 8 | 33 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 210 | 68 | |||
| Suwon FC | 2022 | WK League | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | ||||
| 2023 | 18 | 3 | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 21 | 5 | ||||||
| Total | 23 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 27 | 11 | |||
| Career total | 195 | 66 | 37 | 23 | 41 | 14 | 35 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 313 | 113 | |||
Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ji goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 November 2006 | Doha, Qatar | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2006 Asian Games | ||
| 2 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 3 | 17 February 2007 | Masan, South Korea | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2008 Summer Olympics qualifiers | ||
| 4 | 15 April 2007 | Hai Phong, Vietnam | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2008 Summer Olympics qualifiers | ||
| 5 | 2–1 | ||||||
| 6 | 12 August 2007 | Cheongju, South Korea | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2008 Summer Olympics qualifiers | ||
| 7 | 26 August 2009 | Tainan, Taiwan | 1–0 | 19–0 | 2010 EAFF Women's Championship qualifiers | ||
| 8 | 11–0 | ||||||
| 9 | 12–0 | ||||||
| 10 | 16–0 | ||||||
| 11 | 19–0 | ||||||
| 12 | 30 August 2009 | Tainan, Taiwan | 5–0 | 6–0 | 2010 EAFF Women's Championship qualifiers | ||
| 13 | 10 February 2010 | Tokyo, Japan | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2010 EAFF Women's Championship | ||
| 14 | 14 November 2010 | Guangzhou, China | 1–1 | 6–1 | 2010 Asian Games | ||
| 15 | 16 November 2010 | Guangzhou, China | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2010 Asian Games | ||
| 16 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 17 | 5–0 | ||||||
| 18 | 22 November 2010 | Guangzhou, China | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2010 Asian Games | ||
| 19 | 7 March 2011 | Paralimni, Cyprus | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2011 Cyprus Women's Cup | ||
| 20 | 18 June 2011 | Ehime, Japan | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly | ||
| 21 | 3 September 2011 | Jinan, China | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2012 Summer Olympics Qualifiers | ||
| 22 | 14 January 2013 | Chongqing, China | 2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly | ||
| 23 | 6 March 2013 | Paralimni, Cyprus | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2013 Cyprus Women's Cup | ||
| 24 | 8 March 2013 | Paralimni, Cyprus | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2013 Cyprus Women's Cup | ||
| 25 | 27 July 2013 | Seoul, South Korea | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2013 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup | ||
| 26 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 27 | 5 March 2014 | Paralimni, Cyprus | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2014 Cyprus Women's Cup | ||
| 28 | 7 March 2014 | Paralimni, Cyprus | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2014 Cyprus Women's Cup | ||
| 29 | 15 May 2014 | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | 1–0 | 12–0 | 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup | ||
| 30 | 17 May 2014 | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup | ||
| 31 | 12 November 2014 | Hsinchu, Taiwan | 1–0 | 15–0 | 2015 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup qualifiers | ||
| 32 | 8–0 | ||||||
| 33 | 15 November 2014 | Hsinchu, Taiwan | 1–0 | 9–0 | 2015 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup qualifiers | ||
| 34 | 13 January 2015 | Shenzhen, China | 2–2 | 3–2 | Friendly | ||
| 35 | 15 January 2015 | Shenzhen, China | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly | ||
| 36 | 4 March 2015 | Nicosia, Cyprus | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2015 Cyprus Women's Cup | ||
| 37 | 5 April 2015 | Incheon, South Korea | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | ||
| 38 | 8 April 2015 | Incheon, South Korea | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | ||
| 39 | 13 June 2015 | Montreal, Canada | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup | ||
| 40 | 3 March 2017 | Nicosia, Cyprus | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2017 Cyprus Women's Cup | ||
| 41 | 6 March 2017 | Larnaca, Cyprus | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2017 Cyprus Women's Cup | ||
| 42 | 5 April 2017 | Pyongyang, North Korea | 8–0 | 10–0 | 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification | ||
| 43 | 10–0 | ||||||
| 44 | 11 April 2017 | Pyongyang, North Korea | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification | ||
| 45 | 4–0 | ||||||
| 46 | 19 August 2018 | Palembang, Indonesia | 1–0 | 8–0 | 2018 Asian Games | ||
| 47 | 21 August 2018 | Palembang, Indonesia | 10–0 | 12–0 | 2018 Asian Games | ||
| 48 | 12–0 | ||||||
| 49 | 31 August 2018 | Palembang, Indonesia | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2018 Asian Games | ||
| 50 | 28 February 2019 | Sydney, Australia | 4–0 | 5–0 | 2019 Cup of Nations | ||
| 51 | 5–0 | ||||||
| 52 | 3 March 2019 | Brisbane, Australia | 1–1 | 1–4 | 2019 Cup of Nations | ||
| 53 | 6 March 2019 | Melbourne, Australia | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2019 Cup of Nations | ||
| 54 | 9 April 2019 | Chuncheon, South Korea | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly | ||
| 55 | 6 October 2019 | Chicago, United States | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly | ||
| 56 | 3 February 2020 | Seogwipo, South Korea | 1–0 | 7–0 | 2020 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament – Third round | ||
| 57 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 58 | 9 February 2020 | Seogwipo, South Korea | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2020 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament – Third round | ||
| 59 | 17 September 2021 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | 5–0 | 12–0 | 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification | ||
| 60 | 21 January 2022 | Pune, India | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup | ||
| 61 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 62 | 24 January 2022 | Pune, India | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup | ||
| 63 | 30 January 2022 | Pune, India | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup | ||
| 64 | 6 February 2022 | Navi Mumbai, India | 2–0 | 2–3 | 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup | ||
| 65 | 19 July 2022 | Kashima, Japan | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship | ||
| 66 | 22 February 2023 | Bristol, England | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2023 Arnold Clark Cup | ||
| 67 | 8 July 2023 | Seoul, South Korea | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly | ||
| 68 | 22 September 2023 | Wenzhou, China | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2022 Asian Games | ||
| 69 | 25 September 2023 | Wenzhou, China | 3–1 | 5–1 | 2022 Asian Games | ||
| 70 | 24 February 2024 | Oeiras, Portugal | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | ||
| 71 | 5 April 2024 | Icheon, South Korea | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
INAC Kobe Leonessa
Chelsea
2015, 2017, 2017–18, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
2014–15, 2017–18, 2020–21, 2021–22
South Korea U20
South Korea Universiade
South Korea
Individual