Choi Sung-kuk

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Choi Sung-kuk (born 8 February 1983) is a former South Korean footballer who played as a second striker. He was banned by FIFA from all football-related activities because of his involvement in match fixing.

Early life

Born in Seoul, Choi began playing football at Donggok Elementary School.<ref name="Choi Debut"/> While he played for Jeongmyeong High School,<ref name="Choi Debut"/> his talent earned him a nickname of "Korean Maradona".<ref name="Choi Debut"/> After graduated from high school, Choi attended Korea University for two years.

Club career

Choi joined K League club Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I on 27 February 2003.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He adapted quickly to the professional league, scoring seven goals in his debut season.<ref name="debut"/> He was nominated for the K League Rookie of the Year award, but lost out to Jung Jo-gook.<ref name="debut">Template:Cite news</ref>

In his second season, Choi couldn't concentrate on his club by playing for Olympic team, and scored only one goal during 19 league appearances. He was loaned out to J1 League club Kashiwa Reysol ahead of the 2005 season, but didn't make the reversal of his flow for five months.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Choi became the top goalscorer in the 2006 Korean League Cup, showing his improvement the next year. He also left a memorable game against Al-Shabab in the 2006 AFC Champions League, where he led Ulsan to a 6–0 victory by destroying opponents' defense as well as scoring two goals. <ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He moved to Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma after the 2006 season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Choi went on a trial at Championship side Sheffield United after the end of the 2007 season,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but the club decided against signing him.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Choi who remained in his country participated in the 2008 Jomo Cup contested between all-star teams of K League and J.League. He led K League to a 3–1 win by having a goal and an assist in the Jomo Cup and was selected as the MVP of the match.<ref name="Jomo">Template:Cite news</ref> In December 2008, Choi enlisted in military football team Gwangju Sangmu to fulfill his military duty.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Choi moved to Suwon Samsung Bluewings prior to the 2011 season, signing a three–year contract.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Shortly after, he was announced as the new captain for Suwon.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, Choi was implicated in match-fixing scandal while playing for Gwangju Sangmu.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He denied his involvement when media reports raised the allegations about throwing matches,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but soon admitted it as the scandal deepened.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Consequently, he was tentatively dropped from his team and stripped of his captaincy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

It was officially announced in August 2011 that he would not be able to play in all leagues in South Korea permanently.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was announced that Choi would join Macedonian club Rabotnički on 16 January 2012,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but following investigation, FIFA imposed on him a lifelong ban from all sports.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His move fell through after the Football Federation of Macedonia rejected his registration.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

International career

While at Jeongmyeong High School, Choi was called up to South Korean under-17 team for the 1998 AFC U-16 Championship, and scored two goals in six appearances.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Choi was selected for South Korean under-23 team for the 2002 Asian Games, helping his team finish third.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He then won the 2002 AFC Youth Championship with South Korean under-20 team.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In March 2003, Choi was called up to the senior national team for the first time, and made his debut in a 0–0 draw against Colombia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Choi Debut">Template:Cite news</ref> He scored his first senior international goal in a 1–0 victory over Oman in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He then played for the under-20 team in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship despite suffering an injury.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He got only two caps in the tournament, but was selected as one of twelve notable players by FIFA.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Choi also participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics, where South Korea reached the quarter-finals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Choi was called up to South Korea's squad for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He scored a goal in the opening match against Saudi Arabia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> South Korea finished third in the tournament after beating Japan in the third place play-off.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life

Choi's mother Kim Jae-young was an artistic gymnast, and Choi's father was also a field hockey player while at school.<ref name="Choi Debut"/> His father who worked as a bus driver couldn't become an adult player, but taught him to be unassuming.<ref name="Choi Debut"/> In December 2005, Choi was married Kwak Seon-hye, and became a father a year later.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Choi is a devout Christian.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

It was reported on 9 February 2012 that Choi was sentenced on probation for two years and 200 hours of social services for ten months as a result of his actions, relating to match fixing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Following an end to his professional football career, Choi was hired to work in the hospital as a clerk.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He acknowledged that since his football career ended, his family began to struggle economically.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In January 2014, Choi was caught by police for driving under the influence.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In April 2016, Choi was hired as a commentator for sports website Spoplay.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In July 2016, a man was sentenced to six years in prison for threatening both Choi and Kim Dong-hyun.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Seven years later after his professional football career came to an end, he spoke out in an interview about his role to match fixing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i 2003 K League 27 7 0 0 — — 27 7
2004 K League 19 1 4 3 0 0 — 23 4
2005 K League 16 1 1 0 0 0 — 17 1
2006 K League 22 1 1 0 13 8 4 4 40 13
Total 84 10 6 3 13 8 4 4 107 25
Kashiwa Reysol 2005 J1 League 8 0 0 0 4 0 — 12 0
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 2007 K League 27 3 0 0 1 0 8 3 36 6
2008 K League 18 4 2 0 8 3 — 28 7
2010 K League 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 7 1
Total 49 7 2 0 9 3 11 4 71 14
Gwangju Sangmu (draft) 2009 K League 26 9 0 0 2 0 — 28 9
2010 K League 22 4 3 1 2 0 — 27 5
Total 48 13 3 1 4 0 — 55 14
Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2011 K League 12 1 1 1 0 0 6 0 19 2
Career total 201 31 12 5 30 11 21 8 264 55

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year<ref>Template:NFT player</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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National team Year Apps Goals
South Korea 2003 4 1
2004 4 0
2005 3 0
2006 3 0
2007 7 1
2008 3 0
2010 1 0
2011 1 0
Career total 26 2
Results list South Korea's goal tally first.
List of international goals scored by Choi Sung-kuk
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 27 September 2003 Incheon, South Korea Template:Fb 1–0 1–0 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification
2 11 July 2007 Jakarta, Indonesia Template:Fb 1–0 1–1 2007 AFC Asian Cup

Honours

Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i

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Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma

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South Korea U20

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South Korea U23

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South Korea

Individual

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Notes

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References

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