Choi Soon-ho
Choi in 2015
Personal information
Full name Choi Soon-ho
Date of birth (1962-01-10) 10 January 1962 (age 62)
Place of birth Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Striker, attacking midfielder
Youth career
Cheongju Commercial High School
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1983[1] Kwangwoon University
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1980–1987 POSCO Atoms 55 (21)
1988–1990 Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso 28 (2)
1991 POSCO Atoms 16 (0)
1992–1993 Rodez 18 (2)
Total 117 (25)
International career
1979–1981 South Korea U20 10 (6)
1980–1991 South Korea 103 (30)
Managerial career
2000–2004 Pohang Steelers
2006–2008 Hyundai Mipo Dockyard
2009–2011 Gangwon FC
2016–2019 Pohang Steelers
Medal record
Representing  South Korea
Men's football
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 1986 Seoul Team
Bronze medal – third place 1990 Beijing Team
AFC Asian Cup
Silver medal – second place 1980 Kuwait Team
AFC Youth Championship
Gold medal – first place 1980 Thailand Team[2]
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
Choi Soon-ho
Hangul
최순호
Hanja
崔淳鎬
Revised RomanizationChoe Sun-ho
McCune–ReischauerCh'oe Sun-ho

Choi Soon-ho (Korean: 최순호; Hanja: 崔淳鎬; born 10 January 1962) is a South Korean football manager and former player.

International career

Choi was named in South Korean squad for the 1980 AFC Asian Cup. He scored seven goals including two goals against Kuwait, and a hat-trick against United Arab Emirates in the group stage. South Korea met Kuwait again in the final, but they lost this time. Choi became the youngest ever player to be the top scorer in the AFC Asian Cup at age 18.

In 1981, he led South Korean under-20 team to the 1980 AFC Youth Championship title by scoring four goals. He also played FIFA World Youth Championship matches as the Asian champion in the same year. He defeated Italy 4–1 in the first game by having two goals and two assists.[3] However, South Korea was eliminated in the group stage after losing to Romania and Brazil.

Choi was selected for the South Korean squad for the 1986 FIFA World Cup. He contributed to more than half of the team's 17 goals by having one goal and eight assists in eight games of the qualification.[3] He scored a goal outside the penalty area in a group match against Italy.[4] He finally provided two assists as well as scoring a goal in the World Cup, proving his abilities outside Asia.

Serie A club Juventus was interested in Choi after the World Youth Championship. Its interest lasted until the end of the 1986 World Cup, but his team POSCO consistently rejected its offer.[5][6]

Style of play

Regarded as one of the most technically gifted forwards in South Korea, Choi was proficient at controlling the ball with various skills including shot, dribble, touch, and pass. He also showed good speed, wide vision and supple body, having hardly any weak point. He normally played as a striker, but he could also play as an attacking midfielder to create chances.[3][5]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[7]
Club Season League National cup League cup Other Total
Division Club Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
POSCO Atoms 1980 Semipro League ? ? ?[a] ? — ?[b] ? ? ?
1981 Semipro League ? ? ?[a] ? — ?[b] ? ? ?
1982 Semipro League ? ? ?[a] ? — ?[b] ? ? ?
1983 K League 2 2 ?[a] ? — ?[b] ? 2 2
1984 K League 24 14 — — — 24 14
1985 K League 5 2 — — — 5 2
1986 K League 8 1 — 1 0 — 9 1
1987 K League 16 2 — — — 16 2
Total 55 21 ? ? 1 0 — 56 21
Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso 1988 K League 11 1 ?[a] ? — — 11 1
1989 K League 9 0 ?[a] ? — — 9 0
1990 K League 8 1 — — — 8 1
Total 28 2 ? ? — — 28 2
POSCO Atoms 1991 K League 16 0 — — — 16 0
Rodez 1992–93 French Division 2 18 2 ?[c] ? — — 18 2
Career total 117 25 ? ? 1 0 ? ? 118 25
  1. ^ a b c d e f Appearance(s) in Korean National Championship
  2. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in Korean President's Cup
  3. ^ Appearance(s) in Coupe de France

International

The KFA is showing the list of Choi's 96 international appearances in its official website.[8]

The RSSSF is claiming 103 appearances about Choi's international career by recognising eight more appearances against Malaysia B, Thailand B, Bahrain B (in 1980 Korea Cup), NIAC Mitra (in 1982 King's Cup), Indonesia (in 1983 Korea Cup), Czechoslovakia XI (in 1988 Korea Cup), the Soviet Union Olympic and Argentina Olympic (in 1988 Summer Olympics), and excluding one appearance against United States (in 1983 Korea Cup).[9]

The RSSSF recognised his appearances in the 1984 Summer Olympics qualification, but it is not recognising his two goals against Bahrain and New Zealand in the competition.[9]

In 1999, Choi was inducted into the AFC Century Club, the selection of AFC players to win 100 or more caps, with 113 caps by the standard of the time.[10]

  • Appearances and goals by national team and year
    National team Year Apps Goals
    South Korea 1980 8 8
    1981 4 2
    1982 11 4
    1983 6 0
    1984 6 2
    1985 12 7
    1986 9 4
    1987 4 0
    1988 4 2
    1989 10 1
    1990 18 0
    1991 4 0
    Career total 96 30
  • Appearances and goals by competition
    Competition Apps Goals
    Friendlies 14 2
    Minor competitions 33 9
    Asian Games 13 5
    AFC Asian Cup 6 7
    Afro-Asian Cup of Nations 1 0
    Summer Olympics qualification 5 2
    Summer Olympics 1 0
    FIFA World Cup qualification 18 4
    FIFA World Cup 5 1
    Total 96 30
    • Results list South Korea's goal tally first.
    List of international goals scored by Choi Soon-ho
    No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
    1 25 August 1980 Chuncheon, South Korea 1  Indonesia 1–0 3–0 1980 Korea Cup
    2 16 September 1980 Kuwait City, Kuwait 3  Malaysia 1–0 1–1 1980 AFC Asian Cup
    3 19 September 1980 Kuwait City, Kuwait 4  Qatar 2–0 2–0 1980 AFC Asian Cup
    4 21 September 1980 Kuwait City, Kuwait 5  Kuwait 2–0 3–0 1980 AFC Asian Cup
    5 3–0
    6 24 September 1980 Kuwait City, Kuwait 6  United Arab Emirates 1–0 4–1 1980 AFC Asian Cup
    7 2–0
    8 3–0
    9 24 April 1981 Kuwait City, Kuwait 11  Thailand 1–0 5–1 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification
    10 5–1
    11 21 March 1982 Seoul, South Korea 16  Japan 2–0 3–0 Friendly
    12 11 June 1982 Gwangyang, South Korea 20  Bahrain 3–0 3–0 1982 Korea Cup
    13 21 November 1982 New Delhi, India 21  South Yemen 2–0 3–0 1982 Asian Games
    14 3–0
    15 19 April 1984 Singapore 31  Bahrain 1–0 1–0 1984 Summer Olympics qualification
    16 22 April 1984 Singapore 32  New Zealand 2–0 2–0 1984 Summer Olympics qualification
    17 6 June 1985 Daejeon, South Korea 40  Thailand 1–0 3–2 1985 Korea Cup
    18 8 June 1985 Gwangju, South Korea 41  Bahrain 1–0 3–0 1985 Korea Cup
    19 2–0
    20 15 June 1985 Seoul, South Korea 42  Iraq 1–0 2–0 1985 Korea Cup
    21 2–0
    22 30 July 1985 Jakarta, Indonesia 44  Indonesia 2–0 4–1 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification
    23 14 December 1985 Nezahualcoyotl, Mexico 47  Algeria 2–0 2–0 1985 Mexico Tournament
    24 10 June 1986 Puebla, Mexico 50  Italy 1–1 2–3 1986 FIFA World Cup
    25 20 September 1986 Busan, South Korea 51  India 2–0 3–0 1986 Asian Games
    26 3 October 1986 Seoul, South Korea 55  Indonesia 2–0 4–0 1986 Asian Games
    27 4–0
    28 19 June 1988 Suwon, South Korea 62  Zambia 2–0 4–0 1988 Korea Cup
    29 26 October 1988 Tokyo, Japan 64  Japan 1–0 1–0 Friendly
    30 27 May 1989 Seoul, South Korea 67  Malaysia 1–0 3–0 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification

    Honours

    Player

    POSCO Atoms

    Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso

    South Korea U20

    South Korea

    Individual

    Manager

    Hyundai Mipo Dockyard

    Individual

    References

    1. ^ 2중등록 축구선수 슈퍼리그 出戰할듯. Naver (in Korean). The Dong-a Ilbo. 21 May 1983.
    2. ^ 아시아 靑少年축구 한국代表팀 결단식. Naver (in Korean). Kyunghyang Shinmun. 26 November 1980.
    3. ^ a b c [선수의 역사] 시대를 앞섰던 스트라이커, 최순호. Naver (in Korean). Footballist. 12 May 2017.
    4. ^ 崔淳鎬「월드컵 스타들」에 뽑혀. Naver (in Korean). The Dong-a Ilbo. 10 July 1986. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
    5. ^ a b 감스트 : 장지현 해설위원 합방 초대박 레전드! (Jang Ji Hyun football commentator Joint broadcasting). YouTube.com (in Korean). GAMST TV. 3 September 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
    6. ^ [권순일의 '내 사랑 스포츠']세계적인 축구클럽 유벤투스의 6년 구애를 뿌리친 한국선수는?. Naver (in Korean). The Dong-a Ilbo. 17 April 2011.
    7. ^ # 최순호 (in Korean). K League. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
    8. ^ "Choi Soon-ho at Korea Football Association" (in Korean). KFA. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
    9. ^ a b "Soon-Ho Choi - Century of International Appearances". RSSSF. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
    10. ^ "AFC Hall of Fame - They belong in Club 100". New Straits Times. 12 February 1999. Archived from the original on 26 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
    11. ^ a b c d Lee, Seung-soo; Schöggl, Hans; Trevena, Mark (13 May 2020). "South Korea - List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
    12. ^ 實業축구 浦鐵 6年만에 頂上탈환. Naver (in Korean). Kyunghyang Shinmun. 23 September 1981. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
    13. ^ Di Maggio, Roberto; Garin, Erik; Jönsson, Mikael; Morrison, Neil; Stokkermans, Karel (22 November 2018). "Asian U-19/U-20 Championship". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
    14. ^ Stokkermans, Karel (6 September 2018). "Asian Games". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
    15. ^ Stokkermans, Karel (7 February 2019). "Asian Nations Cup". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
    16. ^ Bobrowsky, Josef; Stokkermans, Karel (20 June 2007). "Dynasty Cup". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
    17. ^ "Egypt v Korea Republic, 06 January 1988". 11v11. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
    18. ^ "Asian Nations Cup 1980". RSSSF. 16 December 2010.
    19. ^ "Chin Aun gets the vote too". Google.com. New Straits Times. 2 October 1980.
    20. ^ 80最優秀선수 李榮武 蹴球기자단 選定…27일표창. Naver (in Korean). Kyunghyang Shinmun. 21 January 1981.
    21. ^ 축구 베스트11 선정 許丁茂 MVP 뽑혀. Naver (in Korean). Kyunghyang Shinmun. 17 January 1985. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
    22. ^ 85축구 베스트11 선정. Naver (in Korean). Kyunghyang Shinmun. 22 January 1986. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
    23. ^ 축구「올해의 베스트11」선정. Naver (in Korean). The Dong-a Ilbo. 17 December 1986. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
    24. ^ 韓國, 21年만에단독優勝 金錫垣절묘한어시스트…崔淳鎬헤 딩. Naver (in Korean). The Dong-a Ilbo. 2 March 1981.
    25. ^ 崔淳鎬 4게임서 4골 最多득점┈守備補完이 課題. Naver (in Korean). Kyunghyang Shinmun. 2 March 1981.
    26. ^ 슈퍼리그 84大長征 회심의 골인「대우王冠」빛나다. Naver (in Korean). The Dong-a Ilbo. 12 November 1984.
    27. ^ 축구 올 MVP 崔淳鎬 洪明甫. Naver (in Korean). The Dong-a Ilbo. 12 December 1990. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
    28. ^ [프로축구]80년대 vs 90년대 축구 왕별들 뜬다…15일 OB 올스타전 (in Korean). The Dong-a Ilbo. 1 August 2003. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
    29. ^ 한국 축구 레전드 베스트11 발표 (in Korean). YTN. 31 May 2013.
    30. ^ ‘K리그 명예의 전당’ 초대 헌액자 발표 (in Korean). K League. 16 March 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
    31. ^ Schöggl, Hans (21 February 2019). "South Korea - List of Second Level Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
    32. ^ Lee, Seung-soo; Trevena, Mark (8 April 2020). "South Korea - List of Cup Winners". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
    33. ^ [스포츠토토 한국축구대상] (5) 내셔널리그. Naver (in Korean). Sports Chosun. 29 November 2007.
    34. ^ 울산미포, 내셔널리그 수상식 5개 부문 수상. Naver (in Korean). Newsis. 25 November 2008.
    35. ^ 울산미포조선, 고양 KB 꺾고 대통령배 우승. Naver (in Korean). Sportalkorea. 27 March 2008.

    External links

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