Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 24 December 2004 | ||
Place of birth | Bucheon, South Korea | ||
Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)[1] | ||
Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Brentford | ||
Number | 36 | ||
Youth career | |||
2017–2022 | Seongnam FC[note 1] | ||
2023–2024 | Brentford | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2022–2023 | Seongnam FC | 20 | (0) |
2024– | Brentford | 0 | (0) |
International career‡ | |||
2019–2020 | South Korea U17 | 16 | (1) |
2023– | South Korea U20 | 11 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:15, 26 June 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13:15, 26 June 2023 (UTC) |
Kim Ji-soo (Korean: 김지수; born 24 December 2004) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Brentford.
Kim joined the youth academy of Seongnam FC and worked his way up their youth categories.[2] On 7 February 2022, he signed his first semi-professional contract with the club ahead of the 2022 K League 1 season.[2] In doing so, he became the club's first ever semi-pro player, as well as their youngest registered player in the league that season.[3] On 18 October 2022, he was registered as a fully professional player.[4] He made 19 appearances in his debut season with Seongnam, earning interest from clubs abroad.[5]
On 26 June 2023, Kim joined Premier League club Brentford for an undisclosed fee, signing a four-year contract with the club, with an option for an additional year, and being assigned to the B team.[6][7] During a season at the B team, he was on the list of senior squad in eight Premier League matches, but did not make his senior debut.[8]
On 7 June 2024, Kim was officially promoted to the senior team,[9] becoming the first-ever Korean centre-back to be affiliated to a Premier League club.[10]
Kim is a youth international of South Korea, and played in the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup and 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[11] He became one of the most notable players in the latter competition after helping his team reach the semi-finals.[12]
In August 2023, Kim received his first call-up to the South Korea senior national team by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, for two friendly matches against Wales and Saudi Arabia.[13][14]
Kim is a centre-back who has power, height and quick feet. He is able to score, and can play with both feet. He has been frequently compared to Kim Min-jae in his country due to his playing style.[3]
Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Seongnam FC | 2022 | K League 1 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 19 | 0 | |||
2023 | K League 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
Total | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||
Career total | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 |