Kim Byung-ji
Kim Byung-ji (born 8 April 1970) is a former football goalkeeper who played for the South Korea national team as well as several clubs in the K League. He was noted for his unique hair style which looked like the tail of a bird.
Contents
- 1 Playing career
- 2 Style of play
- 3 After retirement
- 4 Career statistics
- 4.1 Club
- 4.2 International
- 5 Filmography
- 5.1 Television
- 6 Honours
- 7 References
- 8 External links
Playing career
Kim spent 24 seasons as a professional player from 1992 to 2015. He kept 229 clean sheets and scored three goals while playing 706 games in the K League including Korean League Cup.
Kim was selected for the South Korean squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. South Korea lost 5–0 to the Netherlands in its second match, and South Korean players couldn't avoid journalists' criticisms after the defeat. Furthermore, South Korea's manager Cha Bum-kun was sacked, although the tournament was ongoing. However, Kim struggled in the Netherlands' 17 shots on target, and became the only player to receive acclaim despite conceding five goals.
Style of play
Kim played as a sweeper-keeper who helped the defense of his teams with rapid pace. He also had great reflexes, and was skilled in making super saves. However, his excessively active personality sometimes resulted in eccentric plays. In a match of the 2001 Lunar New Year Cup against Paraguay, he was deprived of the ball after he suddenly tried to dribble, and embarr*ed Guus Hid*, the former South Korea's manager. Kim formed a strong rivalry with Lee Woon-jae in the K League and the national team, and also competed with him for the position as a starter in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Hid* agonised over the choice of a goalkeeper until the start of the tournament, but selected Lee because of Kim's eccentric play in the Lunar New Year Cup.
After retirement
Kim is currently working as a YouTuber in the "Kkong-byung-ji-tv", his YouTube channel, after his retirement in 2015.
Career statistics
Club
As of 30 November 2015International
Filmography
Television
Honours
Sangmu FC
- Korean Semi-professional League (Spring): 1992
- Korean Semi-professional League (Autumn): 1991
Ulsan Hyundai
- K League 1: 1996
- Korean FA Cup runner-up: 1998
- Korean League Cup: 1995, 1998
Pohang Steelers
- Korean FA Cup runner-up: 2001, 2002
FC Seoul
- Korean League Cup: 2006
South Korea
- FIFA World Cup fourth place: 2002
Individual
- Korean Semi-professional League (Autumn) Best Player: 1991
- K League 1 Best XI: 1996, 1998, 2005, 2007
- K League All-Star Game Most Valuable Player: 2000
References
External links
- Kim Byung-ji – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean)
- Kim Byung-ji – National Team Stats at KFA (in Korean)
- Kim Byung-ji – FIFA compe*ion record (archived)
- Kim Byung-ji at National-Football-Teams.com