Seo Jung-won (born 17 December 1970) is a South Korean football manager and former player, currently in charge of Chengdu Rongcheng.

Playing career

A winger who had explosive pace, Seo was nicknamed the "Nalssaendori", which means an agile man in Korean. He played for South Korean under-23 team in the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...

, and scored against Sweden. He was reportedly offered a contract from

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional Football team, football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish footb ...

and other European club giants after his performances in the Olympics, but he stayed South Korea to serve a two-year mandatory military service. He also played for South Korea in the

1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football, soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the countr ...

, and scored the equaliser in a 2–2 draw with

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. After serving in

Sangmu FC Gimcheon Sangmu FC (Hangul: 김천 상무 프로축구단; Hanja: 金泉尚武 프로蹴球團) is a South Korean professional association football club based in Gimcheon that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of South Korean football. ...

, Seo longed to play in Europe and left for

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

to participate in tryouts. In the summer of 1997, he succeeded to contract with Portuguese club Benfica and played four pre-season games for them. However, the

Korea Football Association The Korea Football Association () is the governing body of football and futsal within South Korea. It sanctions professional, semi-professional and amateur football in South Korea. Founded in 1933, the governing body became affiliated with F ...

didn't approve of his overseas employment to

qualify Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to: * Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...

for the

1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for th ...

with him. In January 1998, Seo joined French club Strasbourg, becoming the first South Korean player to play in the

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. ...

. He successfully spent his first season by contributing to their survival in the Ligue 1, but he was pushed to the bench the next season after his manager was replaced. In summer, he participated in the

, although he got

chickenpox Chickenpox, also known as varicella, is a highly contagious disease caused by the initial infection with varicella zoster virus (VZV). The disease results in a characteristic skin rash that forms small, itchy blisters, which eventually sca ...

transferred from his son. He showed unnoticeable performance during South Korea's elimination in the group stage. In February 1999, he returned to South Korea and joined

Suwon Samsung Bluewings The Suwon Samsung Bluewings ( ko, 수원 삼성 블루윙즈) are a South Korean Association football, football club based in Suwon that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. Founded in December 1995, they have won t ...

. He led Suwon to 12 trophies including two Asian Club Championships for six years. Lastly, he played for Austria Salzburg and SV Ried in Austria. While playing in

Austrian Bundesliga The Austrian Football Bundesliga (german: Österreichische Fußball-Bundesliga, italic=no , "Austrian Football Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Austrian football league system. The ...

, he was evaluated as the best footballer in Austria by two media '' Kurier'' and '.

Managerial career

After

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

's head coach Pim Verbeek resigned in July 2007, Seo entered the list for the vacant managerial position for the national team. From 2009 to 2010, he and his former national teammate and close friend, Hong Myung-bo, worked together as a part of the coaching staff for the South Korea under-20 and under-23 team. In 2010, Seo joined the coaching staff of the senior team under manager Cho Kwang-rae. Since 2012, he has been a member of the coaching staff of the Suwon Samsung Bluewings, becoming the club's manager in 2013. Under his tenure, the Bluewings finished the

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

seasons as runner-ups and won the Korean FA Cup in 2016. The

FA Cup Final The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official atten ...

was notable as it featured Suwon Samsung Bluewings and FC Seoul, one of the biggest K League rivalries. The match went into extra time after FC Seoul scored a goal in the 93rd minute, leveling the aggregate score to 3–3 over two legs. After a scoreless extra time period, the final was decided over

penalties Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) * P ...

where Suwon Samsung Bluewings won 10–9. This was Seo's first silverware of his managing career.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Results list South Korea's goal tally first.''

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Anyang LG Cheetahs * Korean League Cup runner-up:

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engines ...

Sangmu FC * Korean Semi-professional League (Spring): 1994 Suwon Samsung Bluewings *

K League 1 The K League 1 (Hangul: K리그1) is the men's top professional football division of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs. History The South Korean professional football league was founded in ...

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

* Korean FA Cup: 2002 * Korean League Cup: 1999+,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...

* Korean Super Cup: 1999, 2000 * Asian Club Championship: 2000–01, 2001–02 * Asian Super Cup:

, 2002 SV Ried * UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2006 South Korea *

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until th ...

bronze medal: 1990 * Dynasty Cup: 1990 Individual * K League 1 Best XI:

, 2002 * Asian Super Cup Most Valuable Player:

* Korean FA Cup Most Valuable Player: 2002 * K League 30th Anniversary Best XI: 2013

Manager

Suwon Samsung Bluewings * Korean FA Cup: 2016

Notes

References

External links

*
National Team Player Record
* * rance Football League Player Profile * {{DEFAULTSORT:Seo, Jung-won 1970 births Living people Sportspeople from Gyeonggi Province South Korean Buddhists South Korean footballers Association football midfielders Korea University alumni FC Seoul players RC Strasbourg Alsace players Suwon Samsung Bluewings players FC Red Bull Salzburg players SV Ried players K League 1 players Ligue 1 players Austrian Football Bundesliga players South Korea under-17 international footballers South Korea under-20 international footballers South Korea under-23 international footballers Olympic footballers of South Korea South Korea international footballers Footballers at the 1990 Asian Games Footballers at the 1994 Asian Games Footballers at the 1992 Summer Olympics 1994 FIFA World Cup players 1996 AFC Asian Cup players 1998 FIFA World Cup players Asian Games bronze medalists for South Korea Medalists at the 1990 Asian Games Asian Games medalists in football South Korean expatriate footballers South Korean expatriate sportspeople in France South Korean expatriate sportspeople in Austria Expatriate footballers in France Expatriate footballers in Austria South Korean football managers Suwon Samsung Bluewings managers K League 1 managers