Cho Won-Hee

Cho Won-Hee
Personal information
Full name Cho Won-Hee
Date of birth 17 April 1983 (1983-04-17) (age 28)
Place of birth Seoul, South Korea
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current club Guangzhou Evergrande
Number 16
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2002 Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i 1 (0)
2003–2004 Gwangju Sangmu (Army) 33 (2)
2005–2008 Suwon Bluewings 82 (1)
2009–2011 Wigan Athletic 5 (0)
2010 → Suwon Bluewings (Loan) 20 (1)
2011– Guangzhou Evergrande 30 (0)
National team‡
2002–2003 South Korea U-20 9 (1)
2005– South Korea 36 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 November 2011.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18 November 2009
Cho Won-Hee
Hangul 조원희
Hanja 趙源熙
Revised Romanization Jo Won-hui
McCune–Reischauer Cho Wŏn-hŭi
This is a Korean name; the family name is Cho.

Cho Won-Hee (Hangul: 조원희, born 17 April 1983) is a South Korean footballer who plays for Guangzhou Evergrande as a midfielder.

Contents

Club career

As a child, Cho often played as a forward. Later, when he was picked for South Korean U20 squad, he also played as a left winger. In 2001, Cho was planning to play football at university as many other Korean footballers do, but he failed to do so, so he signed with Ulsan Hyundai, one of the most successful clubs in the K-League . In 2003, Cho decided to join Gwangju Sangmu Phoenix, the army team to finish his army duty and to play first team football. There, he was quite impressive, and after his 2-year-duty at Gwanju, he moved to Suwon Samsung Bluewings, a team that was nicknamed "Real Suwon" for its cash-splashing signings. He originally played as a right wingback or right fullback at the Big Bird Stadium, competing for regular with Song Chong-Gug, but in 2007, after a long-term injury of defensive midfielder Kim Nam-Il, he changed his position to defensive midfielder. Throughout the 2007 season, he was not very impressive, and many fans were especially concerned with his rough passing. However, next season, he showed his quality with improved passing and sight, and became a first team regular. After lifting the league trophy with Suwon, he became free agent.

Wigan Athletic

Cho was linked with several European clubs, including German giant Schalke 04 and French side AS Monaco. After trialing with AS Monaco in January 2009,[1] Cho sought another trial with Wigan Athletic after it was revealed that AS Monaco had all of their non-EU player slots filled. He impressed during a trial with the club,[2] and after being granted a work permit, Cho was allowed to join Wigan Athletic on 6 March. Cho played his first reserve game in a 2–2 draw against Liverpool reserves, notching an assist.[3] Cho received a calf injury in a friendly against Iraq where he was kicked in the leg. [4] He nearly missed the remainder of the season, but managed to fully recover so as to make his Premier League debut for Wigan in the final match of the 2008–09 season against Stoke City.[5] So far, Cho has made one appearance as a starter and four as a substitute. He scored a beautiful goal against Norwich City in a pre-season friendly at Carrow Road.

Suwon Bluewings (loan)

He joined Suwon Bluewings on a one-year loan in January 2010.[6]

Guangzhou Evergrande

On 13 February 2011, Cho joined Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande on a free transfer,[7] which made him the second Korean player to play for Guangzhou F.C. after Park Ji-Ho.

International career

Cho scored his first international goal in his debut game against Iran on 12 October 2005. His shot deflected off an opposing defender and became one of the few goals scored within a minute. This goal is guessed to be the fastest goal South Korean National Team has ever scored, if the unrecorded games in the 50s and the 60s are not counted. Although Cho impressed as a right-back in his first game, he did not make an appearance in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

International goals

Results list South Korea's goal tally first.
Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
October 12, 2005 Seoul  Iran 1 goal 2–0 Friendly match

Club career statistics

As of 2 November 2011
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
South Korea League KFA Cup League Cup Asia Total
2002 Ulsan Hyundai FC K-League 1 0 0 0 - 1 0
2003 Gwangju Sangmu Phoenix K-League 23 2 0 0 - - 23 2
2004 10 0 0 0 11 0 - 21 0
2005 Suwon Bluewings K-League 20 0 2 0 9 0 31 0
2006 23 0 2 0 4 0 - 29 0
2007 14 0 2 0 5 0 - 21 0
2008 25 1 1 0 10 0 - 36 1
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
2008–09 Wigan Athletic Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 - 1 0
2009–10 4 0 0 0 0 0 - 4 0
South Korea League KFA Cup League Cup Asia Total
2010 Suwon Bluewings K-League 20 1 6 0 - 26 1
China PR League FA Cup CSL Cup Asia Total
2011 Guangzhou Evergrande Chinese Super League 30 0 2 0 - - 32 0
Total South Korea 136 4 7 0 45 0 188 4
England 5 0 0 0 0 0 - 5 0
China PR 30 0 2 0 0 0 - 32 0
Career total 171 4 9 0 45 0 225 4

Honours

Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Guangzhou Evergrande
Individual

References

  1. ^ Korea's Cho In Monaco Trial
  2. ^ "Cho Won-hee impresses Wigan". Sky Sports. 2009-02-18. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_4935897,00.html. Retrieved 2009-03-06. 
  3. ^ "Cho gets Wigan green light". Sky Sports. 2009-03-06. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_5012637,00.html. Retrieved 2009-03-06. 
  4. ^ Wigan's Cho out for season
  5. ^ "Britannia given Potters treat". Sky Sports. 2009-05-16. http://www.skysports.com/football/match_report/0,19764,11065_3005626,00.html. Retrieved 2009-05-16. 
  6. ^ "Cho agrees Korea return". Sky Sports. 2010-01-04. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11996_5831760,00.html. Retrieved 2010-01-14. 
  7. ^ "恒大官方宣布签强力亚洲外援 前韩国国脚曾踢英超" (in Chinese). sina. 2011-02-13. http://sports.sina.com.cn/j/2011-02-13/10545448533.shtml. Retrieved 2011-01-13. 

External links

Guangzhou Evergrande F.C. – current squad