Choe Yu-ri
South Korean footballer (born 1994)
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Choe Yu-ri[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1994-09-16) 16 September 1994 (age 29)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | South Korea | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward[4] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Birmingham City | ||
| Number | 26 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2009 | Hyundai Chungun Middle School | ||
| 2010–2012 | Hyundai Technical High School | ||
| 2013–2014 | Ulsan College | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2020 | Sejong Sportstoto | ||
| 2021–2023 | Hyundai Steel Red Angels | ||
| 2023– | Birmingham City | 12 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011–2014 | South Korea U20 | 21 | (3) |
| 2014– | South Korea | 61 | (11) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 July 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 April 2024 | |||
| Choe Yu-ri | |
| Hangul | 최유리 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 崔有利 |
| Revised Romanization | Choe Yuri |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oi Yuri |
Choe Yu-ri (Korean: 최유리; born 16 September 1994) is a South Korean footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Championship club Birmingham City and the South Korea women's national team.
Early life
Choe started playing football in elementary school, after a coach from the school's football team noticed her ability to run very fast at a school sports day.[5] She is close friends with forward Lee Geum-min, who attended the same high school and college.[5] Together with Jang Sel-gi, they have been called the '94 line trio', referring to their birth year and close teamwork having trained together with the national team since a young age.[6]
Club career
Military enlistment refusal
In the 2015 WK League rookie player draft, Choe was selected by Busan Sangmu, a military team requiring all players to join the military and undertake basic training.[7] At first, Choe stated that she would join the team despite reservations about joining the military, in particular the effect that such a career move would have upon her training with the national squad.[8] However, she eventually refused to join the military, considering it an infrigement of her freedom to choose a career.[9] According to the rules of the WK League draft at the time, any player who refused to join their drafted team was not permitted to play in the league for two years, and as such Choe was absent from the WK League in 2015.[10] Following the incident, the KWFF revised the rules of the draft with regards to the military team, and held a special draft for Choe to give her a second chance.[11]
WK League
Choe was signed by Daejeon Sportstoto in late 2015, having missed only one season of league football.[12][13] She played for the side for five years before transferring to Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels ahead of the 2021 season.[6] At the 2022 WK League Women's Football Awards, the first annual awards ceremony of its type, she was named as the league's forward of the year.[14] During her time with the Red Angels, Choe made 55 appearances, scoring 20 goals and providing six assists.[15]
Birmingham City
Choe transferred to Birmingham City during the 2023 summer transfer window on a two-year deal with a year option.[15][16] She scored her first goal for the club in an FA Cup tie against MK Dons in December of the same year.[17]
Style of play
Besides her goal-scoring ability, Choe is known for her speed and stamina.[18] Her high-intensity play has drawn comparisons to South Korean international midfielder Hwang Hee-chan.[19] Since her youth, she played mostly as a midfielder or winger, but started playing in a more attacking role from the 2020 season onwards.[20]
Career statistics
International
- Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Choe goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 September 2014 | Incheon Namdong Asiad Rugby Field, Incheon, South Korea |  Thailand | 5–0 | 5–0 | 2014 Asian Games |
| 2 | 21 September 2014 | Munhak Stadium, Incheon, South Korea |  Maldives | 13–0 | 13–0 | 2014 Asian Games |
| 3 | 11 November 2016 | Hong Kong Football Club Stadium, Happy Valley, Hong Kong |  Hong Kong | 8–0 | 14–0 | 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship |
| 4 | 14 November 2016 | Hong Kong Football Club Stadium, Happy Valley, Hong Kong |  Chinese Taipei | 8–0 | 9–0 | 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship |
| 5 | 23 September 2021 | Pakhtakor Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan |  Uzbekistan | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification |
| 6 | 6 February 2022 | DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, India |  China | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup |
| 7 | 9 April 2022 | Goyang Stadium, Goyang, South Korea |  Vietnam | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 8 | 23 July 2022 | Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima, Japan | China | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship |
| 9 | 3 September 2022 | Hwaseong Stadium, Hwaseong, South Korea |  Jamaica | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 10 | 5 April 2024 | Icheon City Stadium, Icheon, South Korea |  Philippines | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 11 | 8 April 2024 | Icheon City Stadium, Icheon, South Korea | Philippines | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
References
- ^ "CHOE YURI". AFC. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ Choe Yu-ri at Soccerway. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ "Korea Republic 4–0 Vietnam". AFC. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ a b Lee, Bo-gyung (29 May 2020). "5년 차 스포츠토토 지킴이 '유치미' 최유리 인터뷰" [Interview with Sportstoto mainstay and 'Yuchimi' of five years, Choe Yu-ri]. Star News 20 (in Korean). Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ a b Jeon, Yeoung-ji (24 July 2023). ""대표팀 동료들이 골을 기대하는,어여쁜 악바리" 'WK리그 올해의 공격수'최유리의 콜롬비아전 각오" ["A cheeky rascal whose teammates expect her to score goals" WK League's striker of the year Choe Yu-ri's determination ahead of Colombia game]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ Jeon, Sang-jun (4 November 2014). "'AG 동메달리스트' 최유리, 드래프트로 부산상무 입단" [Asian Games bronze medalist Choe Yu-ri drafted to Busan Sangmu]. Money Today (in Korean). Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ Jeon, Sang-jun (4 November 2014). "'부상상무 입단' 최유리, '처음엔 조금 울었어요"" [Choi Yu-ri, recruited to Busan Sangmu: "I cried a little when I heard"]. Money Today (in Korean). Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ Park, Rin (14 January 2023). "Veteran striker Choe Yu-ri is ready for the Women's World Cup". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ Kim, Do-hoon (5 November 2014). "축구하려면 군인돼야... WK리그 상무행 신인 딜레마" [To play football, you have to become a soldier... the dilemma faced by WK League rookies recruited to Sangmu]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ Im, Sung-il (3 December 2015). "축구하려면 여자도 군대 가야 한다고?... 이런 '비극'없앤다" [Women have to enlist in order to play football? ... putting a stop to this 'tragedy']. News 1 (in Korean). Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ Kim, Han-seok (7 October 2015). "상무 입단 거부 최유리, 새 둥지 얻는다" [After refusing to join Sangmu, Choe Yu-ri gets a fresh start]. MBC News (in Korean). Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ Lee, Hyun-min (2 December 2015). "최유리, 별도 드래프트로 대전스포츠토토행" [Choe Yu-ri heads to Daejeon Sportstoto after separate draft]. Inter Football (in Korean). Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ "WK리그 사상 첫 시상식에 장슬기·최유리 "남자축구가 부러웠죠"" [At WK League's first awards ceremony, Jang Sel-gi, Choe Yu-ri: "We envied men's football"]. Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). 23 December 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ a b Son, Yu-jin (18 September 2023). "현대제철, 최유리 선수 버밍엄시티 이적" [Hyundai Steel's Choe Yu-ri transfers to Birmingham City]. snmnews.com (in Korean). Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "Blues Women add Choe Yu-ri!". Birmingham City FC. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ Bulley, Jim (11 December 2023). "Koreans in Europe: Choe Yu-ri gets first goal for Birmingham". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ Lee, Ee-jin (24 July 2023). "WK리그 '올해의 공격수' 최유리 "세계 무대서 보여주고파"" [WK League 'forward of the year' Choe Yu-ri: "I want to show what I've got on the international stage"]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ Park, Rin (14 January 2023). "Veteran striker Choe Yu-ri is ready for the Women's World Cup". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ Lee, Bo-gyung (29 May 2020). "5년 차 스포츠토토 지킴이 '유치미' 최유리 인터뷰" [Interview with Sportstoto mainstay and 'Yuchimi' of five years, Choe Yu-ri]. Star News 20 (in Korean). Retrieved 21 August 2024.
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