Jong Il-gwan

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
In this Korean name, the family name is Jong.

Jong Il-gwan
Jong with North Korea in 2019
Personal information
Date of birth (1992-10-30) 30 October 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth Sariwon, North Korea
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
 Rimyongsu
Number 30
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2017 Rimyongsu
2017–2018 Luzern 4 (1)
2018 → FC Wil (loan) 2 (0)
2018–20?? Rimyongsu
20??–2024 Choson University
2024– Ryomyong
International career‡
North Korea U20 3 (0)
2011– North Korea 82 (31)
Medal record
Representing  North Korea
Men's football
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place 2014 Incheon Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 March 2018
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 October 2024
Jong Il-gwan
Chosŏn'gŭl
정일관
Revised RomanizationJeong Ilgwan
McCune–ReischauerChŏng Il'gwan

Jong Il-gwan (Korean: 정일관; Hanja: 鄭日冠; born 30 October 1992) is a North Korean professional footballer who plays as a striker for DPR Korea Premier Football League club Ryomyong and the North Korea national team.[1] He is the country's all-time top scorer.

Club career

On 24 November 2010, Jong was crowned AFC Youth Player of the Year.[2] On 5 June 2012, numerous reports surfaced linking the player with a move to Newcastle United[3] with later reports strongly linking him with FK Partizan[4] and PSV Eindhoven.[5] He was transferred to Swiss Super League club FC Luzern in July 2017, signing a two-year contract.[6]

On 1 August 2022, Jong won his club's first ever Hwaebul Cup after scoring a 96th minute winner for Ryomyong against April 25 in a 2–1 win.[7]

On 19 March 2024, the Japanese newspaper Choson Sinbo revealed that Jong signed for Choson University of Physical Education club.[8]

On 30 August 2024, a Championat Asia article revealed that Jong had returned to Ryomyong.[9]

International career

Jong lining up with North Korea in 2012.

Jong made his senior international debut for North Korea on 26 March 2011 against Iraq in a 2–0 defeat.

Jong made his EAFF preliminaries debut in 2012 against Chinese Taipei. He scored his first competition goal in a 5–0 win against Guam in the second preliminary round. Jong scored a brace in 2014 against the same opposition for the second preliminary round, helping his side qualify for the final tournament. He scored another goal against Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong in 2016 for the 2017 edition's second preliminaries. On 16 December 2017, Jong scored a stunning free kick against China in a 1–1 draw.

In the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, Jong was named captain of the national team. Against Qatar, he was sent off towards the end of the match.

On 21 November 2023, Jong scored his first international hat-trick against Myanmar in a 6–1 win at the Thuwunna Stadium during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification phase.

On 6 June 2024, Jong scored a 90+2' stoppage time winner against Syria. That goal helped North Korea stay in the running for the third round of qualifying.

Style of play

Jong is known for being a pacy and technical forward who can play on either flanks or up top. He has an expert first touch and vision and has an eye for exploiting spaces in between defenders. Jong is also a set piece specialist, scoring multiple free kicks in his international career.

Career statistics

As of match played 6 June 2024[10]
Scores and results list North Korean goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jong goal.
List of international goals scored by Jong Il-gwan
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 9 April 2011 Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal    Nepal 1–0 1–0 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification
2 19 March 2012 Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal  Turkmenistan 1–1 2–1 2012 AFC Challenge Cup
3 10 September 2012 Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia  Indonesia 2–0 2–0 Friendly
4 3 December 2012 Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok, Hong Kong  Guam 5–0 5–0 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup qualification
5 16 November 2014 Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan  Guam 1–0 5–1 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup preliminary
6 2–1
7 3 September 2015 Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain  Bahrain 1–0 1–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
8 13 October 2015 Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea  Yemen 1–0 1–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
9 17 November 2015 Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea  Bahrain 2–0 2–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
10 14 August 2016 UiTM Stadium, Shah Alam, Malaysia  Iraq 1–0 1–0 Friendly
11 21 August 2016 Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium, Paroi, Malaysia  Iraq 1–0 1–1 Friendly
12 24 August 2016 Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai, China  United Arab Emirates 1–0 2–0 Friendly
13 10 October 2016 Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines  Philippines 1–0 3–1 Friendly
14 6 November 2016 Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok, Hong Kong  Chinese Taipei 1–0 2–0 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualification
15 12 November 2016 Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok, Hong Kong  Hong Kong 1–0 1–0 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualification
16 10 November 2017 New I-Mobile Stadium, Buriram, Thailand  Malaysia 4–0 4–1 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification
17 16 December 2017 Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo, Japan  China 1–1 1–1 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship
18 27 March 2018 Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea  Hong Kong 1–0 2–0 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification
19 11 November 2018 Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan  Mongolia 4–0 4–1 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualification
20 16 November 2018 Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan  Chinese Taipei 1–0 2–0 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualification
21 25 December 2018 Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam  Vietnam 1–1 1–1 Friendly
22 8 July 2019 TransStadia Arena, Ahmedabad, India  Syria 1–0 2–5 2019 Intercontinental Cup
23 13 July 2019 TransStadia Arena, Ahmedabad, India  India 1–0 5–2 2019 Intercontinental Cup
24 2–0
25 5 September 2019 Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea  Lebanon 1–0 2–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
26 2–0
27 21 November 2023 Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar  Myanmar 1–0 6–1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
28 4–0
29 5–0
30 6 June 2024 New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane, Laos  Syria 1–0 1–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
31 10 October 2024 Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates  United Arab Emirates 1–1 1–1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

North Korea U20

North Korea

Individual

References

  1. ^ Jong Il-gwan at National-Football-Teams.com
  2. ^ "The AFC". www.the-afc.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Newcastle eyeing North Korea sensation Jong Il-Gwan - Tribal Football".
  4. ^ Reprezentativac Severne Koreje ponudjen Partizanu Archived 9 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine at sportal.rs, 6-6-2012 (in Serbian)
  5. ^ Wyrsch, Daniel (1 June 2017). "Stürmer aus Nordkorea als FCL-Hoffnungsträger" (in German). Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  6. ^ "Papierstau behoben: Nordkoreaner Il Gwan Jong stürmt für den FCL" (in German). 7 July 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  7. ^ Ri, Sung Ik. "Footballers and coaches of year nominated". The Pyongyang Times. Archived from the original on 28 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  8. ^ "〈2026W杯アジア2次予選〉ピックアッププレーヤー②チョン・イルグァン選手". 朝鮮新報 (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  9. ^ "KXDR O'zbekistonga qanday tarkib bilan kelayotgani malum". CHAMPIONAT.asia (in oz). Retrieved 3 September 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  10. ^ "Jong, Il-Gwan". National Football Teams. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  11. ^ "DPR KOREA LIFT HERO INTERCONTINENTAL CUP 2019 TITLE". AIFF. 19 July 2019. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
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