Kim Seung-gyu (born 30 September 1990) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab and the South Korea national football team.

Club career

Kim was a much-anticipated youth player of Ulsan Hyundai, and joined the senior team after graduating middle school. However, he usually played in reserve team and high school's team for a long time. He became Ulsan's main goalkeeper after showing impressive performances in important opportunities while existing goalkeeper Kim Young-kwang was injured in 2013. He was also selected for the K League Best XI in that season. When playing for Vissel Kobe, Kim was selected as one of three outstanding J.League goalkeepers in the 2016 season, who were nominated for the J.League Best XI, but lost to Shusaku Nishikawa. Kim joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Shabab on 6 July 2022. He kept the third highest number of clean sheets with 11 clean sheets in the 2022–23 Saudi Pro League. He kept clean sheets in all four matches until the quarter-finals of the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup, but conceded three goals in a semi-final defeat against Al-Hilal.

International career

2014 World Cup

Kim made his senior international debut against Peru on 14 August 2013 in a goalless draw, keeping a clean sheet in his debut. Kim was named in South Korea's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup as the second-choice goalkeeper behind Jung Sung-ryong. He did not play the first two games, but after Jung's poor performance against Algeria he was selected to play against Belgium. He made numerous saves, but conceded one as Korea lost 1–0. Despite the loss, Kim was well praised by the fans for his performance, conceding only one goal against one of the top ranked teams in the world on his World Cup debut.

2014 Asian Games

Kim was named as an over-aged player for the South Korean under-23 team to play in the 2014 Asian Games. Kim helped his team get a gold medal for the first time in 28 years. Kim conceded no goals in the six matches he played and was granted a military exemption. Kim was selected for South Korea's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, but the manager Shin Tae-yong chose Jo Hyeon-woo as his main goalkeeper, and so he couldn't appear during the competition.

2022 World Cup

After the 2018 World Cup, South Korea's next manager Paulo Bento had great faith in Kim. He participated in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, conceding two goals during five matches until the quarter-finals. In the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, he conceded only three goals during 14 appearances, helping South Korea qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In 2022, Kim participated in the World Cup as the first-choice goalkeeper for the first time. During the group stage, he was criticised for failing to block any of Ghana's three shots on target, but proved his abilities by conceding only one goal against Uruguay and Portugal. He met Brazilian forwards in the round of 16, and struggled to defend against them in a 4–1 defeat.

2023 AFC Asian Cup

Kim was named in Korea final squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup tournament. He started against Bahrain in the opening match. However he had left the squad after the match, as he ruptured his cruciate ligament. Thus, the injury ruled him out for the rest of the tournament.

Style of play

Known as one of the most versatile goalkeepers in South Korea, Kim is originally noted for his quick reflexes and movement, and also polished up his passing skills in the J1 League.

Career statistics

Club

International

Personal life

On April 29, 2024, it was confirmed that Kim would marry model and actress Kim Jin-kyung in June. The couple married on June 17, 2024, somewhere in Seoul.

Honours

Ulsan Hyundai Kashiwa Reysol South Korea U23 South Korea Individual