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[Awards Review]
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▶ Before they became stars: Korea Republic's Ji Soyun
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[2026/09/13 ]
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The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup™ and its senior counterpart, the FIFA Women’s World Cup™, have always shared close ties. Over the years, the youth tournament has seen some of the biggest stars in women’s football emerge, with many making their mark on the global stage before going on to shine at senior level.
In this series, FIFA looks back at the journeys of these players, from their first exploits at U-20 level to their emergence as senior stars.
Ji Soyun | Korea Republic
 Ji grew up as the only girl in an otherwise all-boys football team at Imun Elementary School. A tireless trainer from an early age, her dedication helped her prodigious talent flourish. After moving on to middle school, Ji repeatedly played above her age group and established herself as a key player at every level of Korea Republic’s youth set-up. At the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, she began making a name for herself by becoming the youngest player to both appear and score for the senior national team.
After attending Oju Middle School, Dongsan Information Industry High School and Hanyang Women’s University, Ji began her professional career with INAC Kobe Leonessa in Japan. She subsequently moved overseas to Chelsea FC Women, becoming a trailblazer for Korean women’s football. She collected a host of trophies during her eight years at Chelsea before joining Suwon FC Women in 2022 and playing in the WK League in front of Korean fans. She later had spells with Seattle Reign FC and Birmingham City WFC before returning to Suwon FC in 2026, where, at the age of 35, she continues to play a leading role for the team.
Ji has also collected numerous individual honours, while at international level she has won three Asian Games bronze medals and the EAFF E-1 Football Championship with Korea Republic. Having appeared at three FIFA Women’s World Cups – Canada 2015, France 2019 and Australia & New Zealand 2023 – she is now looking forward to the possibility of making a fourth appearance in Brazil next year.
Why does her FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup campaign live in memory?
Ji made her senior international debut at just 15 years and 249 days old, setting a record as Korea Republic’s youngest-ever senior international. Her ability on the ball and creative style of play earned her the nickname ‘Ji-Messi’ from an early age, and it was at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Germany 2010™ that she truly lived up to that billing.
Then a student at Hanyang Women’s University, Ji showcased her prolific goalscoring ability and capacity to dictate games throughout the tournament. She began with a hat-trick against Switzerland before scoring twice against Ghana in Korea Republic’s second match to help inspire a comeback victory that secured their place in the quarter-finals with a game to spare. Ji continued to shine in the knockout stages, scoring against Mexico to help Korea Republic reach the last four.
Although they were beaten 5-1 by Germany in the semi-finals, Ji scored her side’s only goal to continue her remarkable run in front of goal. She found the net again in the third-place play-off against Colombia, scoring the winner as Korea Republic finished third – at the time, the best result by a Korean team in the history of FIFA competitions.
Having scored in all but one of Korea Republic’s matches, Ji finished the tournament with eight goals in six appearances. She was second in the scoring charts behind Alexandra Popp, whose ten goals helped hosts Germany lift the trophy, and was rewarded with the adidas Silver Shoe and Silver Ball.
What happened next?
Having announced herself to the world at Germany 2010, Ji immediately headed overseas. She bypassed the WK League to join Japan’s INAC Kobe Leonessa, where she played alongside several Japan internationals, including Homare Sawa, then one of the world’s leading women’s players, and helped the club win three consecutive Nadeshiko League titles.
After making her mark in Japan, Ji’s next destination was England. She joined Chelsea in 2014 and was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year in her very first season. Over the next eight years, she became a mainstay of the Chelsea midfield and developed into one of the leading midfielders not only in England, but across European women’s football. Ji won numerous league, FA Cup and League Cup titles with Chelsea and also appeared in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final.
She became an equally central figure for Korea Republic at senior level. After the generation that finished third at Germany 2010 developed into the backbone of the senior national team, Korea Republic became regular qualifiers for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, beginning with Canada 2015. At that tournament, they reached the round of 16 for the first time in the history of Korean women’s football.
After leaving Chelsea in 2022, Ji experienced the WK League for the first time with Suwon FC Women. Even in her mid-30s, she continued to seek out new challenges, moving to the United States to play in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Having returned home in 2026, Ji remains the face of Korean women’s football – and a true living legend of the game.
- The origianl text resource is from FIFA Official Website |
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