Kim Seung-gyu

2.1. Early Life and Education

Kim Seung-gyu was born on 30 September 1990, in Dong-gu, Ulsan, South Korea. He started playing football at Jeonha Elementary School before progressing to Hyundai Middle School and Hyundai High School. Notably, he was also a member of the youth team established in 2003 through a partnership between Hyundai Middle School and Ulsan Hyundai.

2.2. Youth Development and Early Professional Debut

Kim's talent was recognized early, leading him to sign a professional contract with Ulsan Hyundai during his first year of high school in 2006, joining the club as a priority draft pick. Despite signing professionally, he initially played for the Ulsan Hyundai U-18 youth team. His professional debut came on 22 November 2008, in the 2008 K-League Championship six-강 playoffs against rival team Pohang Steelers. He was substituted into the match in the 114th minute of extra time and remarkably saved two penalty kicks from Noh Byung-jun and Kim Gwang-seok in the shootout, contributing to Ulsan's third-place finish. He became Ulsan's main goalkeeper in 2013 after demonstrating impressive performances when the then-starting goalkeeper Kim Young-kwang was injured. His strong showing earned him a spot in the K League Best XI that season. He also gained significant popularity, topping the goalkeeper category in the K League All-Star Game fan vote in both 2014 and 2015, receiving 99,933 votes in 2014.

3.1. Ulsan Hyundai (First Stint)

From his debut in 2008 until the end of the 2015 season, Kim Seung-gyu made 134 appearances for Ulsan Hyundai across all official competitions. During this period, he played a crucial role in the team's achievements, including reaching the semi-finals of the 2009 League Cup and the 2012 and 2015 FA Cups. He was instrumental in Ulsan's victory in the 2011 League Cup and their historic win in the 2012 AFC Champions League, which marked the club's first continental title. He also contributed to Ulsan's runner-up finishes in the 2011 and 2013 K League Classic seasons. His consistent performances solidified his position as Ulsan's trusted goalkeeper.

3.2. Vissel Kobe

In early 2016, Kim Seung-gyu transferred to Vissel Kobe in the J1 League, marking his first venture into an overseas league. He quickly established himself as a regular starter, making 121 appearances for the Japanese club until mid-2019. In the 2016 J1 League season, he was nominated for the J.League Best XI as one of the three most outstanding goalkeepers. He also recorded an assist in a match against Urawa Red Diamonds on 14 October 2017. Despite his consistent play, he gradually lost his starting position to Daiya Maekawa in late 2018. In 2019, the new foreign player regulations in the J.League, which removed limits on foreign player registration but still capped foreign players on the matchday squad, further impacted his playing opportunities, especially with the addition of players like Sergi Samper to Vissel Kobe, forcing Kim to be excluded from the matchday squad on several occasions. Korean media highlighted his situation, describing him as a "victim" of the foreign player regulations.

3.3. Ulsan Hyundai (Second Stint)

Due to reduced playing time at Vissel Kobe because of foreign player limits, Kim Seung-gyu returned to his former club, Ulsan Hyundai, on 24 July 2019, just half a year after leaving the K League. In his return match, a 23rd-round K League 1 game against FC Seoul, he recorded his first career assist on a goal by Hwang Il-su, contributing to the team's victory. However, in the final match of the season against Pohang Steelers, Ulsan suffered a crushing 1-4 defeat, with Kim making a critical throwing error that led to a goal by Heo Yong-jun. This loss cost Ulsan the K League title, which they had been close to winning for the first time in 14 years, ultimately handing it to rival Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

3.4. Kashiwa Reysol

After the disappointing end to the 2019 season, Kim Seung-gyu returned to the J1 League, joining newly promoted club Kashiwa Reysol on 10 January 2020. This move drew criticism from Ulsan fans, but he aimed to re-establish himself in Japan. He was expected to compete for the starting spot with Kōsuke Nakamura, but Nakamura sustained an injury during a pre-season match, allowing Kim to step in. Kim performed well in the J.League Cup and the league's opening match. Although Nakamura briefly reclaimed his position after recovering, a subsequent injury to Nakamura allowed Kim to regain his role as the starting goalkeeper. On 7 October 2020, he delivered a series of excellent saves in the J.League Cup semi-final against Yokohama F. Marinos, helping Kashiwa Reysol reach the final. He continued as the primary goalkeeper for three seasons, helping the team to a runner-up finish in the 2020 J.League Cup. However, starting around May 2022, he began to lose his spot to the younger goalkeeper Masato Sasaki, leading to increased absences from the squad.

3.5. Al Shabab

In July 2022, Kim Seung-gyu transferred to Al Shabab FC in the Saudi Professional League, making his debut in the Middle Eastern league. In his first season (2022-23), he made 37 appearances across all competitions, including playing all 30 league matches. He recorded 11 clean sheets in the league, placing him third among all goalkeepers, behind Marcelo Grohe of Al-Ittihad and Abdullah Al-Mayouf of Al-Hilal, contributing to Al Shabab's second consecutive fourth-place finish.
In the 2022 AFC Champions League, he helped Al Shabab reach the quarter-finals, making 6 saves in 2 matches. Despite recording 4 saves against Al-Duhail SC in the quarter-final, his team lost 1-2 due to defensive errors, missing out on a semi-final berth for the first time in 12 years. In the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup, he kept clean sheets in all four matches leading up to the quarter-finals, but the streak ended in the semi-final when Al Hilal scored three goals against him. On 30 September 2023, during the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League season, he successfully saved a penalty kick from Neymar but could not prevent goals from Kalidou Koulibaly and Aleksandar Mitrović, resulting in a 0-2 loss for his team.

4.1. Youth National Teams

Kim Seung-gyu represented South Korea at the U-17, U-20, and U-23 levels. As the only professional player in the U-17 squad, he participated in the 2006 AFC U-17 Championship, where South Korea was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Tajikistan. He also featured in the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup hosted in South Korea, but the team failed to advance past the group stage.

With the U-20 national team, he helped South Korea qualify for their 11th U-20 World Cup by performing strongly in the 2008 AFC U-19 Championship, recording 3 clean sheets in 5 matches. At the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, he played in 4 matches, keeping 2 clean sheets, and contributed to the team's advancement to the quarter-finals for the first time since the 1991 unified Korea team.

He was the starting goalkeeper for the U-23 national team at the 2010 Asian Games, where he recorded 2 clean sheets in 6 matches, helping South Korea reach the semi-finals for the third consecutive time, though they ultimately settled for a bronze medal after losing to the United Arab Emirates. He missed the 2012 Summer Olympics due to an injury just before the tournament. However, he was called up as an over-aged player (wildcard) for the 2014 Asian Games held in South Korea, alongside Park Joo-ho and Ulsan Hyundai teammate Kim Shin-wook. In this tournament, he delivered an outstanding performance, keeping 6 clean sheets in 6 matches (excluding the group stage match against Laos, where another goalkeeper started), playing a pivotal role in South Korea's gold medal victory, their first in 28 years. This achievement also earned him a military exemption.

4.2. Senior National Team

Kim Seung-gyu made his senior international debut for South Korea on 14 August 2013, in a friendly match against Peru, where he kept a clean sheet in a goalless draw, impressing manager Hong Myung-bo.

6.1. Club Statistics

6.2. International Statistics