SUWON, South Korea– Having landed in the South Korean women’s football league for the first time, former Chelsea star Ji So-yun is determined to bring a new order to the competition.
Ji ended a successful eight-year run with Chelsea FC Women earlier this month and signed with Suwon FC Women of the WK League on Tuesday. The club formally introduced her in a press conference at Suwon City Hall, some 45 kilometers south of Seoul, on Thursday.
Sporting No. 91 on her new kit, Ji, 31, said she wants to shape Suwon into a tougher team to play against. And in the process, Ji wants to end the extended dynasty of Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels WFC, which have won every WK League title since 2013.
“Incheon Hyundai Steel have been dominant, but I think things will change a bit. That’s what I am here for,” Ji said. “If we can be competitive against Incheon, I think it will make the league more interesting.”
The 2022 season kicked off in April, and Incheon have jumped out to first place with 23 points. Gyeongju Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power WFC also have 23 points but trail Incheon in goal difference. Suwon FC Women are in fourth place among eight teams in the semi-pro league with 15 points.
“My primary goal this year is to make adjustments to Korea as quickly as possible,” said Ji, who spent three years in Japan before her Chelsea stint and has never played club football in her native country. “I want to get on the same page with my teammates.”
Because Ji signed late, she will only be eligible for action after July 1.
“I haven’t played with Korean teammates since I was 20 years old (as a university student),” said Ji, who turned down an offer from Chelsea and from a few U.S. clubs. “I have a lot of friends at Incheon, but they will now be enemies. It’s going to be fun.”
Ji was one of the most successful foreign players in the Women’s Super League in England.
Ji was named the Football Association (FA) Players’ Player of the Year in her first season in England in 2014 and was the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Women’s Players’ Player of the Year for the 2014-15 season. Ji made the PFA Team of the Year for five consecutive seasons, starting with the 2014-15 campaign.
Ji hoisted 13 trophies with Chelsea: six Super League titles, four FA Cups, two league cups and one Community Shield. Ji capped off her career by helping Chelsea to a double this year, as they captured the Super League title and the FA Cup.
Ji scored 68 goals in 210 matches in all competitions for Chelsea. She is third on the club’s all-time lists in both goals and matches.
She wore No. 10 with Chelsea but said she chose the new number at Suwon for a couple of reasons.
“I was born in 1991. And (forward) Jeon Eun-ha is wearing No. 10 here. I didn’t want to just take it from her,” Ji said. “Also, nine plus one equals 10.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency