Ji Dong-won announces retirement after 16-year professional football career

Ji Dong-won has ended a 16-year football journey that took him from South Korea to the English Premier League, Germany and Australia.

The 35-year-old former South Korea international announced his retirement on social media on Sept. 7. “I want to bring to an end my happy journey as a football player that began in 2010,” he wrote, closing the professional career he started with Jeonnam Dragons.

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I want to bring to an end my happy journey as a football player that began in 2010.

Ji said memories from several countries and teams, along with his experiences with the national team, were passing through his mind. He said he would carry with him the excitement and passion he felt when he first began playing and stepped onto the field. He also thanked everyone who had supported and loved him.

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I will live the rest of my life well while holding on to the excitement and passionate heart I felt when I began playing football and stepped onto the field.

A striker from Gwangyang Jecheol High School, Ji joined Jeonnam in 2010 and scored seven goals with three assists in 22 games during his debut season. He moved to Sunderland in June 2011, becoming the youngest South Korean player to reach the Premier League at the time. He later played for Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund, Darmstadt, Mainz and Eintracht Braunschweig in Germany.

Ji returned to South Korea in July 2021 to join FC Seoul, moved to Suwon FC in 2024 and transferred to Australian A-League club Macarthur FC in August last year. After his contract expired, he chose to retire. He scored in the quarterfinals of the 2012 London Olympics, helping South Korea win bronze, and finished his international career with 11 goals in 55 matches.

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I sincerely thank everyone who supported and loved me.