# Choi Sung-yong

Choi Sung-yong (Korean: 최성용; born 25 December 1975) is a former South Korean footballer who played as a wing-back or midfielder. Known for his good stamina and concentration, Choi was noted for his ability for man-to-man defense. He performed a role to concentrate on marking Hidetoshi Nakata, considered the best Asian player at the time, when South Korea played against Japan in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Choi played for the South Korea national team as a right-back in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He was also selected for the national team for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but didn't appear on the field at that time. After the 2002 World Cup, he joined Suwon Samsung Bluewings and helped the club win the K League title.

## Career statistics
### Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Vissel Kobe | 1999 | J1 League | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Vissel Kobe | 2000 | J1 League | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Vissel Kobe | Total | Total | 51 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 58 | 0 |
| LASK Linz | 2000–01 | Austrian Bundesliga | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 1 |
| LASK Linz | 2001–02 | Erste Division | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 |
| LASK Linz | Total | Total | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 1 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 2002 | K League | 11 | 0 | ? | ? | — | — | 11 | 0 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 2003 | K League | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 2004 | K League | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 32 | 1 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 2005 | K League | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 2006 | K League | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Total | Total | 78 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 105 | 1 |
| Yokohama FC | 2006 | J2 League | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 0 |
| Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | 2007 | K League | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Thespa Kusatsu | 2008 | J2 League | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 0 |
| Thespa Kusatsu | 2009 | J2 League | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 |
| Thespa Kusatsu | 2010 | J2 League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 |
| Thespa Kusatsu | Total | Total | 48 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 51 | 0 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 226 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 265 | 2 |

### International

Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| South Korea | 1995 | 3 | 0 |
| South Korea | 1997 | 12 | 0 |
| South Korea | 1998 | 24 | 1 |
| South Korea | 1999 | 2 | 0 |
| South Korea | 2000 | 5 | 0 |
| South Korea | 2001 | 8 | 0 |
| South Korea | 2002 | 8 | 0 |
| South Korea | 2003 | 3 | 0 |
| Career total | Career total | 65 | 1 |
    Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Choi goal.
List of international goals scored by Choi Sung-yong :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 4 March 1998 | International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan | China | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1998 Dynasty Cup |

## Honours

Suwon Samsung Bluewings
* K League: 2004
* Korean FA Cup: 2002
* Korean League Cup: 2005
* Korean Super Cup: 2005
* Asian Club Championship: 2001–02
* Asian Super Cup: 2002
* A3 Champions Cup: 2005
Yokohama FC
* J2 League: 2006
Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i
* Korean League Cup: 2007
South Korea
* AFC Asian Cup third place: 2000
Individual
* K League All-Star: 2002, 2005