Ko Jong-soo ( born 30 October 1978) is a South Korean football coach and former player.

Early life
Born in Yeosu, Jeonnam, Ko graduated from Yeosu West Elementary School, Yeosu Gubong Middle School and Kumho High School.

While playing as a youth footballer for Kumho High School, Ko led his team to the title in the , one of national high school football competitions in South Korea, and was nicknamed the "Enfant terrible". His talent received attention early from South Korea's senior professional clubs, and he joined Suwon Samsung Bluewings just before his graduation.

Playing career
After joining Suwon Samsung Bluewings as a founding member in December 1995, Ko showed remarkable dribbles, passes and shots which led Suwon's prime. During his era, Suwon won 13 titles including two Asian Club Championships and two K Leagues. Especially, he was named the K League Most Valuable Player after contributing to his club's first-ever league title in 1998.

Ko was also noted for his free kicks and the front and right of the penalty arc were called "Ko Jong-soo Zones" in South Korea. He scored with a memorable free kick against José Luis Chilavert when he participated in FIFA's all-star game before the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Ko was evaluated as the best Korean technician at the time, and his left foot is considered one of the greatest feet of all time in South Korea. He was expected to play for the national team in the 2002 World Cup, hosted by his country. However, he suffered a cruciate ligament injury in the 2001 season, and failed to recover his condition before the World Cup. This injury was also fatal to his playing career, and he could not show his former talent.

Managerial career 
Ko spent his coaching career in Suwon Samsung Bluewings from 2011 to 2017. In November 2017, Ko was appointed Daejeon Citizen manager by Kim Ho, the Daejeon Citizen president at the time and his manager during his playing career. However, he was convicted of corruption about a tryout for Daejeon after the 2018 season.

Career statistics

Club

International 

Results list South Korea's goal tally first.

Honours 
Suwon Samsung Bluewings
K League 1: 1998, 1999, 2004
Korean FA Cup: 2002
Korean League Cup: 1999, 1999+, 2000, 2001
Korean Super Cup: 1999, 2000
Asian Club Championship: 2000–01, 2001–02
Asian Super Cup: 2001, 2002

Individual
Korean League Cup top assist provider: 1997
K League 1 Most Valuable Player: 1998
K League 1 Best XI: 1998, 1999
Korean League Cup top goalscorer: 2000
AFC Goal of the Month: February 2001
AFC Player of the Month: March 2001

Notes

References

External links 
  
 
 

1978 births
Living people
People from Yeosu
Suwon Samsung Bluewings players
Kyoto Sanga FC players
Jeonnam Dragons players
Daejeon Hana Citizen players
K League 1 players
J1 League players
1998 FIFA World Cup players
2001 FIFA Confederations Cup players
Footballers at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Olympic footballers for South Korea
Men's association football midfielders
Expatriate men's footballers in Japan
South Korean expatriate sportspeople in Japan
South Korean expatriate men's footballers
South Korea men's international footballers
South Korean men's footballers
Footballers from South Jeolla Province
Daejeon Hana Citizen managers
K League 2 managers
South Korean football managers