Ji withSeattle Reign FC in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1991-02-21)21 February 1991 (age 34) | ||
| Place of birth | Seoul, South Korea[1] | ||
| Height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Birmingham City (on loan fromSeattle Reign FC) | ||
| Number | 91 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2008 | Dongsan Information Industry High School | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009–2010 | Hanyang Women's University | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2011–2013 | INAC Kobe Leonessa | 48 | (21) |
| 2014–2022 | Chelsea | 124 | (37) |
| 2022–2024 | Suwon FC | 23 | (8) |
| 2024– | Seattle Reign FC | 39 | (5) |
| 2025– | →Birmingham City (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2007–2008 | South Korea U17 | 15 | (11) |
| 2007–2010 | South Korea U20 | 17 | (13) |
| 2009 | South Korea Universiade | 4 | (0) |
| 2006– | South Korea | 169 | (74) |
Medal record | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 5 September 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 16 July 2025 | |||
| Ji So-yun | |
| Hangul | 지소연 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 池笑然 |
| RR | Ji Soyeon |
| MR | Chi Soyŏn |
Ji So-yun (Korean:지소연,Korean pronunciation:[tɕi.so.jʌn]; born 21 February 1991) is a South Korean professionalfootballer who plays as amidfielder forWomen's Super League 2 clubBirmingham City, on loan fromSeattle Reign FC of theNational Women's Soccer League, and theSouth Korea national team.
Ji is the all-time top scorer of the South Korea women's national team with 74 goals.[2]

Ji started her career in Japan, playing forNadeshiko League championsINAC Kobe Leonessa between 2011 and 2013. In November 2013, Ji was subject to atransfer bid from English clubChelsea.[3] She agreed to a two-year contract in January 2014.[4] When the transfer was officially confirmed later that month, Chelsea managerEmma Hayes said of Ji: "She is one of the best midfielders in the world and our fans will love her."[5] In one of her final matches for the Japanese club, Ji scored against her soon-to-be new club, Chelsea, in theInternational Women's Club Championship final.[6]
Ji was named Players' Player of the Year after her first season in England, as Chelsea narrowly missed out on theFA WSL 1 title on the last day of the season.[7] She was namedPFA Women's Players' Player of the Year in April 2015 and was also named in thePFA WSL Team of the Year.[8][9]
In the2015 FA Women's Cup final, staged atWembley Stadium for the first time, Ji scored the only goal of the match to win the cup for Chelsea.[10] In October 2015 she also scored in Chelsea's 4–0 win overSunderland which secured the club's firstFA WSL 1 title and a league and cupdouble.[11]
Ji made her 100th appearance for Chelsea in a 1–1 draw againstArsenal on 1 April 2018 in the middle of the 2017–18 season.[12] She once again contributed to her club's double,[13] as well as advance to the semi-finals of theUEFA Women's Champions League in that season.[14]
On 29 August 2020, Ji led Chelsea to a 2–0 win overManchester City by performing the role of the key playmaker in theWomen's FA Community Shield, held for the first time since 2008.[15] She was named the Player of the Match byBBC, which broadcast the match.[16] At the end of 2020, she was on the list of eleven nominees forThe Best FIFA Women's Player award alongside her teammatesPernille Harder andSam Kerr.[17] In the light of her performances for Chelsea over the years and the instrumental role she played in Chelsea's2020–21 FA WSL winning team,Suzanne Wrack ofThe Guardian claimed that Ji was the best foreign player in the history of WSL.[18] Chelsea won all domestic cups in addition to the league title during the season, achieving aquadruple.[19]
After spending eight years with Chelsea, Ji left the club following the 2021–22 season. She made over 200 appearances and scored 68 goals in all competitions, and won six league titles, fourFA Cups, twoleague cups, and one Community Shield.[20]
On 24 May 2022, Ji returned to her homeland and joinedWK League sideSuwon FC, her first spell with a South Korean club.[21] On her WK League debut on 18 August 2022, she scored a brace in a 3–0 victory againstBoeun Sangmu.[22] She had helped Suwon advance to the final at the2023 WK League, and scored two goals in a 3–1 first leg win overIncheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels.[23] Despite her effort, her club lost 7–5 on aggregate after the second leg.
On 24 January 2024, theNational Women's Soccer League clubSeattle Reign FC announced that they had signed Ji on a two-year contract through the 2025 season.[24]
Ji represented South Korea at senior level before appearing at youth level. In October 2006, she made hersenior team debut while playing at the2006 Peace Queen Cup. On 30 November 2006, she became the youngest goalscorer (15 years, 282 days) for the South Korean senior team after scoring two goals againstChinese Taipei at the2006 Asian Games.[25][2]
Ji played for the South Koreaunder-17s at the2007 AFC U-16 Women's Championship and the2008 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. She scored two goals in four matches at the U-17 World Cup.[26]
Ji participated in the2009 Summer Universiade when attendingHanyang Women's University. She won a gold medal and the Most Valuable Player award at the tournament.[27][28]
While Ji was part of the nationalunder-20 team, South Korea finished second at the2009 AFC U-19 Women's Championship and third at the2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.[25] She showed her goal scoring ability at both tournaments, becoming the top goalscorer at the AFC U-19 Championship and the second top goalscorer at the U-20 World Cup, ultimately winning the Silver Ball and the Silver Shoe awards at the U-20 World Cup.[28]
On 13 June 2015, Ji scored her first World Cup goal with apenalty kick in aGroup E match againstCosta Rica at the2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.[29] After finishing as runners-up in Group E, South Korea reached the World Cup knockout stages for the first time.
Ahead of the2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup final, Ji had scored four goals in the competition, including a crucial goal in a 1–0 win overAustralia in the quarter-finals.[30] She also scored a penalty that gave South Korea a 2–0 lead at half-time in the final againstChina. South Korea came close to winning their first major women's football title, but the final ended in a 3–2 defeat after conceding three goals in the second half.[31]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental[c] | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| INAC Kobe Leonessa | 2011 | Nadeshiko League | 16 | 8 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 20 | 8 | |||
| 2012 | Nadeshiko League | 16 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 | — | — | 25 | 7 | |||
| 2013 | Nadeshiko League | 16 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 3 | — | 2[d] | 1 | 31 | 19 | ||
| Total | 48 | 21 | 11 | 6 | 15 | 6 | — | 2 | 1 | 76 | 34 | |||
| Chelsea | 2014 | FA WSL 1 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 19 | 9 | ||
| 2015 | FA WSL 1 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 26 | 10 | ||
| 2016 | FA WSL 1 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 23 | 10 | ||
| 2017 | FA WSL 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | 10 | 6 | ||||
| 2017–18 | FA WSL 1 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 3 | — | 28 | 12 | ||
| 2018–19 | Women's Super League | 17 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | — | 30 | 9 | ||
| 2019–20 | Women's Super League | 13 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 19 | 7 | |||
| 2020–21 | Women's Super League | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1[e] | 0 | 33 | 3 | |
| 2021–22 | Women's Super League | 12 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 22 | 2 | ||
| Total | 124 | 37 | 26 | 17 | 26 | 8 | 33 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 210 | 68 | ||
| Suwon FC | 2022 | WK League | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | 1[f] | 1 | 6 | 6 | |||
| 2023 | WK League | 18 | 3 | — | — | — | 3[f] | 2 | 21 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 23 | 8 | — | — | — | 4 | 3 | 27 | 11 | |||||
| Seattle Reign FC | 2024 | National Women's Soccer League | 26 | 3 | — | — | — | 2[g] | 0 | 28 | 3 | |||
| 2025 | National Women's Soccer League | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | |||||
| Total | 29 | 4 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 31 | 4 | |||||
| Career total | 224 | 70 | 37 | 23 | 41 | 14 | 33 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 344 | 117 | ||
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 November 2006 | Doha, Qatar | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2006 Asian Games | |
| 2 | 2–0 | |||||
| 3 | 17 February 2007 | Masan, South Korea | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2008 Summer Olympics qualification | |
| 4 | 15 April 2007 | Hai Phong, Vietnam | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2008 Summer Olympics qualification | |
| 5 | 2–1 | |||||
| 6 | 12 August 2007 | Cheongju, South Korea | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2008 Summer Olympics qualification | |
| 7 | 26 August 2009 | Tainan, Taiwan | 1–0 | 19–0 | 2010 EAFF Women's Championship qualification | |
| 8 | 11–0 | |||||
| 9 | 12–0 | |||||
| 10 | 16–0 | |||||
| 11 | 19–0 | |||||
| 12 | 30 August 2009 | Tainan, Taiwan | 5–0 | 6–0 | 2010 EAFF Women's Championship qualification | |
| 13 | 10 February 2010 | Tokyo, Japan | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2010 EAFF Women's Championship | |
| 14 | 14 November 2010 | Guangzhou, China | 1–1 | 6–1 | 2010 Asian Games | |
| 15 | 16 November 2010 | Guangzhou, China | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2010 Asian Games | |
| 16 | 2–0 | |||||
| 17 | 5–0 | |||||
| 18 | 22 November 2010 | Guangzhou, China | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2010 Asian Games | |
| 19 | 7 March 2011 | Paralimni, Cyprus | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2011 Cyprus Women's Cup | |
| 20 | 18 June 2011 | Ehime, Japan | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly | |
| 21 | 3 September 2011 | Jinan, China | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2012 Summer Olympics qualification | |
| 22 | 14 January 2013 | Chongqing, China | 2–0 | 3–1 | Friendly | |
| 23 | 6 March 2013 | Paralimni, Cyprus | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2013 Cyprus Women's Cup | |
| 24 | 8 March 2013 | Paralimni, Cyprus | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2013 Cyprus Women's Cup | |
| 25 | 27 July 2013 | Seoul, South Korea | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2013 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup | |
| 26 | 2–0 | |||||
| 27 | 5 March 2014 | Paralimni, Cyprus | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2014 Cyprus Women's Cup | |
| 28 | 7 March 2014 | Paralimni, Cyprus | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2014 Cyprus Women's Cup | |
| 29 | 15 May 2014 | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | 1–0 | 12–0 | 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup | |
| 30 | 17 May 2014 | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2014 AFC Women's Asian Cup | |
| 31 | 12 November 2014 | Hsinchu, Taiwan | 1–0 | 15–0 | 2015 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup qualification | |
| 32 | 8–0 | |||||
| 33 | 15 November 2014 | Hsinchu, Taiwan | 1–0 | 9–0 | 2015 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup qualification | |
| 34 | 13 January 2015 | Shenzhen, China | 2–2 | 3–2 | Friendly | |
| 35 | 15 January 2015 | Shenzhen, China | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly | |
| 36 | 4 March 2015 | Nicosia, Cyprus | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2015 Cyprus Women's Cup | |
| 37 | 5 April 2015 | Incheon, South Korea | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | |
| 38 | 8 April 2015 | Incheon, South Korea | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
| 39 | 13 June 2015 | Montreal, Canada | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup | |
| 40 | 3 March 2017 | Nicosia, Cyprus | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2017 Cyprus Women's Cup | |
| 41 | 6 March 2017 | Larnaca, Cyprus | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2017 Cyprus Women's Cup | |
| 42 | 5 April 2017 | Pyongyang, North Korea | 8–0 | 10–0 | 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification | |
| 43 | 10–0 | |||||
| 44 | 11 April 2017 | Pyongyang, North Korea | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification | |
| 45 | 4–0 | |||||
| 46 | 19 August 2018 | Palembang, Indonesia | 1–0 | 8–0 | 2018 Asian Games | |
| 47 | 21 August 2018 | Palembang, Indonesia | 10–0 | 12–0 | 2018 Asian Games | |
| 48 | 12–0 | |||||
| 49 | 31 August 2018 | Palembang, Indonesia | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2018 Asian Games | |
| 50 | 28 February 2019 | Sydney, Australia | 4–0 | 5–0 | 2019 Cup of Nations | |
| 51 | 5–0 | |||||
| 52 | 3 March 2019 | Brisbane, Australia | 1–1 | 1–4 | 2019 Cup of Nations | |
| 53 | 6 March 2019 | Melbourne, Australia | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2019 Cup of Nations | |
| 54 | 9 April 2019 | Chuncheon, South Korea | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly | |
| 55 | 6 October 2019 | Chicago, United States | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly | |
| 56 | 3 February 2020 | Seogwipo, South Korea | 1–0 | 7–0 | 2020 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament | |
| 57 | 3–0 | |||||
| 58 | 9 February 2020 | Seogwipo, South Korea | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2020 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament | |
| 59 | 17 September 2021 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | 5–0 | 12–0 | 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification | |
| 60 | 21 January 2022 | Pune, India | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup | |
| 61 | 3–0 | |||||
| 62 | 24 January 2022 | Pune, India | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup | |
| 63 | 30 January 2022 | Pune, India | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup | |
| 64 | 6 February 2022 | Navi Mumbai, India | 2–0 | 2–3 | 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup | |
| 65 | 19 July 2022 | Kashima, Japan | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship | |
| 66 | 22 February 2023 | Bristol, England | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2023 Arnold Clark Cup | |
| 67 | 8 July 2023 | Seoul, South Korea | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly | |
| 68 | 22 September 2023 | Wenzhou, China | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2022 Asian Games | |
| 69 | 25 September 2023 | Wenzhou, China | 3–1 | 5–1 | 2022 Asian Games | |
| 70 | 24 February 2024 | Oeiras, Portugal | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | |
| 71 | 5 April 2024 | Icheon, South Korea | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 72 | 23 February 2025 | Al Hamriyah, United Arab Emirates | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2025 Pink Ladies Cup | |
| 73 | 9 July 2025 | Suwon, South Korea | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship | |
| 74 | 16 July 2025 | Suwon, South Korea | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship |
INAC Kobe Leonessa
Chelsea[32]
South Korea U20
South Korea Universiade[27]
South Korea
Individual