Ri Myong-guk (born 9 September 1986)[1] is a North Korean former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Ri was known for his positioning and reflexes and spent his entire playing career at Pyongyang Sports Club in the DPR Korea League. Ri was also the captain of the North Korea national team, making 118 appearances, more than any other player in the team's history, before retiring in 2019. Ri is currently the goalkeeper coach for his former club.[3]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 9 September 1986[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Pyongyang, North Korea[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2006–2019 | Pyongyang City | ||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2019 | North Korea | 118[2] | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
| Ri Myong-guk | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 리명국 |
|---|---|
| Hancha | 李明國 |
| Revised Romanization | Ri Myeongguk |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ri Myŏngguk |
Career
editRi played 15 matches in 2010 World Cup qualifying for Korea DPR, including keeping a clean sheet in the decisive final group game against Saudi Arabia. After the match, he stated "I felt like I was defending the gateway to my motherland".[4] His performances also saw him nominated for the 2009 Asian Footballer of the Year award. Ri was Korea DPR's first choice in goal in FIFA World Cup 2010. He played all Korea DPR's three World Cup matches including 7–0 loss to Portugal.[5] He played more than 100 official matches for his national team since his debut in 2007, making him the most capped player in the history of Korea DPR.
He was named the DPRK's best male footballer for three years running, in 2014, 2015, and 2016.[6]
Both his father and uncle were goalkeepers for the national team.[7]
Honours
editNorth Korea
- AFC Challenge Cup: 2012
- EAFF Championship third place: 2015
Individual
- AFC Challenge Cup: 2012 Team of the tournament [8]
- EAFF Championship Best Goalkeeper: 2008,[9] 2015[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Ri Myong-guk Archived 13 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine at soccerway.com. Retrieved on 7 December 2015.
- ^ "Ri Myong-Guk - Century of International Appearances". RSSSF. 7 February 2019. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
- ^ DPR Korea Football (4 June 2020). "Best Goalkeeper Prize Winner ["Korea" Magazine article]". Facebook. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ^ Chadband, Ian (15 October 2009). "North Korea's draw with Congo gives world glimpse of secretive nation's football side". London: The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 March 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ^ "AFC player of the year 2009 nominees first list announced". Asian Football Confederation. 9 October 2009. Archived from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ^ "Naenara Democratic People's Republic of Korea". Naenara. Archived from the original on 23 February 2018.
- ^ "A day in the life of North Korean footballer Ri Myong-guk". The Guardian. 15 May 2014. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ^ "Pak scoops MVP award". The-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ "EAST ASIAN FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP 2008 Final Competition Match Schedule". EAFF. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ "EAFF East Asian Cup 2015 & EAFF Women's East Asian Cup 2015 Competition". EAFF. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
External links
edit
- Ri Myong-guk – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Ri Myong-guk at Asian Games Incheon 2014
- Ri Myong-guk[permanent dead link] at DPRKFootball
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