Choe Yu-ri
South Korean footballer (born 1994)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Choe Yu-ri (Korean: 최유리; born 16 September 1994) is a South Korean footballer who plays as a forward for WK League club Suwon FC Women and the South Korea women's national team.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Choe Yu-ri[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 16 September 1994[2] | ||
| Place of birth | South Korea | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Forward[4] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Suwon FC | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2009 | Hyundai Chungun Middle School | ||
| 2010–2012 | Hyundai Technical High School | ||
| 2013–2014 | Ulsan College | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2020 | Sejong Sportstoto | ||
| 2021–2023 | Hyundai Steel Red Angels | ||
| 2023–2025 | Birmingham City | 24 | (2) |
| 2025 | Hyundai Steel Red Angels | ||
| 2026– | Suwon FC | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011–2014 | South Korea U20 | 22 | (3) |
| 2014– | South Korea | 73 | (14) |
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 March 2026 | |||
Early life
Choe started playing football in elementary school, after a coach from the school's football team noticed her ability to run very fast at a school sports day.[5] She is close friends with forward Lee Geum-min, who attended the same high school and college.[5] Together with Jang Sel-gi, they have been called the '94 line trio', referring to their birth year and close teamwork having trained together with the national team since a young age.[6]
Club career
Military enlistment refusal
In the 2015 WK League rookie player draft, Choe was selected by Busan Sangmu, a military team requiring all players to join the military and undertake basic training.[7] At first, Choe stated that she would join the team despite reservations about joining the military, in particular the effect that such a career move would have upon her training with the national squad.[8] However, she eventually refused to join the military, considering it an infringement of her freedom to choose a career.[9] According to the rules of the WK League draft at the time, any player who refused to join their drafted team was not permitted to play in the league for two years, and as such Choe was absent from the WK League in 2015.[10] Following the incident, the KWFF revised the rules of the draft with regards to the military team, and held a special draft for Choe to give her a second chance.[11]
WK League
Choe was signed by Daejeon Sportstoto in late 2015, having missed only one season of league football.[12][13] She played for the side for five years before transferring to Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels ahead of the 2021 season.[14][6] At the 2022 WK League Women's Football Awards, the first annual awards ceremony of its type, she was named as the league's forward of the year, having scored eight goals during the 2022 season.[15][16][17] During her time with the Red Angels, Choe made 55 appearances, scoring 20 goals and providing six assists.[18]
Birmingham City
Choe transferred to Women's Championship side Birmingham City during the 2023 summer transfer window on a two-year deal with a year option.[18][19][16] She scored her first goal for the club in an FA Cup tie against MK Dons in December of the same year.[20] Choe started her second season at Birmingham with three goal involvements, recording a goal and two assists in the club's opening match against Sunderland.[21]
Return to WK League
Following the expiration of her contract at Birmingham in 2025, Choe returned to South Korea and joined her former club Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels.[22][23] After spending half a season with Incheon, Choe transferred to Suwon FC ahead of the 2026 season.[24]
International career
Choe made her full international debut for South Korea at the 2014 Cyprus Women's Cup before making her first appearance at a major tournament later the same year at the Asian Games.[6] She scored her debut international goal at the tournament on her fifth appearance for South Korea, making her the record holder for the shortest time between debut and first goal for the country.[25][26] Choe has since become a regular member of the national team.[27] She was a member of the South Korean squad that finished as runners-up at the 2022 Asian Cup, scoring the first goal in the final against China.[28]
Style of play
Besides her goal-scoring ability, Choe is known for her speed and stamina.[29] Her high-intensity play has drawn comparisons to South Korean international midfielder Hwang Hee-chan.[30] Since her youth, she played mostly as a midfielder or winger, but started playing in a more attacking role from the 2020 season onwards.[5]
Career statistics
International
- Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Choe goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 September 2014 | Incheon Namdong Asiad Rugby Field, Incheon, South Korea |  Thailand | 5–0 | 5–0 | 2014 Asian Games |
| 2 | 21 September 2014 | Munhak Stadium, Incheon, South Korea |  Maldives | 13–0 | 13–0 | 2014 Asian Games |
| 3 | 11 November 2016 | Hong Kong Football Club Stadium, Happy Valley, Hong Kong |  Hong Kong | 8–0 | 14–0 | 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship |
| 4 | 14 November 2016 | Hong Kong Football Club Stadium, Happy Valley, Hong Kong |  Chinese Taipei | 8–0 | 9–0 | 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship |
| 5 | 23 September 2021 | Pakhtakor Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan |  Uzbekistan | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification |
| 6 | 6 February 2022 | DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, India |  China | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup |
| 7 | 9 April 2022 | Goyang Stadium, Goyang, South Korea |  Vietnam | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 8 | 23 July 2022 | Kashima Soccer Stadium, Kashima, Japan | China | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship |
| 9 | 3 September 2022 | Hwaseong Stadium, Hwaseong, South Korea |  Jamaica | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 10 | 5 April 2024 | Icheon City Stadium, Icheon, South Korea |  Philippines | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 11 | 8 April 2024 | Icheon City Stadium, Icheon, South Korea | Philippines | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 12 | 20 February 2025 | Al Hamriya Sports Club Stadium, Al Hamriyah, United Arab Emirates | Uzbekistan | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2025 Pink Ladies Cup |
| 13 | 23 February 2025 | Al Hamriya Sports Club Stadium, Al Hamriyah, United Arab Emirates | Thailand | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2025 Pink Ladies Cup |
| 14 | 2 March 2026 | Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast, Australia |  Iran | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup |