Oh Se-hun (footballer)

Oh Se-hun (Korean오세훈; born 15 January 1999) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for J1 League club Machida Zelvia, on loan from Shimizu S-Pulse and the South Korea national team.[1]

Oh Se-hun
Oh in November 2019
Personal information
Full name Oh Se-hun
Date of birth (1999-01-15) 15 January 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth Incheon, South Korea
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Machida Zelvia
(on loan from Shimizu S-Pulse)
Number 90
Youth career
2012–2014 Hyundai Middle School (Youth)
2015–2017 Hyundai High School (Youth)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2021 Ulsan Hyundai 22 (7)
2019Asan Mugunghwa (loan) 30 (7)
2020–2021Sangju / Gimcheon Sangmu (army) 17 (4)
2022– Shimizu S-Pulse 38 (3)
2024–Machida Zelvia (loan) 0 (0)
International career
2015–2016 South Korea U17 11[α] (1)
2017–2019 South Korea U20 21 (3)
2019– South Korea U23 17[β] (5)
2024– South Korea
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  South Korea
AFC U-19 Championship
Runner-up 2018 Indonesia
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Runner-up 2019 Poland
AFC U-23 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2020 Thailand
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 7 October 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 June 2022
Oh Se-hun
Hangul
오세훈
Revised RomanizationO Sehun
McCune–ReischauerO Sehun

Club career edit

Ulsan Hyundai edit

A graduate from Hyundai High School in Seoul,[2] in 2018 he signed his first professional contract with K League 1 team Ulsan Hyundai. He was originally set to reinforce the youth squad of the Horangi in the national reserve league: however, on March 1, 2018, Ulsan's manager Kim Do-hoon caught everyone by surprise by giving Oh his senior debut at only 19 years old, as he chose him for the starting XI against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the first game of the season. He played for 56 minutes before being replaced by Júnior Negrão, and his side eventually suffered a 2–0 away loss.

After making his continental debut in the AFC Champions League in April, coming in as a substitute for Cho Young-cheol in a 2–2 away draw against Kawasaki Frontale, throughout the year Oh went on to make other two brief appearances in K League 1, coming off the bench in two consecutive matches at the start of May, against Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Pohang Steelers.

Military service edit

Approaching 2019, Oh decided to serve his compulsory military duty, so he could focus on his development as a player: as a result, he was loaned to Asan Mugunghwa, which at the time featured young players attending military service. He made his debut with the Police-owned team on March 2, 2019, playing the entirety of the 0–3 away win against Jeonnam Dragons and scoring his first senior goal in the 82nd minute. Frequently featured in the starting XI through the whole K League 2 season, he concluded the year with 30 appearances (26 of which as a starter) and seven goals.[3]

The following year, as Asan Mugunghwa was disbanded and replaced by civil team Chungnam Asan, Oh and several other players moved to the Army's main football team, Sangju Sangmu, which was set to play in the K League 1.[3] He was given the number 18 shirt and made his debut for the Sangmu on June 13, 2020, in a home match against Pohang Steelers: although his side suffered a 4–2 loss, he scored both of Sangju's goals (one of which being a penalty). He featured regularly during the whole summer, scoring another couple of goals. However, on August 15, 2020, he suffered an injury against FC Seoul and got ruled out for a month.

Some weeks before, on August 2, during an away match against Gangwon, a collision between him and Jung Ji-yong during a header attempt left the latter with a concussion, causing him a loss of consciousness for some minutes: Oh, who got booked following the impact, was visibly shocked. Nevertheless, later on in the match he was able to assist Kim Bo-seob's temporary equalizer, and the teams ended up drawing 2-2.[4] Jung fully recovered from the accident and was soon able to get on the pitch again.

Oh returned on the pitch at the end of September, but suffered another injury just one week later, as the Sangmu lost 4–1 to his home team Ulsan. This forced him to miss the last three matches of the season. Even though bad luck kneecapped his season, Oh still managed to register 13 appearances (all as a starter) and four goals, contributing to the Sangmu's highest finish ever in the top-tier league, with the club obtaining a final fourth place despite of being destined to automatic relegation since the start of 2020, due to their planned re-location.[3]

In 2021, Oh spent the last months of his military service in K League 2, as the Army's team moved to Gimcheon.[5] He was given the number 9 shirt.[6] He featured in four games, three of which as a starter, before exiting the squad as summer approached, in preparation to his return to Ulsan.

Return to Ulsan edit

Right after he completed his military service and came back to Ulsan Hyundai, manager Hong Myung-bo included him in the list of players that would travel to the centralized venue in Bangkok and take part in the group stage matches of the AFC Champions League throughout June and July 2021.[7]

Mainly used as a back-up striker for Lukas Hinterseer and Kim Ji-Hyeon, he registered his first appearance for Ulsan after almost three years on June 26, 2021, when he came on as a substitute and assisted the only goal of the match (scored by Hinterseer) against Viettel. He also started against Kaya-Iloilo on July 2, scoring a brace as his side obtained a 3–0 win.

Shimizu S-Pulse edit

On 24 February 2022, Oh joined J1 League side Shimizu S-Pulse on a permanent deal.[8][9]

Loan to Machida edit

On 5 January 2024, Oh joined newly-promoted J1 League club Machida Zelvia on loan for the rest of the 2024 season.[10][11]

International career edit

Oh represented South Korea at several youth levels.

In 2015, he was selected by head coach Choi Jin-cheul to take part in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile. Being one of the youngest members of the squad, he was used a substitute, but still managed to leave his mark in the competition: coming in for Lee Seung-woo in the injury time of the group stage match against Guinea, he scored the winner just one minute since he had got on the pitch, as he sent the ball in the top corner of the net after being assisted by You Ju-an. Oh's goal was eventually included in FIFA's Top 10 list of the tournament's best goals.[12] South Korea was eventually eliminated from the World Cup in the round of 16, following a 2–0 loss against Belgium.

In 2018, he took part both in the Toulon Tournament, where the South Korean selection was eliminated in the group stage,[13] and the AFC Under-19 Championship, where his side reached the final before losing 1–2 to eventual winners Saudi Arabia.[14]

In 2019, he was selected by head coach Chung Jung-yong to take part in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland, being the only player in South Korea's 21-men list who was serving his military duty. Except for the debut in the group stage against Portugal, Oh started every single match of his side, scoring two consecutive headers, against Argentina and Japan (in the round of 16),[2] and one penalty in South Korea's successful shoot-out against Senegal in the quarter-finals.[15][16][17] As a result, he played a considerable role in the Taeguk Warriors' road to the tournament's final, then lost to Ukraine with the score of 3–1.[18][19][2][20]

In 2020, he was selected by head coach Kim Hak-bum to be part of the squad that would participate in the AFC U-23 Championship in Thailand. Used frequently during the tournament, he scored a brace in South Korea's 2–1 win against Uzbekistan in the last game of the group stage,[21] thus getting involved in the Taeguk Warriors' first victory of the competition, as they beat Saudi Arabia after the extra-time in the final and qualified for the Olympics.[19][22][23]

Style of play edit

Oh is a center-forward, who has been mainly regarded for his finishing, his heading and his "target man" skills, as well as his physical attributes; he was considered as one of the most promising South Korean players of his generation.[3][18][19]

He has cited Kim Shin-wook as his main role model; the two had already been compared due to their similar physical structure and aerial ability.[19]

Personal life edit

Oh's mother is a former handball player.[18]

He attended the Hyundai Senior High School in Seoul, where he also met future team-mate and fellow South Korean youth international Choi Jun.[2]

Career statistics edit

As of 7 October 2023
Club performance League Cup[a] League Cup[b] Continental[c] Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
2018 Ulsan Hyundai K League 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 4 0
2021 19 7 1 0 9 3 29 10
Total 22 7 1 0 0 0 10 3 33 10
2019 Asan Mugunghwa (loan) K League 2 30 7 0 0 30 7
2020 Sangju Sangmu (army) K League 1 13 4 0 0 13 4
2021 Gimcheon Sangmu (army) K League 2 4 0 0 0 4 0
2022 Shimizu S-Pulse J1 League 13 1 1 0 2 0 16 1
2023 J2 League 25 2 1 0 4 1 30 3
Total 38 3 2 0 6 1 0 0 46 4
2024 Machida Zelvia (loan) J1 League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career total 107 21 3 0 6 1 10 3 126 25
  1. ^ Appearance(s) in the Korean FA Cup and the Emperor's Cup
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in the J.League Cup
  3. ^ Appearance(s) in the AFC Champions League

Honours edit

International edit

South Korea U19

South Korea U20

South Korea U23

Notes edit

  1. ^ Includes two appearances against non-national team.
  2. ^ Includes two appearances against another KFA team.

References edit

  1. ^ Oh Se-hun at Soccerway
  2. ^ a b c d "Oh Se-hun determined to take Korea Republic further | Football | News |". the-AFC. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  3. ^ a b c d Marcantonio, Tomas. "2020 Season Preview: Sangju Sangmu FC". K League United. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  4. ^ "[하나원큐 K리그1] R14 강원 vs 상주 하이라이트 | Gangwon vs Sangju Highlights (20.08.02)". YouTube. August 2, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  5. ^ "South Korea". Around The Football World. 2021-01-31. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  6. ^ Marcantonio, Tomas (February 9, 2021). "Gimcheon Sangmu FC have confirmed their preliminary squad numbers for 2021. The 14 new recruits will be announced later". Twitter. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  7. ^ Jung, Mu-yeol (2021-06-27). "K League in 2021 AFC Champions League Match Day 2 Preview - K LEAGUE / K리그". www.kleague.com. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  8. ^ "オ セフン選手(蔚山現代FC) 完全移籍にて加入決定のお知らせ". Shimizu S-Pulse (in Japanese). 24 February 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  9. ^ "来日未定も…蔚山現代の193cmオ・セフンが完全移籍で清水へ「先輩たちの跡を継ぐ大型ストライカーとして成長したい」". ゲキサカ (in Japanese). 24 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  10. ^ "オセフン選手 期限付き移籍加入のお知らせ". FC町田ゼルビア オフィシャルサイト (in Japanese). 5 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  11. ^ "J1昇格・町田が清水からFWオ・セフンをレンタル「チームが勝てるようにしっかり準備したい」". ゲキサカ (in Japanese). 5 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  12. ^ "TOP 10 GOALS | FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015". YouTube. February 29, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  13. ^ "Festival International Espoirs". festival-foot-espoirs.com. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  14. ^ a b "Saudi Arabia emerge champions". the-AFC. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  15. ^ FIFA.com. "FIFA U-20 World Cup 2019 - News - Korea Republic shock Argentina to seal qualification". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  16. ^ FIFA.com. "FIFA U-20 World Cup 2019 - News - Sehun heads Korea Republic into quarter-finals". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  17. ^ FIFA.com. "FIFA U-20 World Cup 2019 - News - Korea Republic complete thrilling comeback on penalties". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  18. ^ a b c Jeong, Yun-Cheol (June 15, 2019). "European football clubs eye young S. Korean players". The Dong-a Ilbo. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  19. ^ a b c d "New star Oh looks to role-model Kim as K League resumes". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  20. ^ a b "Spirited comeback earns Ukraine first U-20 title". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2019. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  21. ^ "Group C - MD3: Uzbekistan through despite defeat to Korea Republic | Football | News | AFC U23 Asian Cup 2019". the-AFC. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  22. ^ FIFA.com. "Olympic Football Tournaments 2020 - Men - News - Korea Republic and Saudi Arabia secure Tokyo 2020 qualification". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  23. ^ a b "Final: Jeong Tae-wook header seals Korea Republic title". the-AFC. Retrieved 2021-02-09.