New Pohang midfielder Ki Sung-yueng hoping to go out in style in likely final season

Ki Sung-yueng of Pohang Steelers smiles during his introductory press conference at the team's clubhouse in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, Friday. Yonhap

A day after switching clubs for the first time in his K League 1 career, new Pohang Steelers midfielder Ki Sung-yueng said Friday he will try to go out in style in what will likely be his final season.

Ki held his introductory press conference as the newest member of Pohang. He was let go by FC Seoul, the only club he'd played for in South Korea for a decade, last week after he'd asked to be moved to a team where he could play more.

Ki, 36, had fallen out of head coach Kim Gi-dong's favor after Kim's arrival ahead of the 2024 season. For this year, Ki had only appeared in eight of FC Seoul's first 20 matches before the club announced they had cut ties with him.

Ki was with FC Seoul from 2006 to 2009, before embarking on an 11-year career in Europe. He rejoined FC Seoul in 2020 and then left the club after 218 matches for them in all competitions.

Ki said he is already feeling right at home in Pohang, located some 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

"I've only been here for a couple of days, but I've already been welcomed by the people of Pohang," Ki said. "When I went out to eat yesterday, people asked me for autographs. I don't have any roots in this city and I am thankful for this kind of reception. It's going to really help me play well here, and I want to live up to our fans' expectations."

Ki is signed through the end of this season and he said he may not be around beyond that. He admitted he made up his mind during last winter that this would be his final season and he hoped to finish his career by winning the league title with FC Seoul.

Ki said he contemplated quitting during this season after realizing he wasn't going to be playing much, if at all, for FC Seoul, but he decided to give one last push for his family.

"My daughter once asked me why I wasn't playing, and I told her it was because I was too old and the team had good young players," Ki said. "But then she didn't want to accept that. I wanted her to watch her daddy play again."

Ki recalled that he was forced to retire from international play in 2019 due to injury and said he didn't want to go out in similar fashion to wrap up his club career.

"If I had to deal with the same fate this time, I thought I would have regrets for the rest of my life," Ki added. "That's why I decided to keep on playing and finish my career in style."

Ki left the door open to the possibility that he could return to play in 2026, depending on how the rest of this season goes — but not by much.

"For now, I think this will be my final season," Ki said. "I can't predict what's going to happen later this season. If anything changes, I may think about changing my mind. But it's more likely that I will retire after this season."

With 17 matches left this season for Pohang, who are currently in fourth place with 32 points, Ki said he will cherish every moment on the pitch.

"I am just grateful for a chance to play. Every minute and every second will be really precious," Ki said. "If I could play just for one more minute with FC Seoul, I wouldn't have left. And now that I've been given an opportunity here, I want to reward the club and the coaching staff for their trust in me. My biggest objective now is to help Pohang finish the season on a strong note."

Coach Kim was booed heavily by FC Seoul supporters at home during the team's 4-1 win over Pohang on Sunday, with many of them holding up signs calling for Kim's dismissal for not treating Ki, widely considered one of the greatest players in FC Seoul history, with proper respect.

Ki said leaving FC Seoul was never easy and apologized to the team's fans for not winning a title during his time there.

"I think the best way for me to give back to FC Seoul fans is to play as well as I can on the new team," Ki said. "And if FC Seoul also play well, then I think it will make their fans happy and help them move on."

The K League is on a brief break during the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship, which South Korea will host from Monday to July 16. Pohang's next match will be at home on July 19 against the league-leading Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Jeonbuk's head coach is Gus Poyet, who coached Ki at Sunderland.

"It will be a special match for me personally, with coach Poyet now with Jeonbuk," Ki said. "I know we are short on midfielders now. I am not going to force the issue but I will try my best to be ready for that match."