Jang Hyun-soo

Jang Hyun-soo (; ; born 28 September 1991) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Qatar Stars League club Al-Gharafa.

Club career FC Tokyo During the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship, where South Korea defeated Japan 3–2, Jang was noted for his aerial ability and passing skills in the defensive line by J.League clubs. He joined J1 League's FC Tokyo prior to the 2012 season after dropping out of Yonsei University at the end of the second grade. On 6 April 2012, he made his professional debut in a 1–0 win over Kawasaki Frontale. In his first season, he was not accustomed to maintaining a high defensive line, playing as a right-back occasionally. In 2013, he became Tokyo's main centre-back, and showed a gradual improvement in his field of view.

Guangzhou R&F On 5 February 2014, Jang transferred to Chinese Super League side Guangzhou R&F. That year, he helped R&F qualify for the AFC Champions League for the first time in their history. On 17 March 2015, he was sent off for pushing the referee with his stomach without repressing his anger in a 1–0 Champions League loss to Seongnam FC. During the first half of the 2017 season, he lost his place at the club due to the removal of the CSL's Asian player quota.

Return to FC Tokyo On 12 July 2017, Jang returned to FC Tokyo. He captained Tokyo during the 2018 season. During the 2019 season, he was suspended for two league matches after hitting Riki Harakawa's face with his elbow in a J.League Cup match against Sagan Tosu, but the team retained the top spot at the league under his contribution until he moved to Al-Hilal in the summer.

Al-Hilal On 12 July 2019, Jang signed for Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal on a three-year contract. He played all minutes for Al-Hilal in the 2019 AFC Champions League knockout stage until the final, where they defeated Urawa Red Diamonds 3–0 on aggregate. He also won his first professional league title in the 2019–20 season. On 28 November 2020, he scored the opener in a 2–1 King's Cup final win over Al-Nassr, leading the club to win a continental treble.

On 23 November 2021, Jang led Al-Hilal to keep a clean sheet in the 2–0 Champions League final win over Pohang Steelers, achieving his second continental title. South Korean journalists reported that he was the leader of Al-Hilal's defense and his existence suppressed Pohang's attack.

After contributing to Al-Hilal's third consecutive league title in the 2021–22 season, Jang planned to play for K League 1 club Ulsan Hyundai the next season, but Al-Hilal invoked an option to extend their contract with him for one more year. In January 2023, he was selected for the Riyadh all-star team, and played a friendly against Paris Saint-Germain. He scored a goal before the match ended in a 5–4 loss. In February, he played all three matches until the final for Al-Hilal at the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup, where the team defeated Wydad Casablanca and Flamengo. In the final against Real Madrid, he and the team's defenders conceded five goals, while forwards scored three goals. On 5 June, he was diagnosed with a tumor in his lymph node. Al-Hilal decided not to renew the contract with him, but supported his medical expenses. He was replaced by Kalidou Koulibaly, who transferred from Premier League club Chelsea.

Al-Gharafa On 23 November 2023, Jang joined Qatar Stars League club Al-Gharafa. Al-Gharafa extended his contract for a further three years on 3 July 2024 after qualifying for the AFC Champions League Elite as the league's third-place team. He played only six league matches in the 2024–25 season due to a hamstring injury in January 2025, and came back to the field at the beginning of 2025–26 season. He suffered a shock 7–0 defeat to Al-Ittihad at the Champions League Elite on 10 February 2026, but contributed to the club's second successive Amir of Qatar Cup title.

International career At youth level, Jang captained South Korea at the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship and the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup under manager Lee Kwang-jong. He was also appointed captain by Lee at the 2014 Asian Games, where he led the team to win all seven matches without conceding a goal until the 1–0 final win over North Korea.

Jang played as a key defender for South Korea under managers Uli Stielike, Shin Tae-yong and Paulo Bento. He played only the first two matches at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, but attracted Stielike's attention after leading the team to win the 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup. He played the most minutes in the South Korea squad in 2016. However, his performances as a right-back received low evaluations from journalists.

Jang was selected as an overage player and captain for the South Korea under-23 team for the 2016 Summer Olympics. In South Korea, Olympic medalists are exempted from mandatory military service, and the competition is considered a chance for athletes to change their fates. Jang was already exempted from military service by winning a gold medal at the Asian Games, but was exceptionally called up to the Olympic team as one of three overage players by manager Shin Tae-yong. Shin, who had watched Jang's leadership and versatility at the Olympics, used him as a main player like his predecessor after succeeding Stielike as senior team manager the next year. Despite the manager's trust, Jang was criticised for increasing his number of errors by fans and media.

The criticisms towards Jang were continued at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In a 1–0 loss to Sweden, teammate Park Joo-ho injured his hamstring while attempting to receive Jang's inaccurate pass, and Jang's another inaccurate pass became the starting point of opponents' penalty goal. During a 2–1 loss to Mexico, Jang was involved in both of the opponents' goals. He conceded a penalty for handball after he tried a sliding tackle with he stretching his arm. He also tried a hasty sliding tackle in front of goal against second scorer Javier Hernández, who easily dodged after watching it. Prior to the last group stage match against Germany, Jang requested Shin to exclude him from the line-up, but Shin persuaded him to leave the team together after playing only the last match. He was deployed as a defensive midfielder instead of injured Ki Sung-yueng in the match against Germany unlike in the previous two matches, where he played as a centre-back. He showed improvement without making a big mistake while helping South Korea defeat Germany 2–0.

After the 2018 World Cup, Jang continued to play for South Korea under new manager Paulo Bento. On 23 October 2018, he was caught falsifying records of his volunteer work related to alternative service, which he had to do in exchange for receiving military exemption. On 1 November, the Korea Football Association gave him a lifetime ban from representing the national team and fined him $26,800. However, the KFA started to support players' volunteer activities after recognising the problem of lack of volunteer opportunities at the time, and judoka An Ba-ul served only a six-month suspension for the same case before participating at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours Al-Hilal EAFF Championship Best Defender: 2017