Ri Jo-guk
_(cropped)_Ri_Jo-guk.jpg) Ri in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ri Jo-guk | ||
| Date of birth | 9 May 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Pyongyang, North Korea | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Pyongyang Sports Club | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022– | Ryomyong SC | ||
| International career | |||
| 2023 | North Korea U23 | 5 | (1) |
| 2024– | North Korea | 11 | (4) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 March 2025 | |||
Ri Jo-guk (Korean: 리조국; born 9 May 2002) is a North Korean professional footballer who plays as a striker for DPR Korea Premier Football League club Ryomyong SC and the North Korea national team.
Club career
[edit]Ri began his youth career at Pyongyang sport school.[2][3]
After his graduation, he joined Ryomyong SC. In 2024, he received his first trophy after Ryomyong SC won the DPR Korea Premier Football League.[4]
International career
[edit]Under-23
[edit]Ri received his international call-up in 2023 to North Korea U23 for the 2022 Asian Games. He made his international debut against Chinese Taipei U23 in a 2–0 win, he also scored his first international goal after 12 minutes in the match.[5][6] North Korea went through the group stage and defeated Bahrain U23 2–0 in the round of 16. However, in the quarter-finals, they faced Japan U23 and lost 2–1.[7]
Senior
[edit]In 2024, he was named in North Korea's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification by coach Sin Yong-nam.[8] On 21 March, he made his debut against Japan in a 1-0 loss.[9] In the qualification 2nd round, he scored his first goal and also his first hattrick for the national team in a match against Myanmar to secure the 4-1 win, which helped the team qualify to the qualification 3rd round.[10][11]
International goals
[edit]| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 11 June 2024 | New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane, Laos |  Myanmar |
2–0 | 4–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2. | 3–0 | |||||
| 3. | 4–1 | |||||
| 4. | 5 June 2025 | Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |  Kyrgyzstan |
2–0 | 2–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
[edit]Ryomyong SC
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Jo-Guk Ri". Soccerway. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ^ "북한 축구의 기둥선수를 배출하는 평양국제축구학교".
- ^ "[아시안게임] 북한 남자축구 2연승 이끈 투톱 키운 평양국제축구학교". 한국경제 (in Korean). 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ^ "DPRK Premier Football League Finished". KCNA Watch. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ^ "빗장 푼 북한 축구 '닥공' 꺼냈다...AG 대만과 1차전 전반 2-0 리드 (전반 종료)". 네이트 스포츠 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ^ 뉴시스 (2023-09-19). "첫 골 넣은 북한 리조국". 뉴시스 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ^ "Irate North Korea players attack Asian Games ref after quarter-final loss". South China Morning Post. 2023-10-02. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ "North Korea Asia World Cup Qualifiers 2026 Squad". football-lineups.com. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ^ "Japan earn scrappy win over North Korea in World Cup qualifier". France 24. 2024-03-21. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ^ "North Korea trounces Myanmar to move to next round of men's World Cup qualifiers". NK News. 2024-06-12. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ^ "'리조국 해트트릭' 北, 미얀마 꺾고 WC 최종예선 막차 탔다...'남북대결' 성사 여부 주목". 네이트 스포츠 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-03-25.
External links
[edit]- Ri Jo-guk at Soccerway
- Ri, Jo-Guk at National-Football-Teams.com