Kwon Hyeok-kyu

Kwon Hyeok-kyu
Kwon training with Celtic in 2024
Personal information
Date of birth (2001-03-13) 13 March 2001 (age 24)
Place of birth Busan, South Korea
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
Nantes
Number 16
Youth career
2010–2019 Busan IPark
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2023 Busan IPark 43 (3)
2021–2022Gimcheon Sangmu (draft) 33 (0)
2023–2025 Celtic 0 (0)
2024St Mirren (loan) 8 (0)
2024–2025Hibernian (loan) 21 (0)
2025– Nantes 0 (0)
International career
2015 South Korea U14 4 (0)
2016–2018 South Korea U17 14 (2)
2019 South Korea U20 7 (3)
2021– South Korea U23 14 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 July 2025
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 November 2023 (UTC)
Kwon Hyeok-kyu
Hangul
권혁규
Hanja
權赫圭
Revised RomanizationGwon Hyeokgyu
McCune–ReischauerKwŏn Hyŏkkyu

Kwon Hyeok-kyu (Korean권혁규; born 13 March 2001) is a South Korean footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Nantes.

Club career

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Kwon started playing football at under-12 team of K League club Busan IPark in 2010, playing for Busan's youth teams for 10 years.[1] On 16 July 2019, Kwon was promoted to Busan's senior team.[2] On 14 September, he made his professional debut as a starting central midfielder in a K League 2 match against Jeonnam Dragons.[3] Busan was promoted to the K League 1 at the end of the season, and so he became a first division player the next season.

In April 2021, Kwon was enlisted in military team Gimcheon Sangmu, performing his mandatory military service for one and a half years.[4] He won the K League 2 title as he played as a defensive midfielder for Sangmu that year.[5] On 7 September 2022, he returned to Busan by being discharged from the military service.[6]

Kwon received an offer from Scottish Premiership club Celtic in December 2022,[7] and their deal was done in July 2023. On 24 July, Celtic announced that he had signed on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[8] He said his ambition to become Celtic's best player and advance to the Bundesliga or the Premier League in an interview with Busan Ilbo before the transfer.[9][10] His interview embarrassed Celtic supporters, but there was also a positive view that he was a honest player who set a clear goal.[11]

Kwon had failed to make his debut at Celtic and was loaned to St Mirren from January to May 2024 and Hibernian in the 2024–25 season.[12][13] At the two Scottish clubs, he made 29 Premiership appearances, but had a hard time with two injuries.[14][15]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of 16 February 2025.[16]
Club Season League National Cup[a] League Cup[b] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Busan IPark 2019 K League 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2020 K League 1 16 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 17 1
2022 K League 2 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
2023 20 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 2
Total 43 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 46 3
Gimcheon Sangmu (draft) 2021 K League 2 14 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 15 0
2022 K League 1 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 0
Total 33 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 34 0
St Mirren (loan) 2023–24 Scottish Premiership 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 9 0
Hibernian (loan) 2024–25 21 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 22 0
Career total 105 3 6 0 0 0 0 0 111 3
Notes

Honours

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Gimcheon Sangmu

References

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  1. ^ 유스부터 10년을 기다린 권혁규 “150번은 돌려봤을걸요?” [데뷔GOAL] (in Korean). Goal. 14 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  2. ^ [INTERVIEW] 부산의 미래 권혁규, “꿈을 펼칠 시간이 왔다” (in Korean). Busan IPark. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  3. ^ [Inter뷰] 'K리그2 최초 고3 선수' 부산 권혁규, "롤모델은 박종우, 월급은 적금". Nate (in Korean). InterFootball. 17 September 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  4. ^ 조규성·정승현 ‘3월 입대’한다, K리거 14인 상무 최종합격 (in Korean). Best Eleven. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  5. ^ 김천상무, 두 경기 남기고 K리그2 우승·K리그1 승격 확정!. Nate (in Korean). Xportsnews. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  6. ^ [부산] “전역을 명받았습니다!” 부산아이파크 미드필더 권혁규 군 전역 복귀 (in Korean). K League. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  7. ^ '부산의 젊은 MF' 권혁규, '스코틀랜드 명문' 셀틱에서 '러브콜' (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. 29 December 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  8. ^ "Hyeokkyu Kwon joins Celtic's South Korean contingent as he signs five-year deal". Celtic F.C. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  9. ^ 부산아이파크 권혁규, 셀틱 간다… "독하게 마음먹고 도전". Naver (in Korean). Busan Ilbo. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2025. 이어 "셀틱에서 가장 잘하는 선수가 돼 독일 분데스리가나 잉글랜드 프리미어리그(EPL) 등 더 높은 곳으로 가도록 하겠다"는 포부도 밝혔다.
  10. ^ "Celtic's new 'Korean Rodri' admits to using club as stepping stone as he vows to be their "best player"". Squawka. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Why Celtic should look at Kwon Hyeok-kyu's bold comments positively". The Celtic Way. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Kwon Hyeok-kyu: St Mirren sign Celtic midfielder on loan". BBC Sport. 12 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  13. ^ "Celtic's Kwon joins Hibs on season-long loan". BBC Sport. 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  14. ^ "On-loan Kwon's season ended by injury". BBC Sport. 28 April 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  15. ^ "Hibs boss reveals injured duo will miss Dundee clash". Hibs Observer. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  16. ^ Kwon Hyeok-kyu at Soccerway. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
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