Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC | Opposition Profile

Get to know the Asian powerhouse that are Jeonbuk Hyundai ahead of our meeting in the AFC Champions League Two Quarter Finals.

History

Jeonbuk were initially founded in 1993 and were known as the Wansan Pumas however that team went bankrupt before they could form a team in the K-League. From there, the club was known as the Chonbuk Buffalos in the Jeonbuk area and took part in the 1994 K-League season.

However, sadly that team ran into financial difficulties and had to be saved by the Hyundai Motors Group who took over ahead of the countries’ bid for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

The name of the club was the Chonbuk Dinos until 2000 when they became what they are known as today, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Lee Dong-jun of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in last year’s Champions League Quarter Final

The Korean side struggled domestically in their early years however before winning the K-League they won the 2006 AFC Champions League having claimed the Korean FA Cup in the year prior. They qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup and finished 5th overall, losing to Club America and beating Auckland City along the way.

Jeonbuk first tasted success domestically in 2009 and then followed that up with another trophy in 2011. During that season they also lost the final of the AFC Champions League on penalties against Al-Saad.

Following this loss in the Champions League, they began to dominate Korean football and won the next eight league campaigns in a row* from 2014-2021.

Jeonbuk in Champions League action last season

*The 2016 title was stripped from them for alleged bribing of match officials via a talent scout.

It was during this domination, that they also took home their second AFC Champions League title, winning the prestigious tournament in 2016.

In recent years, their domination has wained, however they have now hired former Chelsea & Tottenham Hotspur player Gus Poyet to change their fortunes and now they find themselves back in the Quarter Finals of the AFC Champions League Two.

Run So Far

In the tournament so far, Joenbuk topped their group with twelve points, winning four and losing two. Both of the matches they lost came away from home against Muangthong United from Thailand & Selangor of Malaysia.

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The Group Stage matches were played under the previous manager Kim Do-heon before Gus Poyet took over for the Round of 16 as is the timings of the Korean season.

In the Round of 16 they faced off with Thai side Port FC where they strolled to a 4-0 first leg lead and were able to rotate players for the home leg, resulting in a 5-0 victory on aggregate.

Stadium

Jeonbuk are normally based in Jeonju however for this clash, the pitch has been deemed un-playable due to the cold conditions sweeping through Korea so the game has been moved to Yongin Mireu Stadium just outside of Suwon.

Normally they play their football out of the Jeonju World Cup Stadium which was built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and is built specifically for football and holds more than 34,000 people.

Notable Names

The most recognisable name to play for Joenbuk is Sydney FC legend Alex Wilkinson who was in Korea from 2012-2015. Bernie Ibini also used to play for the club in 2019.

Former Sky Blues striker Kruno Lovrek also played for Jeonbuk for a period before his time in the Harbour City.

Current Bayern Munich central defender Kim Min Jae played for the club in 2017-2018 and Jeonbuk also have former Manchester United player Park Ji Sung as an advisor currently having previously been their technical director.

They are coached by former Chelsea & Spurs player Gus Poyet who joined the club having just been with the Greek National Team for three years before heading to South Korea.