Hwang Hee-chan (; born 26 January 1996) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the South Korea national team.
Hwang is nicknamed "Hwangso" (), the Korean word for bull, in South Korea due to his aggressive playing style and surname.
Hwang Hee-chan was born in Chuncheon, but his family moved to Bucheon right after his birth. They lived there until he was eleven years old.
Hwang started to play football at . In 2008, he scored the most goals in both Hwarangdaegi Tournament and Dongwon Youth Cup, which were South Korean national youth competitions. His strong performance continued in the South Korean national under-12 team. Hwang scored 22 goals in the Kanga Cup, setting a new record of the tournament. With outstanding performances in these competitions, he was awarded the grand prize of the Cha Bum-kun Football Award, given to the best youth footballers in South Korea.
After graduating from Singok Elementary School, he entered and started to play in Pohang Steelers under-15 team, the school's affiliated football club. In 2011, his team won the middle school division of the Korean National School League, hosted by Korea Football Association, and Hwang received the MVP award of the competition.
Subsequently, he joined and Pohang Steelers under-18 team. In the 2013 K League Junior, contested between youth teams of K League clubs, he scored 12 goals in 12 games for his team, helping his high school to win the league. Afterwards, in the high school division of the National School League, he once again led Pohang to the title, becoming the MVP in addition to the top scorer.
In December 2014, Pohang Steelers intended to sign forward Hwang Hee-chan as a homegrown player, but he opted to sign with Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg. On 3 November 2016, Hwang came off the bench and scored a brace in a Europa League match for Salzburg against Ligue 1 side Nice, contributing to his team's first Europa win of the campaign. He failed to score in his first Austrian Bundesliga season.
During the 2017âÂÂ18 season Salzburg had their best ever European campaign. They finished top of their UEFA Europa League group for a record fourth time before beating Real Sociedad and Borussia Dortmund, thus making their first-ever appearance in the competition's quarter-finals. On 12 April, Hwang scored a goal against Lazio, leading a 4âÂÂ1 victory to proceed to the semi-finals. On 3 May 2018, Hwang played in the second away match of the semi-final, when Salzburg defeated Marseille by 1âÂÂ2 but lost on aggregate 3âÂÂ2. On 31 August 2018, Hwang joined Hamburger SV on a loan deal until the end of the 2018âÂÂ19 season.
During the 2019âÂÂ20 season, Hwang drew plaudits alongside Salzburg's attacking players Erling Haaland and Takumi Minamino. The trio were particularly praised for their exploits in the Champions League, where Hwang was involved in eight goals by recording three goals and three assists, and winning two penalty kicks. His playing style was described as energetic with accurate passing and an eye for dribbling. In all competitions, Hwang had a remarkable season, scoring 16 goals and providing 22 assists in 40 appearances.
On 8 July 2020, Hwang signed for RB Leipzig on a five-year contract. On 12 September, he scored a goal and created an assist against Nürnberg in the first round of the 2020âÂÂ21 DFB-Pokal, where he made his debut. He helped Leipzig to reach the 2021 DFB-Pokal Final by scoring against VfL Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen, though he was a substitute. However, he failed to score in his first German Bundesliga season.
On 29 August 2021, Hwang joined Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers on a season long loan. On 11 September, Hwang scored Wolves' second goal away to Watford on his debut as a second-half substitute in a 2âÂÂ0 win. He then got his first goals at Molineux on 2 October, as he scored both goals in Wolves' 2âÂÂ1 win against Newcastle United, both strikes coming from similarly tight angles. On 26 January 2022, the club announced that they had activated a clause in his loan deal that would see him join the club on a permanent deal on 1 July 2022, upon the expiration of his loan, signing a contract until 2026. He scored five goals in his debut campaign in the Premier League.
Hwang scored his first FA Cup goal away to Liverpool in the third round of the competition on 7 January 2023, his strike tying the game at 2âÂÂ2. Wolves then had a third goal disallowed in controversial circumstances, the game ultimately finishing all square. On 30 September, Hwang scored the decisive goal against Manchester City to win the match 2âÂÂ1 at home to give the 2022âÂÂ23 Premier League champions their first loss in the 2023âÂÂ24 season. On 28 October, Hwang scored Wolves's second goal in a 2âÂÂ2 home draw with Newcastle United, meaning he became the first Wolves player since Derek Dougan, fifty years previously, to score six goals in the first ten games of a top-flight season. On 21 December 2023, Hwang signed a new long-term contract with Wolves, keeping him at the club until 2028 with an option for a further year. On 27 December, he scored a brace in a 4âÂÂ1 away win over Brentford, becoming the third Wolves player to score at least 10 Premier League goals in one season, following Raúl Jiménez and Steven Fletcher.
In July 2024, during a friendly match with Como 1907, Hwang reportedly heard a racist remark towards him from Como. Como later reported that the remark was calling Hwang "Jackie Chan", who is a Chinese actor that commonly features in Asian stereotypes. Hwang's teammate Daniel Podence reportedly threw a punch in defence of Hwang, which led to Podence receiving a red card. Hwang's team issued a statement of support for him, and filed a complaint to the UEFA. Como 1907 defended the remark and claimed it was not racist.
In the 2012 AFC U-16 Championship, South Korea was eliminated in the quarter-finals, but Hwang became the top scorer of the tournament with five goals including a hat-trick against North Korea.
Hwang participated in the 2016 Summer Olympics and scored a goal in a group match against Germany, which finished in a 3âÂÂ3 draw.
In a friendly on 28 March 2018, Hwang scored South Korea's second goal against Poland, with the match ending in a 2âÂÂ3 loss.
Hwang represented South Korea in the under-23 team at the 2018 Asian Games where he scored the second and winning goal for South Korea in the 2âÂÂ1 final against Japan, a goal assisted by Son Heung-min. The tournament win guaranteed Hwang and his teammates exemption from mandatory military service.
In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Hwang started in South Korea's first two matches against Sweden and Mexico. He was criticised for not converting a scoring chance against Sweden. He was substituted in for Koo Ja-cheol in the 2âÂÂ0 victory against Germany, but was brought off after only 20 minutes for Go Yo-han. After the tournament, manager Shin Tae-yong expressed remorse for taking off Hwang and explained that it was a tactical decision as Hwang was struggling to help the team on defence.
In the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Hwang scored the winning goal in stoppage time against Portugal to secure a 2âÂÂ1 win, which helped South Korea advance to the Round of 16, where they were eliminated by Brazil following a 4âÂÂ1 defeat on 5 December.
Hwang was called up for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, but suffered a hip injury just before the competition. He could not participate in South Korea's first two matches, and played as a substitute in the last group stage match and round of 16. In a 2âÂÂ1 quarter-final win over Australia, he scored a penalty equaliser and won a crucial free-kick, which was followed by Son Heung-min's winning goal. He came back to the club after a 2âÂÂ0 semi-final loss to Jordan.
Red Bull Salzburg
RB Leipzig
South Korea U23
Individual