Yang Hyun-jun (Korean: 양현준; born 25 May 2002) is a South Korean footballer who plays for Scottish Premiership club Celtic and the South Korea national team.
Club career
Yang joined Gangwon FC just after graduating from high school in 2021.[2] He was evaluated as the best K League talent by winning four Young Player of the Month awards and the Young Player of the Year award in his second professional season.[3] He attracted Koreans with his dribbling skills during the season, especially in the K League All-Star Game against Tottenham Hotspur.[4]
On 15 July 2023, Gangwon FC announced that Yang would be transferring to Scottish Premiership club Celtic.[5] On 24 July, Celtic announced that Yang had signed on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[6] Yang made his Celtic debut in a 4–2 victory over Ross County on 5 August. He also made his UEFA Champions League debut as a starter in a 2–1 defeat to Lazio on 4 October. He scored his first goal for Celtic in a 6–0 victory over Aberdeen on 12 November.
On 12 February 2025, Yang provided his first Champions League assist in a 2–1 loss to Bayern Munich.[7] On 1 March, he had come on as a 65th minute substitute against St Mirren, and was named the Player of the Match by having two goals and one assist which broke a 2–2 tie.[8][9]
International career
Yang was selected for the South Korean national team for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, playing two matches as a substitute.[10]
Career statistics
- As of 1 March 2025[10]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Gangwon FC B | 2021[11] | K4 League | 21 | 4 | — | — | — | 21 | 4 | |||
| Gangwon FC | 2021 | K League 1 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | K League 1 | 36 | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 8 | |||
| 2023 | K League 1 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 1 | |||
| Total | 66 | 13 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 71 | 13 | ||||
| Celtic | 2023–24 | Scottish Premiership | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 31 | 1 |
| 2024–25 | Scottish Premiership | 17 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6[c] | 0 | 26 | 5 | |
| Total | 41 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 57 | 6 | ||
| Career total | 128 | 18 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 149 | 19 | ||
- ^ Includes Korean FA Cup, Scottish Cup
- ^ Includes Scottish League Cup
- ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Champions League
International
- As of match played 6 February 2024[12]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 3 | 0 | |
Honours
Celtic
South Korea U23
Individual
- K League Young Player of the Month: April 2022, June 2022, July 2022, September 2022[3]
- K League All-Star: 2022[17]
- K League 1 Young Player of the Year: 2022[3]
- Korean FA Young Player of the Year: 2022[18]
References
- ^ FC, Celtic. "Hyunjun Yang". Celtic FC. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ^ 강원FC, 박상혁·양현준·김기환·김대우 '신인 계약' (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 7 January 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ a b c [GOAL LIVE] 양현준, K리그1 영플레이어상 수상…"시즌 전까지만 해도 받을 줄 몰랐다". Goal.com (in Korean). 24 October 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ [인터뷰] '토트넘전 라이징스타' 양현준 "언젠간 국대로 뛰고파". Nate.com (in Korean). Ilyo Shinmun. 28 July 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ 강원FC 양현준 셀틱 이적 '한국 축구 발전 위한 대승적 결정' (in Korean). Gangwon FC. 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ^ "Celtic sign Hyunjun Yang on five-year deal from Gangwon FC". BBC Sport. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ "Celtic vs. Bayern Munich Match Report – Wednesday February 12, 2025 (Leg 1)". FBref. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ "ST MIRREN 2 CELTIC 5: WHAM, BANG, THANK YOU, YANG". Celtic Quick News. 1 March 2025. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ^ "여친 오고 더 잘한다, 집 갈 때 꽃 사가겠다"...양현준 세인트 미렌전 2골 1도움 활약 비결은 '사랑' (in Korean). InterFootball. 2 March 2025. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ^ a b Yang Hyun-jun at Soccerway. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ [오피셜] K리그 영플레이어 양현준, 셀틱과 2027/28까지 5년 계약 (in Korean). Sportivo. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Yang Hyun-jun" (in Korean). KFA. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Celtic crowned Scottish champions with game to spare". BBC Sport. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ "Celtic v Rangers: Watch Old Firm Scottish Cup final at Hampden". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Celtic 3–3 Rangers: Line-ups". BBC Sport. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "South Korea win WAFF U-23 Championship, Saudis 3rd". Arab News. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Tottenham Hotspur 6–3 K-League XI". Tottenham Hotspur. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ KFA 시상식 개최 — 올해의 선수, 지도자, 심판상 등 수여 (in Korean). KFA. 23 December 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
External links
- Yang Hyun-jun at Celtic FC
- Yang Hyun-jun – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean)
|  | |