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Kwon Hyeok-kyu
South Korean footballer (born 2001) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Kwon Hyeok-kyu (Korean: 권혁규; born 13 March 2001) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Ligue 1 club Nantes and the South Korea national team.
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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 an 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]
On 25 July 2025, Kwon signed a three-year contract with Ligue 1 club Nantes.[16] Francisco Calvete, the Nantes performance manager and former Busan fitness coach, recommended him to the club as a replacement for Pedro Chirivella or Douglas Augusto.[17] On 17 August, he made his Ligue 1 debut as a starter in the club's first match against Paris Saint-Germain, which ended in a 1–0 loss.[18]
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International career
On 30 September 2024, Kwon earned his first call-up to the South Korea national team.[19] On 18 November 2025, he made his international debut in a 1–0 win to Ghana.[20]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 8 November 2025[21]
- Includes Korean FA Cup, Scottish Cup
- Includes Scottish League Cup
Honours
Gimcheon Sangmu
References
External links
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