Ri Il-song (Korean: 리일성; born 14 January 2004) is a North Korean footballer who plays as a forward.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (2004-01-14) 14 January 2004 (age 18) | ||
| Place of birth | Ŭndŏk County, North Korea[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Team | |||
| April 25 | |||
| National team‡ | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019 | North Korea U16 | 3 | (5) |
| ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17:04, 1 February 2022 (UTC) | |||
| Ri Il-song | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | |
|---|---|
Ri first rose to prominence after scoring two goals for the April 25 under-15 team in a 3–1 win over the South Korean Gangwon-do representative team.[2]
A fast-paced winger, he made his first mark on the international stage at qualification for the 2020 AFC U-16 Championship, scoring five goals in only three appearances, including a hat-trick in a resounding 16–0 win over Guam.[3][4]
Before the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in North Korea, Ri had planned to move abroad to Spain to pursue a career in professional football. However, by the time English newspaper The Guardian had named him as one of the 60 best young players in the world in October 2021, Ri had not played football at all in over a year.[4][5]