Ji So-yun is a priceless individual for the Chelsea Women

The international break in women’s football is coming to a close, and Chelsea resumes its mission of bringing home as much silverware as it can this weekend. The task may seem daunting—given some of the teams left on the schedule—to win the FA Cup and the league, but with several world class players and people, the difficulty becomes just a little less overwhelming. One of those players is the 31-year-old South Korean international Ji So-yun.

Ji can be one of those players that shows up on the box score for the number of goals she puts in the back of the net, but her influence goes far beyond just goals. Her impact on the game makes the Blues run like a well-oiled machine. Ji’s control, composure, unmatched vision and passing ability help the team create premium opportunities in every contest. She often leads the Chelsea counter-attack, and in order for the Blues to reach the pinnacle once again, the South Korean will have to be in the middle of all the action.

In 17 games for Chelsea this season, Ji has managed to score one goal. Meanwhile, she has netted five goals in just six games for her country, leading South Korea to second place in the Asian Cup earlier this season. Her quality in the midfield for the Blues makes them almost impossible to contain going forward. Ji has missed out on more games than Emma Hayes would have liked, including the club’s last league match against Reading, due to an undisclosed circumstance.

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Ji So-yun has become an invaluable asset to the Chelsea Women in recent years

Bethany England and Samantha Kerr have found ways to supplement some of what Ji does on the pitch, and grind out results with the pressure piling up as the team goes for its third straight league title. The South Korean has not been given the opportunity to display her finishing abilities in 2022 for her club, but the world knows she always has that in her arsenal. Her size of 5-foot-3 (1.60 m) provides her with the capacity to dribble in tight spaces and whip in through balls between the defense before the back line can even find a mark. Even though Ji has been off the pitch in many contests, her presence makes Chelsea a more fundamentally sound team.

Since coming over from the Nadeshiko League in Japan in 2014, Ji has become one of the most talented footballers in the world. She has won 10 trophies since heading west to London in 2014, including five league titles. Before her arrival, the Blues had never finished higher than sixth in the FA Women’s Super League. In the year Ji came to west London, Chelsea sky-rocketed to second in the league and won its first ever FA Cup. Ji scored the winning goal in that match against Notts County. In her first three seasons in England, Ji led the Blues in goals each year, and topped the assist chart during her debut campaign.

Ji currently ranks third all-time in Chelsea appearances, behind only Millie Bright and Jamaican midfielder Drew Spence. The South Korean sits second in assists all-time at the club and fourth for most goals, only behind three English internationals. She came over from Japan as one of the world’s best, but she has elevated her game to new heights ever since Hayes was able to lure bring her to the English capital. Ji was essentially the catalyst to get the Hayes train moving in the right direction after two years of slow and steady improvement. She kickstarted the success and without her coming to Kingsmeadow eight years ago, who knows where the club would be.

Ji is also all-time goal scoring leader in South Korean history (both the men’s and women’s) with 61 goals in her illustrious international career. She has won the South Korean Women’s Footballer of the Year award six times and counting. Mason Mount and Hayes are just a few people who have publicly raved about Ji’s brilliance on the pitch. Despite being as prolific as she is in the game of football, she continues to get overlooked time and time again. Ji is the individual that started all the success for the Chelsea Women. At the age of 31, she will continue to be that spark for the Blues as they pursue new heights in not just England, but Europe as well, in the years to come.

What do you make of Ji’s time at Chelsea thus far? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!