Stanislav Iljutcenko to captain FC Seoul this season

Football

Published: 16 Feb. 2023, 16:44

Stanislav Iljutcenko to captain FC Seoul this season

A photo of FC Seoul's captain and four vice captains uploaded on the club's offical Instagram account on Tuesday. From left: vice captain Kim Ju-sung, vice captain Han Chan-hee, captain Stanislav Iljutcenko, vice captain Lim Sang-hyub, vice captain Kim Jin-ya. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Stanislav Iljutcenko has been appointed as captain of FC Seoul for the upcoming 2023 K League 1 season, following in the footsteps of club legend Osmar Ilbanez as the second foreign skipper in the club's history.

FC Seoul announced through their official Instagram account on Tuesday that Iljutcenko will lead the Seoul side as captain in the upcoming 2023 K League season.

The 32-year-old Russian-German striker joined FC Seoul in July last year after playing two and a half seasons in the K League 1 with two different clubs: The Pohang Steelers from 2019 to 2020 and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors from 2021 to 2022.

He originally started his career in 2011 in Germany with Westfalia Rhynern.

Iljutcenko moved around multiple clubs in Germany, but never played in the Bundesliga as all of his former teams failed to make it to the top-tier league.

His first season with FC Seoul last year proved to be decent, recording nine goals and one assist in 33 league games.

FC Seoul also nominated Kim Jin-ya, Lim Sang-hyub, Han Chan-hee and Kim Ju-sung as vice captains and thanked former captain Na Sang-ho for his efforts.

The 2023 K League season kicks off next Saturday. FC Seoul will play their first match against Incheon United FC at their home stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul on opening day.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]