Lee Dong-gook
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Lee Dong-gook (Hangul: 이동국), Korean pronunciation: [i.doŋ.ɡuk̚]; born 29 April 1979) is a South Korean football striker who currently plays for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. He is a record scorer in the K League 1, and had brief spells in Europe with Werder Bremen and Middlesbrough.
Lee has earned 105 international caps for South Korea since 1998, scoring 33 goals. He has played at two FIFA World Cups, two CONCACAF Gold Cups, two AFC Asian Cups and the 2000 Olympics.
Contents
1 Club career
1.1 Early career
1.2 Middlesbrough
1.3 Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
1.4 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
2 International career
3 Career statistics
3.1 Club
3.2 International
4 Honours
4.1 Club
4.2 International
4.3 Individual
5 Personal life
6 Filmography
6.1 Variety show
6.2 Awards and nominations
7 References
8 External links
Club career
Early career
Lee started playing football for Pohang Steelers, where due to his outstanding performance in his first season, he managed to make his debut for the South Korean national team. He was then sent on loan to Werder Bremen of Germany's Bundesliga. During six months at Werder Bremen in 2001, Lee's playing time was limited to seven appearance.
In July 2002, Lee left the Steelers to perform his military service, joining the military team Gwangju Sangmu Bulsajo. He spent two seasons there. His career recovered after he returned to Pohang in 2004.
In April 2006, Lee tore the cruciate ligaments in his knee while playing in a K-League match for the Pohang Steelers that forced him out for six months, and was unable to play in the World Cup.[1]
Middlesbrough
In January 2007, after being granted a work permit, Lee signed for English Premier League club Middlesbrough on an 18-month contract.[2] He made his debut on 24 February, coming on as an 85th minute substitute for Yakubu in the 2–1 win against Reading.[3] He scored his first goal on 29 August 2007 in a League Cup match against Northampton Town,[4] and his second in the FA Cup against Mansfield Town on 26 January 2008.[5] His contract expired at the end of the 2008 Premier League season and Middlesbrough decided not to extend his contract. He received offers from clubs in Japan and Germany.[6]
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
Lee signed a contract with Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in 2008. However, he was unsuccessful, and was linked another move to several K-League and J. League clubs.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Lee was transferred to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the 2009 transfer window. He scored a brace in his debut for Jeonbuk on 15 March 2009 against Daegu FC. Lee completed his second senior hat-trick on 2 May 2009 against Jeju United. On 4 July, he scored his second hat-trick of the season against Gwangju Sangmu Phoenix. He eventually became the K-League Top Scorer in 2009 K-League, scoring 20 goals in 27 league matches. He also scored one goal in the second leg of final in K-League Championship, and Jeonbuk beat Seongnam Ilhwa by 3–1 to win the first league trophy in their history.
Lee became the K-League's all-time leading scorer with 117 goals when he got two goals in the 2012 season opener against Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma on 3 March 2012.[7]
International career
Lee Dong-gook participated in the AFC U-19 Championship in 1998. He played with Kim Eun-jung as two top and led South Korea to win the title. Also, Lee was the top scorer and MVP of the competition.[8]
Lee was a member of the South Korea national football team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He also took part in the 2000 AFC Asian Cup and finished top scorer with six goals.
In 2002, Lee was not chosen by Guus Hiddink to represent South Korea in 2002 World Cup. Fans called him "Lazy Genius," because they felt that he did not fully use his potential.
This is also because Hiddink emphasized strong stamina, great power, and agile speed, which are the categories that Lee struggles in, except power.[9][10] He later admitted that he spent his days drinking and did not watch a single game that took place during the 2002 World Cup.[11]
Lee was coach Dick Advocaat's first-choice selection at forward for Korea ahead of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but a knee injury suffered in a K-League match forced him to miss the tournament.[1]
On 1 November 2007, Lee was banned from the national team for twelve months after it was revealed that he, along with team captain Lee Woon-Jae, teammates Kim Sang-Sik and Woo Sung-Yong, went on a late night drinking spree with several female employees during the Asian Cup, in which Korea received third place.[12]
Unlike the other members who were involved in this incident, because Lee played for Middlesbrough in England, the KFA could not ban him from his club team matches.[13]
Lee was listed onto the South Korea national football team line up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He came on as a substitute in a game against Uruguay and nearly scored a goal but his shot lacked the power to clear the line. He played in qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup but was not listed on the final team for the tournament. After the World Cup he was recalled back to the team for a friendly match against Venezuela, where he scored a brace in a 3–1 victory, the national team's first win in nearly six months.
In August 2017, Lee was called up for the 2018 World Cup Qualifier games against Iran and Uzbekistan, being one of the oldest players on the squad.
Career statistics
Club
- As of 2 December 2018.
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Pohang Steelers | 1998 | K League | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 24 | 11 | ||
| 1999 | K League | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 8 | |||
| 2000 | K League | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 8 | 4 | ||
| 2001 | K League | 17 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 19 | 4 | |||
| 2002 | K League | 21 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 25 | 10 | ||
| 2005 | K League | 17 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 4 | — | 27 | 7 | ||
| 2006 | K League | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 7 | ||
| Total | 102 | 38 | 9 | 4 | 21 | 9 | 132 | 51 | ||||
Werder Bremen (loan) | 2000–01 | Bundesliga | 7 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
Gwangju Sangmu (army) | 2003 | K League | 27 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 27 | 11 | |
| 2004 | K League | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | — | 25 | 4 | ||
| 2005 | K League | — | — | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 46 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | — | 53 | 15 | |||
| Middlesbrough | 2006–07 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 14 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 18 | 2 | ||
| Total | 23 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 29 | 2 | |||
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 2008 | K League | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 13 | 2 | |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2009 | K League | 29 | 21 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | 36 | 26 | |
| 2010 | K League | 28 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 40 | 17 | |
| 2011 | K League | 29 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 38 | 25 | |
| 2012 | K League | 40 | 26 | 2 | 2 | — | 6 | 4 | 48 | 32 | ||
| 2013 | K League 1 | 30 | 13 | 2 | 2 | — | 8 | 3 | 40 | 18 | ||
| 2014 | K League 1 | 31 | 13 | 2 | 0 | — | 7 | 3 | 40 | 16 | ||
| 2015 | K League 1 | 33 | 13 | 1 | 1 | — | 7 | 4 | 41 | 18 | ||
| 2016 | K League 1 | 27 | 12 | 0 | 0 | — | 14[a] | 5 | 41 | 17 | ||
| 2017 | K League 1 | 30 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 10 | |||
| 2018 | K League 1 | 35 | 13 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 4 | 45 | 17 | ||
| Total | 312 | 149 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 66 | 36 | 400 | 196 | ||
| Career total | 500 | 201 | 32 | 14 | 36 | 15 | 66 | 36 | 634 | 266 | ||
^ Includes one appearance in FIFA Club World Cup
International
As of 18 November 2018.[14]
Korea Republic national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1998 | 8 | 0 |
| 1999 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | 10 | 8 |
| 2001 | 6 | 1 |
| 2002 | 4 | 0 |
| 2003 | 1 | 0 |
| 2004 | 10 | 8 |
| 2005 | 15 | 4 |
| 2006 | 9 | 1 |
| 2007 | 7 | 0 |
| 2008 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 4 | 0 |
| 2010 | 10 | 3 |
| 2011 | 2 | 0 |
| 2012 | 8 | 5 |
| 2013 | 5 | 0 |
| 2014 | 4 | 3 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 105 | 33 |
- Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first.
| Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 February 2000 | Los Angeles |  Costa Rica | 1 goal | 2–2 | 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 7 October 2000 | Dubai |  Australia | 1 goal | 4–2 | 2000 LG Cup |
| 19 October 2000 | Tripoli |  Indonesia | 3 goals | 3–0 | 2000 AFC Asian Cup |
| 23 October 2000 | Tripoli |  Iran | 1 goal | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | 2000 AFC Asian Cup |
| 26 October 2000 | Beirut |  Saudi Arabia | 1 goal | 1–2 | 2000 AFC Asian Cup |
| 29 October 2000 | Beirut |  China PR | 1 goal | 1–0 | 2000 AFC Asian Cup |
| 16 September 2001 | Busan |  Nigeria | 1 goal | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 10 July 2004 | Gwangju |  Bahrain | 1 goal | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 23 July 2004 | Jinan |  United Arab Emirates | 1 goal | 2–0 | 2004 AFC Asian Cup |
| 27 July 2004 | Jinan |  Kuwait | 2 goals | 4–0 | 2004 AFC Asian Cup |
| 31 July 2004 | Jinan | Iran | 1 goal | 3–4 | 2004 AFC Asian Cup |
| 8 September 2004 | Ho Chi Minh City |  Vietnam | 1 goal | 2–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 17 November 2004 | Seoul |  Maldives | 1 goal | 2–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 19 December 2004 | Busan |  Germany | 1 goal | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 9 February 2005 | Seoul | Kuwait | 1 goal | 2–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 30 March 2005 | Seoul |  Uzbekistan | 1 goal | 2–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 June 2005 | Kuwait City | Kuwait | 1 goal | 4–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 16 November 2005 | Seoul |  Serbia and Montenegro | 1 goal | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 15 February 2006 | Los Angeles |  Mexico | 1 goal | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 7 February 2010 | Tokyo |  Hong Kong | 1 goal | 5–0 | 2010 EAFF Championship |
| 14 February 2010 | Tokyo |  Japan | 1 goal | 3–1 | 2010 EAFF Championship |
| 3 March 2010 | London |  Ivory Coast | 1 goal | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 25 February 2012 | Jeonju | Uzbekistan | 2 goals | 4–2 | Friendly |
| 29 February 2012 | Seoul | Kuwait | 1 goal | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11 September 2012 | Tashkent | Uzbekistan | 1 goal | 2–2 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 14 November 2012 | Hwaseong | Australia | 1 goal | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 5 September 2014 | Bucheon |  Venezuela | 2 goals | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 14 October 2014 | Seoul | Costa Rica | 1 goal | 1–3 | Friendly |
Honours
Club
Pohang Steelers
AFC Champions League: 1997–98
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
K League 1: 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018
AFC Champions League: 2016
International
South Korea U20
AFC Youth Championship: 1998
Individual
AFC Youth Championship Top scorer: 1998[15]
K League All-Star Game Most Valuable Player: 1998, 2001, 2003, 2012[16][17][18][19]
K League 1 Rookie of the Year: 1998[20]
AFC Asian Cup Top scorer: 2000[21]
AFC Asian Cup All-Star Team: 2000[22]
K League 1 Top scorer: 2009[23]
K League 1 Most Valuable Player: 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015[23][24][25][26]
K League FANtastic Player: 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015[23][24][25][26]
K League 1 Best XI: 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015[23][24][25][26][27]
EAFF East Asian Cup Top scorer: 2010[28]
K League 1 Top assist provider: 2011[24]
AFC Champions League Top scorer: 2011[29]
AFC Champions League Most Valuable Player: 2011[30]
AFC Asian Cup Experts' All-time XI: 2018[31]
AFC Champions League All-time top scorer: 36 goals (shared with Dejan Damjanović)[32]
K League 1 All-time top scorer: 215 goals[33]
Personal life
Lee married Lee Su-jin, a runner up of Miss Korea 1997, in December 2005.[34] The couple has five children: twin daughters Lee Jae-si and Lee Jae-ah (born 14 August 2007), twin daughters Lee Seol-ah and Lee Su-ah (born 18 July 2013) and son Lee Si-an, nicknamed Daebak (born 14 November 2014).
Lee Dong Gook, along with his five children, has appeared on the Sunday variety show "The Return of Superman" [35] since 2015. The show is on KBS World TV and can also be viewed on YouTube with English captions. "The Return of Superman" shows famous Korean fathers taking care of their children for 48 hours without their wife. Lee Dong Gook is the first on the show to have five children to take care of.[36]
Filmography
Variety show
| Year | Title | Network | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–present | The Return of Superman | KBS2 | Cast | Ep. 88–present |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 14th KBS Entertainment Awards | Best Entertainer – Entertainment Category | The Return of Superman | Won |
| Male MC Newcomer Award | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | 15th KBS Entertainment Awards | Top Excellence – Variety | Won | |
| 2018 | 16th KBS Entertainment Awards | Daesang (Grand Prize) | Nominated |
References
^ ab "South Korea star out of World Cup". BBC Sport. 14 April 2006..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "Middlesbrough complete Lee deal". BBC Sport. British Broadcast Corporation. 25 January 2007. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
^ "Middlesbrough 2–1 Reading". BBC Sport. British Broadcast Corporation. 24 February 2007. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
^ "Middlesbrough 2–0 Northampton". BBC. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
^ "Mansfield 0–2 Middlesbrough". BBC. 26 January 2008. Retrieved 13 November 2009.
^ "Trio Move On". Mfc.premiumtv.co.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
^ ‘라이언킹’ 이동국, 통산 최다 골 경신… 살아있는 전설 썼다 (in Korean). hyundai-motorsfc.com. 3 March 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
^ "U-19 Championship Roll of Honour". AFC. 1 October 2010. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
^ "Daum.net" (in Korean). News.media.daum.net. Archived from the original on 22 November 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
^ "Daum.net" (in Korean). News.media.daum.net. Archived from the original on 22 November 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
^ "Daum.net" (in Korean). News.media.daum.net. Archived from the original on 22 November 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
^ "South Korea ban Boro's Dong-Gook". BBC Sport. 2 November 2007. Retrieved 2 November 2007.
^ ""음주파동 4인방 형평성 '논란'" 데일리 서프라이즈". dailyseop.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2007. Retrieved 1 January 2008.
^ "Lee Dong-gook's official record of the national team".
^ "한국,일본꺾고 청소년축구 2연패" (in Korean). The Hankyoreh. 2 November 1998.
^ "-올스타축구- 6만관중 환호속 남부팀 대승 6-2" (in Korean). Yonhap. 16 August 1998.
^ "-프로축구 올스타전- 이동국, 생애 두번째 MVP" (in Korean). Yonhap. 5 August 2001.
^ "K리그 올스타전, MVP 이동국" (in Korean). SBS. 15 August 2003.
^ "MVP 이동국… 히딩크 앞에서 해트트릭" (in Korean). Kyunghyang. 5 July 2012.
^ "고종수 MVP 베스트11 뽑혀'겹경사'이동국은 신인왕" (in Korean). The Hankyoreh. 8 January 1999.
^ "Asian Nations Cup 2000". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 4 March 2011.
^ "[아시안컵] 결승골 이동국…득점왕 등극" (in Korean). Kukmin Ilbo. 30 October 2000.
^ abcd "[2009 K리그 대상] 이동국 '별중의 별' MVP 수상" (in Korean). Best Eleven. 22 December 2009.
^ abcd "[K리그]전북 이동국 2년 만에 MVP…신인왕은 이승기" (in Korean). Newsis. 6 December 2011.
^ abc "[K리그 대상] 이동국, 클래식 MVP 수상...3관왕 영예" (in Korean). Sportalkorea. 1 December 2014.
^ abc "K리그 대상 이동국 MVP·이재성 영플레이상 수상" (in Korean). SBS. 1 December 2015.
^ "데얀, K리그 MVP..감독상은 최용수 '서울 천하'" (in Korean). Yonhap. 3 December 2012.
^ "Match & Result". EAFF. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
^ "AFC Champions League » Top Scorer". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
^ "Veteran striker ready to give all in AFC Champions League final". Yonhap. 25 November 2016.
^ "Experts' AFC Asian Cup XI". AFC. 14 November 2018.
^ "ACL MD6: The Week In Numbers". AFC. 22 April 2018.
^ "K LEAGUE 기록" (in Korean). K League. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
^ 경향닷컴 (in Korean). News.khan.co.kr. 19 December 2005. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
^ "New Family with Two Sets of Twins Confirmed to Join "Superman Returns"!". Soompi. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
^ "'Superman Is Back' to add another family to the show – soccer player Lee Dong Gook and his five kids!". allkpop.com. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
External links
Lee Dong-gook – K League stats at kleague.com
Lee Dong-gook – National Team Stats at KFA (in Korean)
Lee Dong-gook – FIFA competition record
Lee Dong-gook at National-Football-Teams.com
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lee Woon-Jae | K-League Most Valuable Player 2009 | Succeeded by Kim Eun-Jung |
| Preceded by Kim Eun-Jung | K-League Most Valuable Player 2011 | Succeeded by Dejan Damjanović |
| Preceded by Dudu | K-League Top Scorer 2009 | Succeeded by Yoo Byung-Soo |
| Preceded by Koo Ja-Cheol | K-League Top Assistor 2011 | Succeeded by Mauricio Molina |
| Preceded by Shin Jin-Won | K-League Rookie of the Year 1998 | Succeeded by Lee Sung-Jae |
| Preceded by Saša Ognenovski | AFC Champions League Most Valuable Player 2011 | Succeeded by Lee Keun-Ho |
| Preceded by Jose Mota | AFC Champions League Top Scorer 2011 | Succeeded by Ricardo Oliveira |
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