Lee Chun-Soo
Encyclopedia
Lee Chun-Soo is a football
player from South Korea
, who currently plays for Omiya Ardija
. He was a key member of his national team during the 2002 World Cup and the 2004 Summer Olympics
. He is well known in the Asian football world for his exceptionally quick maneuvering and his speed.
.
In 2002, Lee scored seven goals in K-League and made the World Cup squad. After the World Cup, he moved to Real Sociedad
of Spain
, becoming the first Korean to play in the Spanish La Liga
. After a mediocre season, however, he was moved on loan to fellow Spanish side Numancia
, before returning to Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i
of South Korea's K-League
.
Though Lee joined Ulsan in mid-season, his performance proved to be invaluable to Ulsan's capture of the 2005 league title with a hat trick in the first leg of the finals. He was subsequently named the K-League's Most Valuable Player on December 28, 2005.
In the 2006 World Cup, he scored Korea's first goal with a free kick against Togo
in a 2-1 win.
In summer 2008, Lee joined Feyenoord of the Netherlands but he failed to adapt to the country.
In July 2008, Feyenoord officially announced Lee's loan to Korean powerhouse Suwon Samsung Bluewings
for a one-year deal. But he performed poorly for Suwon and had clashes with the coaching staff. He was suspended from the K-League
by Suwon.
After few months, Suwon released him and on February 26, 2009, he was loaned to the Chunnam Dragons
until July 31, 2009. On June 13, 2009, he signed with the Dragons. In the last week of June 2009, however, a secret contract was exposed. Feyenoord tried to transfer Lee to Al Nassr and he had trouble getting along while at Chunnam, which released him.
He also left Saudi Arabia while still under contract with Al Nassr. He eventually joined Omiya of Japan.
After this, he dated with a Korean entertainer Shim Eun Jin
, who was once a member of Baby V.O.X.
. However, They also broke up in May 2008.
|2002
||rowspan="2"|Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i
||rowspan="2"|K-League
||18||7||3||2||0||0||colspan=2|-||21||9
|-
|2003
||18||8||0||0||colspan=2|-||colspan=2|-||18||8
|-
|2003-04||Real Sociedad
||La Liga
||13||0||2||0||colspan=2|-||6||0||21||0
|-
|2004-05||Numancia
||La Liga
||15||0||1||0||colspan=2|-||colspan=2|-||16||0
|-
|2005
||rowspan="3"|Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i
||rowspan="3"|K-League
||14||7||1||0||0||0||colspan=2|-||15||7
|-
|2006
||18||5||0||0||6||2||6||3||40||10
|-
|2007
||16||5||1||0||10||2||colspan=2|-||27||7
|-
|2007-08
||rowspan="1"|Feyenoord||rowspan="1"|Eredivisie
||12||0||2||0||colspan=2|-||colspan=2|-||14||0
|-
|-
|2008
||rowspan="1"|Suwon Samsung Bluewings
||rowspan="1"|K-League
||3||0||0||0||1||1||colspan=2|-||4||1
|-
|2009
||rowspan="1"|Chunnam Dragons
||rowspan="1"|K-League
||7||4||1||0||1||0||colspan=2|-||9||4
|-
|2009–10||Al-Nasr
||Saudi Premier League
||16||3||0||0||0||0||colspan=2|-||16||3
|-
|2010
||Omiya Ardija
||J. League Division 1||16||2||2||2||0||0||colspan=2|-||18||4
|-
|2011
||Omiya Ardija
||J. League Division 1||24||4||0||0||0||0||colspan=2|-||24||4
94||36||6||2||18||5||6||3||124||46
28||0||3||0||colspan=2|-||6||0||37||0
12||0||2||0||colspan=2|-||colspan=2|-||14||0
16||3||0||0||0||0||colspan=2|-||16||3
32||5||2||2||0||0||colspan=2|-||34||7
166||41||13||4||18||5||12||3||209||53
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player from South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, who currently plays for Omiya Ardija
Omiya Ardija
is a professional football club which play in the J. League Division 1, and are based in Ōmiya-ku in Saitama, Japan. Its "hometown" as designated by the league is the whole of Saitama city, which is shared with neighbours Urawa Red Diamonds...
. He was a key member of his national team during the 2002 World Cup and the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
. He is well known in the Asian football world for his exceptionally quick maneuvering and his speed.
Football career
When Lee attending Bupyeong High School, he was expected to be the future of Korean football with Choi Tae-UkChoi Tae-Uk
Choi Tae-Uk is a South Korean football player who plays for FC Seoul. He made his debut in the 2000 K-league season.-Career:Choi is a natural winger well known for his great speed...
.
In 2002, Lee scored seven goals in K-League and made the World Cup squad. After the World Cup, he moved to Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909...
of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, becoming the first Korean to play in the Spanish La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
. After a mediocre season, however, he was moved on loan to fellow Spanish side Numancia
CD Numancia
Club Deportivo Numancia de Soria, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Soria, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 9 April 1945, it plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Nuevo Estadio Los Pajaritos, with a 10,200-seat capacity.Besides football it has other...
, before returning to Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i
Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i
The Ulsan Hyundai Football Club is a South Korean professional football club, owned by Korean corporation Hyundai, that entered the K-League in 1984 as Hyundai Horangi.-History:...
of South Korea's K-League
K-League
The Korea Professional Football League is South Korea's only fully professional association football league. At the top of the South Korean football league system, it is the country's highest and most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs.-Establishment:The...
.
Though Lee joined Ulsan in mid-season, his performance proved to be invaluable to Ulsan's capture of the 2005 league title with a hat trick in the first leg of the finals. He was subsequently named the K-League's Most Valuable Player on December 28, 2005.
In the 2006 World Cup, he scored Korea's first goal with a free kick against Togo
Togo national football team
The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus...
in a 2-1 win.
In summer 2008, Lee joined Feyenoord of the Netherlands but he failed to adapt to the country.
In July 2008, Feyenoord officially announced Lee's loan to Korean powerhouse Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Suwon Samsung Bluewings is a South Korean football club based in the city of Suwon, South Korea, that plays in the K-League. Founded in December 1995, they have become one of Asian football's most famous clubs with a host of domestic and continental honours...
for a one-year deal. But he performed poorly for Suwon and had clashes with the coaching staff. He was suspended from the K-League
K-League
The Korea Professional Football League is South Korea's only fully professional association football league. At the top of the South Korean football league system, it is the country's highest and most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs.-Establishment:The...
by Suwon.
After few months, Suwon released him and on February 26, 2009, he was loaned to the Chunnam Dragons
Chunnam Dragons
Chunnam Dragons is a football club founded in 1995 in the Korean city of Gwangyang, which joined the K-League for the 1995 season at the same time as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, their Jeolla province rivals.-History:...
until July 31, 2009. On June 13, 2009, he signed with the Dragons. In the last week of June 2009, however, a secret contract was exposed. Feyenoord tried to transfer Lee to Al Nassr and he had trouble getting along while at Chunnam, which released him.
He also left Saudi Arabia while still under contract with Al Nassr. He eventually joined Omiya of Japan.
Personal life
He began dating Korean actress Kim Ji-Yoo in 2005. She won the title of Miss Korea in 2001. At one point, rumours surfaced that he proposed to her, but he later denied these, saying he wasn't thinking about marriage in the near future. They broke up in August 2006.After this, he dated with a Korean entertainer Shim Eun Jin
Shim Eun Jin
Shim Eun-Jin is a Korean singer and the former leader of Baby V.O.X. She was the first to leave the group at the end of 2004, publicly stating that she did not agree with the direction their record company DR Music was heading. Disappearing for a time, she re-emerged at the end of 2005 with her...
, who was once a member of Baby V.O.X.
Baby V.O.X.
Baby V.O.X. was one of South Korea's girl groups, associated with record company DR Music. Although it initially had much internal turmoil, Baby V.O.X. eventually became a cohesive group from 1999 to 2005, releasing hit albums.However, after the failure of their last album Ride West, it began to...
. However, They also broke up in May 2008.
Club career statistics
|-|2002
K-League 2002
-League table:-Top scorers:...
||rowspan="2"|Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i
Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i
The Ulsan Hyundai Football Club is a South Korean professional football club, owned by Korean corporation Hyundai, that entered the K-League in 1984 as Hyundai Horangi.-History:...
||rowspan="2"|K-League
K-League
The Korea Professional Football League is South Korea's only fully professional association football league. At the top of the South Korean football league system, it is the country's highest and most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs.-Establishment:The...
||18||7||3||2||0||0||colspan=2|-||21||9
|-
|2003
K-League 2003
The 2003 season of the K-League kicked off on March 23.-League table:-Top scorers:...
||18||8||0||0||colspan=2|-||colspan=2|-||18||8
|-
|2003-04||Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909...
||La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||13||0||2||0||colspan=2|-||6||0||21||0
|-
|2004-05||Numancia
CD Numancia
Club Deportivo Numancia de Soria, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Soria, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 9 April 1945, it plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Nuevo Estadio Los Pajaritos, with a 10,200-seat capacity.Besides football it has other...
||La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||15||0||1||0||colspan=2|-||colspan=2|-||16||0
|-
|2005
K-League 2005
The 2005 season of the K-League kicked off on May 15. The season and playoff format will be the same as the one used in the 2004 season. The playoff fixtures are set to take place in late November and early December....
||rowspan="3"|Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i
Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i
The Ulsan Hyundai Football Club is a South Korean professional football club, owned by Korean corporation Hyundai, that entered the K-League in 1984 as Hyundai Horangi.-History:...
||rowspan="3"|K-League
K-League
The Korea Professional Football League is South Korea's only fully professional association football league. At the top of the South Korean football league system, it is the country's highest and most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs.-Establishment:The...
||14||7||1||0||0||0||colspan=2|-||15||7
|-
|2006
K-League 2006
The 2006 season of the K-League kicked off on March 12. The season and playoff format will be the same as the one used in the 2005 season. The playoff fixtures are set to take place in early November, with the Final being played on two legs in late November....
||18||5||0||0||6||2||6||3||40||10
|-
|2007
K-League 2007
The 2007 season of the K-League kicked off on March 3. The league's previous split-season format was replaced by a combined 26-game single-season schedule. Each team will play 26 matches consisting of a home and away fixture against every other team. After all games have been played, the top 6...
||16||5||1||0||10||2||colspan=2|-||27||7
|-
|2007-08
Eredivisie 2007-08
The 2007–08 Eredivisie was the 52nd season of the Eredivisie, the top division of association football in the Netherlands. The season began in August 2007 and ended on 18 May 2008, with defending champions PSV retaining their title with 72 points....
||rowspan="1"|Feyenoord||rowspan="1"|Eredivisie
Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is the highest football league in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956 two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is currently ranked the ninth best league in Europe by UEFA....
||12||0||2||0||colspan=2|-||colspan=2|-||14||0
|-
|-
|2008
K-League 2008
The 2008 season of the K-League kicked off on March 8. The season and playoff format will be the same as the one used in the 2007 season. The playoff fixtures are set to take place in late November, with the Final being played on two legs in early December....
||rowspan="1"|Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Suwon Samsung Bluewings is a South Korean football club based in the city of Suwon, South Korea, that plays in the K-League. Founded in December 1995, they have become one of Asian football's most famous clubs with a host of domestic and continental honours...
||rowspan="1"|K-League
K-League
The Korea Professional Football League is South Korea's only fully professional association football league. At the top of the South Korean football league system, it is the country's highest and most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs.-Establishment:The...
||3||0||0||0||1||1||colspan=2|-||4||1
|-
|2009
K-League 2009
The 2009 edition of the K-League is the twenty-seventh since its establishment in 1983. Suwon Samsung Bluewings are the defending champions, having won their fourth title. The season began on March 7, 2009...
||rowspan="1"|Chunnam Dragons
Chunnam Dragons
Chunnam Dragons is a football club founded in 1995 in the Korean city of Gwangyang, which joined the K-League for the 1995 season at the same time as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, their Jeolla province rivals.-History:...
||rowspan="1"|K-League
K-League
The Korea Professional Football League is South Korea's only fully professional association football league. At the top of the South Korean football league system, it is the country's highest and most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs.-Establishment:The...
||7||4||1||0||1||0||colspan=2|-||9||4
|-
|2009–10||Al-Nasr
Al-Nasr
Al Nassr FC is a Saudi Arabian football club based in Riyadh. Formed in 1955 the club plays its home games at King Fahd Stadium and Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium. Its home colours are yellow and blue.-History:...
||Saudi Premier League
Saudi Premier League
The Saudi Professional League, officially known as , is the main football competition in Saudi Arabia. The first competition was held in the year of 1976–77...
||16||3||0||0||0||0||colspan=2|-||16||3
|-
|2010
2010 J. League Division 1
The 2010 J. League Division 1 season was the 46th season of the top-flight club football in Japan and the 18th season since the establishment of J1 League. The season began on March 6 and ended on December 4....
||Omiya Ardija
Omiya Ardija
is a professional football club which play in the J. League Division 1, and are based in Ōmiya-ku in Saitama, Japan. Its "hometown" as designated by the league is the whole of Saitama city, which is shared with neighbours Urawa Red Diamonds...
||J. League Division 1||16||2||2||2||0||0||colspan=2|-||18||4
|-
|2011
2011 J. League Division 1
The 2011 J. League Division 1 season is the 46th season of Japanese top flight football and 19th since the establishment of the J. League. The season began on March 5 and is scheduled to end on December 3, with a planned five-week summer break between June 27–July 29 in order to allow preparation...
||Omiya Ardija
Omiya Ardija
is a professional football club which play in the J. League Division 1, and are based in Ōmiya-ku in Saitama, Japan. Its "hometown" as designated by the league is the whole of Saitama city, which is shared with neighbours Urawa Red Diamonds...
||J. League Division 1||24||4||0||0||0||0||colspan=2|-||24||4
94||36||6||2||18||5||6||3||124||46
28||0||3||0||colspan=2|-||6||0||37||0
12||0||2||0||colspan=2|-||colspan=2|-||14||0
16||3||0||0||0||0||colspan=2|-||16||3
32||5||2||2||0||0||colspan=2|-||34||7
166||41||13||4||18||5||12||3||209||53
International goals
- Results list South Korea's goal tally first.
Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition April 5, 2000 
SeoulSeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
1 goal 9-0 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification- Group 1 :All matches were held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.--------------------- Group 2 :Played in Damascus, Syria.--------------------Played in Tehran, Iran.--------------------- Group 3 :...April 7, 2000 SeoulSeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
1 goal 6-0 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification- Group 1 :All matches were held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.--------------------- Group 2 :Played in Damascus, Syria.--------------------Played in Tehran, Iran.--------------------- Group 3 :...September 13, 2001 DaejeonDaejeonDaejeon is South Korea's fifth largest metropolis and the provincial capital of Chungnam. Located in the center of the country, Daejeon had a population of over 1.5 million in 2010. It is at the crossroads of Gyeongbu railway, Honam railway, Gyeongbu Expressway, and Honam Expressway. Within the...
1 goal 2-2 Friendly match May 16, 2002 BusanBusanBusan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
1 goal 4-1 Friendly match September 8, 2004 
Ho Chi Min City 1 goal 2-1 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for Asia.44 Asian teams are affiliated with FIFA, but Cambodia, Philippines, Bhutan and Brunei decided not to take part, and Myanmar was banned from the competition, so a total of 39 teams took part, competing...January 29, 2006 
Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
1 goal 2-0 2006 Carlsberg Cup 2006 Carlsberg CupThe 2006 Carlsberg Cup was a football tournament held in Hong Kong over the first and fourth day of the Chinese New Year holiday .-=Head coach: Zlatko Kranjčar:=Head coach: Morten Olsen...February 22, 2006 
AleppoAleppoAleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
1 goal 2-1 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualificationThe 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification was held in late 2005 and the final qualification round was held from February to November 2006 with 25 nations participating....June 13, 2006 
FrankfurtFrankfurtFrankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
1 goal 2-1 2006 FIFA World Cup 2006 FIFA World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...February 6, 2007 
LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
1 goal 1-0 Friendly match June 29, 2007 SeogwipoSeogwipoSeogwipo is a city in Jeju Province, South Korea with a pre-2008 estimated population of 155,000 inhabitants. In July, 2006, Seogwipo city was expanded to include the entire southern half of Jeju island. In 2002, it was one of the host cities for the FIFA World Cup.-Climate:-External links:*...
1 goal 3-0 Friendly match