Wikipedia

Lee Chung-yong

In thisKorean name,the family name isLee.

Lee Chung-yong(Korean:이청용;Hanja:Lý Thanh Long;Korean pronunciation:[i.tɕʰʌŋ.joŋ];born 2 July 1988) is a South Koreanfootballerwho plays as awingerforK League 1clubUlsan HDand is aSouth Korean international.

Lee Chung-yong
Lee withUlsan HDin 2024
Personal information
Full name Lee Chung-yong[1]
Date of birth (1988-07-02)2 July 1988(age 36)[1]
Place of birth Seoul,South Korea
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Ulsan HD
Number 27
Youth career
2003–2004 FC Seoul
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2009 FC Seoul 54 (11)
2009–2015 Bolton Wanderers 176 (17)
2015–2018 Crystal Palace 38 (1)
2018–2020 VfL Bochum 35 (1)
2020– Ulsan HD 112 (11)
International career‡
2003–2005 South Korea U17 6 (6)
2006–2007 South Korea U20 18 (1)
2007–2008 South Korea U23 7 (0)
2008–2019 South Korea 89 (9)
Medal record
RepresentingSouth Korea
Men'sfootball
AFC Asian Cup
Silver medal – second place 2015 Australia Team
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Qatar Team
AFC Youth Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2006 India Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 29 October 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 July 2020 (UTC)
Lee Chung-yong
Hangul
이청용
Hanja
Lý Thanh Long[3]
Revised RomanizationI Cheong-yong
McCune–ReischauerYi Ch'ŏng'yong

He is nicknamed "Blue Dragon", which is a literaltranslationof his given name "Chung-yong". He joinedFC Seoul,his first club in the 2004 season. Ever since his early debut at the age of 18 for the South Korean sideFC Seoulin the 2006 season ofK League,Lee has gathered much attention from domestic football fans of South Korea in general, particularly because in South Korean football, where new players mostly make their entrance into professional clubs through a draft system, dropping out of middle school to sign a contract with a top division football club was a very rare case.

In January 2009,The Timesnamed Lee as one of the top 50 rising stars in football.[4]

Early life

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Lee Chung-yong's football career started at the age of 11.[5]Although considered to have started too late by some, his enormous talent was evident and his reputation grew among the Seoul youth football development community.

Club career

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FC Seoul

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In 2003,FC Seoul,then known as Anyang LG Cheetahs in its modern incarnation, then managerCho Kwang-raebegan focusing on developing ayouth academywithin the team. Lee, who, at the time, was attending Dobong Middle School caught the eye of a scout and manager Cho decided to attend his match. After watching only the first half, he was certain Lee had a massive potential, and decided to sign him on the spot.[6]Subsequently, Lee dropped out of the school and joined FC Seoul. Dropping out of middle school could mean a lot later in his life since Korea does not draft middle school dropouts for its military.FC Seoulat the time signed a handful of youngsters this way, with the most prominent ones being Lee Chung-yong himself,Ko Yo-han,Koh Myong-jinandSong Jin-hyung.He was asubstitutein the2004 League Cup,In 2006, he debuted in theK League.For the next several years, Lee honed his skills in the FC Seoul reserves alongside close friend and international teammateKi Sung-yueng.[7]

In 2007,Şenol Güneş,famous for coaching the third-placed Turkey national squad in the2002 FIFA World Cup,joined FC Seoul as manager. After watching the youngstersKoh Myong-jin,Ki Sung-yuengand Lee Chung-yong carefully, he recognized the players' significant abilities and aimed to use them as important elements in the FC Seoul first team. That season, Lee Chung-yong began to break into the first team, playing in 15 league matches and scoring three goals.

The following year, in 2008, he cemented his place as a regular for FC Seoul, playing 22 league matches, scoring five goals. Both he and Ki Sung-yong won many domestic league fans for their link-up play and individual qualities so much so that they were both given the affectionate moniker "Ssang Yong" or "Double Dragon", a play on their given names.

In the 2009 season, Lee continued his good form and he completed a hat-trick of assists in the opening game of the season againstChunnam Dragonson 7 March 2009. On 4 April 2009, he scored the winning goal in a match against Seoul's fierce rival,Suwon Samsung Bluewings.

Bolton Wanderers

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Lee playing forBolton Wanderersin 2013

FC Seoul confirmed that Lee Chung-yong had agreed a deal to joinPremier LeaguesideBolton Wanderers.A statement from FC Seoul said: "The contract will be signed officially after a work permit is issued." On 29 July 2009, it was announced that he had been granted a work permit allowing him to complete a £2.2 million transfer from FC Seoul. He had already agreed personal terms on a three-year contract with Bolton the previous week and also underwent a successful medical.[8]The transfer was officially confirmed on 14 August 2009, Lee was reported as stating "I am looking forward to this new chapter in my career and cannot wait to play my first game for my new club."[9]WithGary Megson's dismissal in December 2009, he became his last full signing for the club.

He made his first Bolton appearance on 15 August 2009 when coming on as a substitute forGavin McCannin the 1–0 defeat againstSunderlandat theReebok Stadiumand scored his first goal, the winning goal of the match in a 2–1 victory againstBirmingham Cityon 26 September.[10]He was namedMan of the Matchin the match againstTottenham Hotspur,providing teammateRicardo Gardnerwith an assist. As a result of these good performances, Lee was named in the ESPN Soccernet Team of the Week twice in a row. His good form in his first season continued weeks later, after the international break, as he assisted Ivan Klasnic's first goal in the 3–3 draw againstManchester Cityat theReebok Stadium.He was consequently named 'Man of the Match' by Sky Sports for his significant attacking presence and dribbling prowess: "The South Korean was a constant thorn in City's side and looks to be a real find for Gary Megson."[11]

At the end of his first season, Lee won a triumvirate of awards including Bolton Player of the Year, Players' Player of the Year, and best newcomer awards. There was interest fromLiverpoolafter the2010 FIFA World Cup,but Lee stated that it was likely that he would remain atBoltonfor the 2010–11 Premier League,[12]and on 25 November he signed an extension to his contract, keeping him at the club until 2013.[13]

During a pre-season friendly againstNewport Countyon 30 July 2011, Lee suffered a broken leg after a challenge fromTom Miller.It was initially reported that the injury would rule Lee out for a minimum of nine months,[14]but by early September, Bolton were hopeful that the player would return before the end of the season.[15]Towards the end of April 2012, Lee started training with the Bolton first team again and was hopeful of playing a game or two before the season concluded.

On 4 May 2012, manager Owen Coyle ruled out a return for Lee that season,[16]but just two days later Lee returned to action as a second-half substitute forMartin Petrovin Bolton's 2–2 draw withWest Bromwich Albion,and received a standing ovation from the home crowd. On 29 May 2012 it was confirmed that Lee had signed an unannounced new contract the previous summer, extending his stay at the Reebok to the end of the 2014–15 season.[17]Every game Lee had scored in for Bolton, Bolton had won. This streak was broken however on 27 October 2012 as Bolton lost 2–1 toMiddlesbroughwith Bolton's goal coming from Lee.

In the2012–13season, Lee was eased back into the first-team fold as he worked his way back to full fitness. After such a serious injury, it took Lee several months to regain the sharpness that he had displayed in his first two seasons with the club. However, during the second half of the season, Lee appeared to be getting closer to the form which marked him out as one of South Korea's top footballing talents. He finished the season with a respectable return of four goals and seven assists in the Championship.

Lee remained in the Championship with Bolton for the2013–14season. He scored in each of the last two games of the season as Bolton finished 14th in the table.

Crystal Palace

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Lee withCrystal Palacein 2016

On 2 February 2015, transfer deadline day, Lee signed forPremier LeaguesideCrystal Palacefor an undisclosed fee withBarry Bannangoing the other way on loan.[18]Lee's contract ran until June 2018.[19]He scored his first goal for the club againstShrewsbury Townin theLeague Cupon 25 August 2015.[20]He scored his first league goal for Palace with a 30-yard volley at the 90th minute to defeatStoke City2–1 on 19 December 2015.[21]

In June 2018, Lee was released by Crystal Palace on the expiry of his contract.[22]Bolton attempted to re-sign their former player, but Lee failed to get a work permit, cancelling the move.[23]This was the second time in 2018 Bolton had failed to sign Lee, as in February he had agreed to join on loan, only for Crystal Palacedirector of football,Dougie Freedman(who previously managed Bolton whilst Lee played there) to cancel the loan deal after it had been agreed, due to an injury toBakary Sako.Lee was packing to travel to Bolton when informed of this.[24]

VfL Bochum

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On 6 September 2018, Lee signed for2. BundesligasideVfL Bochumon a contract until the end of the 2018–19 season with an option for extension thereafter.[25]He scored a goal and provided six assists during 23 appearances in the2018–19 2. Bundesliga.[26] The German football magazinekickergave him the 26th-highest score in its statistics about all 2. Bundesliga players.[27]

Ulsan Hyundai

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On 4 March 2020, Lee signed forK League 1clubUlsan Hyundai.In December, he won the2020 AFC Champions Leaguewith Ulsan. In 2022, he helped them win the2022 K League 1during which he was also given theK League 1 MVP Awardand was included in theK League 1 Best XIfor the second time in his career.

Since moving to Ulsan Hyundai, he has been helping the team with his skills that he has complied with. He has played as a starting player much less frequently, but he has recently led his team to three consecutive league wins by coming in as a substitute and showing himself as a playmaker.[28]

International career

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Lee's international career started as part of theSouth Korea under-20squad in the2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[29]Despite impressing against quality opposition including theUnited States,Brazil,andPoland,South Korea failed to make the cut for the next round. Lee's individual performances, however, were enough to impress many neutrals and rumored to have caught the eye of many European scouts.

After his under-20 tenure, Lee was part of the unsuccessfulnational under-23 teamfor the2008 Summer Olympics.When Olympics were being held, Koreans nominated Lee as the most anticipated player among Korean football players.[30]His first under-23 match was againstSyriainDamascus,17 October 2007.

On 31 May 2008, Lee was given his national team debut by managerHuh Jung-mooin the2010 FIFA World Cup qualificationmatch againstJordan.He would score his first national team goal against the same team in the return leg at home on 5 September 2008 inSeoul World Cup Stadium.Lee Chung-yong was one of the most consistent and important players in South Korea's successful seventh consecutive qualification for theFIFA World Cupand eighth overall, an Asian record. On 17 June 2010, Lee scored an injury time goal in the first half againstArgentinain the2010 FIFA World Cup.[31]Lee scored again in the round of 16 match againstUruguayinSouth Korea's 2–1 defeat.[32]He was named in the top 10 rising stars of the2010 FIFA World CupbySports Illustrated.[33]

On 15 October 2013, Lee made his 50th appearance for the Korean national team in a friendly match againstMali.Lee provided two assists as Korea won the game 3–1. One month later, Lee captained the side in a friendly againstSwitzerlandand scored the winning goal with an 87th-minute header. It was his first international goal in more than three years, his last coming in the 2010 World Cup. Lee was selected for the South Korea squad for the2014 FIFA World Cupin Brazil. He started all three games as Korea were eliminated at the group stage. In the last minutes of the game againstBelgium,he made a late challenge onAnthony Vanden Borre,ruling the Belgian out for injury for the rest of the tournament as a result.[34][35]

Lee was included in South Korea's squad for the2015 AFC Asian Cup.However, during the team's first match againstOman,he sustained a hairline fracture of the right tibia and was unable to participate in the remainder of the tournament.[36]Lee was included in South Korea's preliminary squad for the2018 World Cupbut did not make the final selection.[37]

Personal life

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Lee married his middle-school girlfriend at Hotel Shilla in Seoul on 12 July 2014.[38]

Lee said he shuns alcohol and smoking, and even refrains from drinking coffee. Upon arriving inEngland,he reportedly spent two to three hours a day studyingEnglishand attended English classes to improve his speaking ability.[39]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 29 October 2023[40][41]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
FC Seoul 2006 K League 2 0 0 0 2 0 — 4 0
2007 K League 15 3 2 0 8 0 — 25 3
2008 K League 22 5 1 0 3 1 — 26 6
2009 K League 15 3 2 0 1 0 5 0 23 3
Total 54 11 5 0 14 1 5 0 78 12
Bolton Wanderers 2009–10 Premier League 34 4 4 1 2 0 — 40 5
2010–11 Premier League 31 3 4 1 1 0 — 36 4
2011–12 Premier League 2 0 0 0 0 0 — 2 0
2012–13 Championship 41 4 3 1 0 0 — 44 5
2013–14 Championship 45 3 2 0 0 0 — 47 3
2014–15 Championship 23 3 0 0 3 0 — 26 3
Total 176 17 13 3 6 0 — 195 20
Crystal Palace 2014–15 Premier League 3 0 0 0 0 0 — 3 0
2015–16 Premier League 13 1 1 0 3 1 — 17 2
2016–17 Premier League 15 0 3 0 2 0 — 20 0
2017–18 Premier League 7 0 0 0 3 0 — 10 0
Total 38 1 4 0 8 1 — 50 2
VfL Bochum 2018–19 2. Bundesliga 23 1 0 0 — — 23 1
2019–20 2. Bundesliga 12 0 2 0 — — 14 0
Total 35 1 2 0 — — 37 1
Ulsan HD 2020 K League 1 20 4 4 1 — 8 0 32 5
2021 K League 1 25 3 2 0 — 7 0 34 3
2022 K League 1 35 3 3 0 — 5 0 43 3
2023 K League 1 32 1 1 0 — 2 0 35 1
Total 112 11 10 1 — 22 0 144 12
Career total 415 41 34 4 28 2 27 0 504 47

International

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Results list South Korea's goal tally first..[42]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 5 September 2008 Seoul,South Korea Jordan 1–0 1–0 Friendly
2 14 November 2008 Doha,Qatar Qatar 1–0 1–1 Friendly
3 16 May 2010 Seoul, South Korea Ecuador 2–0 2–0 Friendly
4 17 June 2010 Johannesburg,South Africa Argentina 1–2 1–4 2010 FIFA World Cup
5 26 June 2010 Port Elizabeth,South Africa Uruguay 1–1 1–2 2010 FIFA World Cup
6 15 November 2013 Seoul, South Korea Switzerland 2–1 2–1 Friendly
7 3 September 2015 Hwaseong,South Korea Laos 1–0 8–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
8 1 September 2016 Seoul, South Korea China 2–0 3–2 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
9 22 March 2019 Ulsan,South Korea Bolivia 1–0 1–0 Friendly

Honours

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FC Seoul

Crystal Palace

Ulsan HD

South Korea U20

South Korea

Individual

References

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  1. ^ab"Lee Chung-yong".Barry Hugman's Footballers.Retrieved16 September2017.
  2. ^"Lee Chung-yong".Premier League.Retrieved16 September2017.
  3. ^월드컵 허정무호 젊은 '쌍룡', 이란 격파 선봉에.Naver(in Korean).Newsis.20 January 2009.
  4. ^Dart, Tom (12 January 2009)."Football's top 50 rising stars".The Times.London.Retrieved7 May2010.[dead link‍]
  5. ^한국 축구, 이제 이청용의 시대다(in Korean). Sportalkorea. 23 June 2010.
  6. ^[위원석의하프타임] 실패가 두렵지 않은 이청용의 네번째 도전(in Korean). Sports Seoul. 21 July 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 2 January 2014.
  7. ^태극전사 라이프 스토리② 이청용 "딱 10분 보니 큰 일낼 놈이다 싶었죠"... "가족은 나의 힘" 이청용, 가족사진 공개(in Korean).The Dong-a Ilbo.12 October 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 2 January 2014.
  8. ^Nakrani, Sachin (22 July 2009)."Bolton to complete Lee Chungyong signing".The Guardian.London.Retrieved29 July2009.
  9. ^"Lee Chung-Yong Deal Complete".Bolton Wanderers. 14 August 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 17 August 2009.Retrieved14 August2009.
  10. ^Shaw, Phil (27 September 2009)."Birmingham City 1 Bolton Wanderers 2: match report".London: The Daily Telegraph. Archived fromthe originalon 27 May 2012.Retrieved7 May2010.
  11. ^"Honours even in Reebok thriller".Sky Sports. 12 December 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 3 January 2010.Retrieved1 June2020.
  12. ^"Lee set for new Bolton deal".Sky Sports. 9 September 2010.
  13. ^Iles, Mark (25 November 2010)."Chung-Yong signs new Wanderers deal".Manchester: The Bolton News.Retrieved25 November2010.
  14. ^"Chung-Yong Injury Update".Bolton Wanderers. 30 July 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 24 September 2011.Retrieved30 July2011.
  15. ^"Chung-Yong Lee hopes for early Wanderers return".The Bolton News. 6 September 2011.Retrieved7 September2011.
  16. ^"Coyle rules out Lee recall".The Bolton News. 4 May 2012.Retrieved6 May2012.
  17. ^"Chung-Yong deal flies under the radar".The Bolton News. 29 May 2012.Retrieved29 May2012.
  18. ^"Lee Chung-Yong signs for Crystal Palace".Bolton Wanderers. 2 February 2015.Retrieved2 February2015.
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  20. ^"Crystal Palace 4–1 Shrewsbury".BBC Sport. 25 August 2015.Retrieved25 August2015.
  21. ^Percy, John (19 December 2015)."Stoke City 1 Crystal Palace 2, match report: Lee Chung-Yong strikes late winner for visitors".The Daily Telegraph.Retrieved23 December2015.
  22. ^"Three First-Team Players To Depart Palace".Crystal Palace. 8 June 2018.Retrieved8 June2018.
  23. ^Iles, Marc (8 August 2018)."Chung-Yong Lee forced to quit UK over work permit issues".The Bolton News.Retrieved9 August2018.
  24. ^"Crystal Palace man explains how loan move to Bolton collapsed".The Bolton News. 8 February 2018. Archived fromthe originalon 22 December 2019.Retrieved1 June2020.
  25. ^Schroder, Oliver (6 September 2018)."VfL Bochum: Chung Yong Lee verpflichtet".Liga-Zwei.de(in German).Retrieved6 September2018.
  26. ^"Chung-Yong Lee"(in German). kicker.Retrieved22 May2022.
  27. ^"2. Bundesliga - Topspieler 2018/19"(in German). kicker.Retrieved1 June2020.
  28. ^Yoo, Jee-ho."(LEAD) Ulsan HD FC capture 3rd straight K League 1 title".
  29. ^Jin-young, Lee (22 May 2007).U-20 월드컵 청소년축구대표 명단 발표[Announcement of U-20 World Cup Football Team List] (in Korean). JoyNews24.
  30. ^이청용, 베이징 올림픽 최고 기대주...축구팬 설문조사(in Korean). Edaily. 22 July 2008.
  31. ^Stevenson, Jonathan (17 June 2010)."Argentina 4–1 South Korea".BBC Sport.Retrieved17 June2010.
  32. ^Chowdhury, Saj (26 June 2010)."Uruguay 2–1 South Korea".BBC Sport.Retrieved26 January2011.
  33. ^Chang, Jen (10 July 2010)."Ozil and Coentrao among players whose stock rose at the World Cup".Sports Illustrated.Archived fromthe originalon 12 July 2010.
  34. ^"Anthony Vanden Borre has broken leg".ESPN. 28 June 2014.Retrieved1 June2020.
  35. ^"Belgique - Corée du Sud: La blessure d'Anthony Vanden Borre"(in French). RTBF. Archived fromthe originalon 2 August 2014.Retrieved28 June2014.
  36. ^"South Korea's Lee Chung-Yong out of Asian Cup with leg fracture".Yahoo.AFP. 13 January 2015.Retrieved18 January2015.
  37. ^Seok, Myeong (2 June 2018).김진수 이청용 권경원 탈락…러시아 월드컵 최종엔트리 23명 확정 [명단][Kim Jin-soo, Lee Chung-yong, Kwon Kyung-won eliminated, final confirmation of 23 entries in Russia World Cup] (in Korean). Mediapen.Retrieved9 June2018.
  38. ^"Lee Chung-yong Makes His Long-Distance Romance Work".The Chosun Ilbo.9 July 2014.Retrieved1 June2020.
  39. ^이청용 "1년 사귄 중학교 동창 여친 큰 힘 돼"(in Korean). Sports Seoul. 12 October 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 13 October 2009.
  40. ^abc"Chung-yong Lee".Soccerway.Retrieved4 September2015.
  41. ^"Lee Chung-Yong".Soccerbase.Retrieved5 October2018.
  42. ^"Lee, Chung-yong"(in Korean).Retrieved9 June2020.
  43. ^11년 만에 K리그 복귀한 이청용 "우승하고 싶어 울산 선택"(in Korean).The Korea Economic Daily.5 March 2020.Retrieved1 June2020.
  44. ^"Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester United (aet)".BBC Sport. 21 May 2016.Retrieved1 June2020.
  45. ^"Soccer-Junior double earns Asian Champions League title for Ulsan".Yahoo.Reuters. 20 December 2020.Retrieved22 May2022.
  46. ^Di Maggio, Roberto; Garin, Erik; Jönsson, Mikael; Morrison, Neil; Stokkermans, Karel (22 November 2018)."Asian U-19/U-20 Championship".RSSSF.Retrieved4 September2020.
  47. ^Morrison, Neil (19 February 2015)."Asian Cup 2015 - final tournament match details".RSSSF.Retrieved1 June2020.
  48. ^[프로축구] 울산, 서울 꺾고 세번째 컵대회 우승 차지.Naver(in Korean).Sports Chosun.27 June 2007.
  49. ^이운재, MVP 영예...신인상은 이승렬, 감독상은 차범근 감독.Naver(in Korean).Sports Chosun.9 December 2008.
  50. ^베스트11 MF 이청용.Naver(in Korean).Newsis.24 October 2022.
  51. ^"Voting now open for Player of the Year award".Bolton Wanderers. 21 April 2016.
  52. ^"Chung-Yong Lee wins Northwest Awards accolade".BBC Sport. 12 October 2010.
  53. ^이청용, 축구팬이 뽑은 '올해의 선수' 선정.Naver(in Korean).Yonhap News Agency.26 December 2013.
  54. ^울산 이청용 K리그 '최고의 별'... 홍명보는 감독상 영예 (종합).Naver(in Korean). Starnews. 24 October 2022.
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