Lee Chung-yong
Lee with Crystal Palace in 2016
Personal information
Full name Lee Chung-yong[1]
Date of birth (1988-07-02) 2 July 1988[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
Representing  South Korea
Men's football
AFC Asian Cup
Silver medal – second place 2015 AustraliaTeam
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
李青龍[3]
Revised RomanizationI Cheong-yong
McCune–ReischauerYi Ch'ŏng'yong

Lee Chung-yong (Korean: 이청용; Hanja: 李青龍; Korean pronunciation: [i.tɕʰʌŋ.joŋ]; born 2 July 1988) is a South Korean footballer who plays as a winger for K League 1 club Ulsan HD and is a South Korean international.

He is nicknamed "Blue Dragon", which is a literal translation of his given name "Chung-yong". He joined FC Seoul, his first club in the 2004 season. Ever since his early debut at the age of 18 for the South Korean side FC Seoul in the 2006 season of K 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 Times named Lee as one of the top 50 rising stars in football.[4]

Early life

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

FC Seoul

In 2003, FC Seoul, then known as Anyang LG Cheetahs in its modern incarnation, then manager Cho Kwang-rae began focusing on developing a youth academy within 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 Seoul at the time signed a handful of youngsters this way, with the most prominent ones being Lee Chung-yong himself, Ko Yo-han, Koh Myong-jin and Song Jin-hyung. He was a Substitute in the 2004 League Cup, In 2006, he debuted in the K League. For the next several years, Lee honed his skills in the FC Seoul reserves alongside close friend and international teammate Ki Sung-yueng.[7]

In 2007, Şenol Güneş, famous for coaching the third-placed Turkey national squad in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, joined FC Seoul as manager. After watching the youngsters Koh Myong-jin, Ki Sung-yueng and 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 against Chunnam Dragons on 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

Lee playing for Bolton Wanderers in 2013

FC Seoul confirmed that Lee Chung-yong had agreed a deal to join Premier League side Bolton 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] With Gary 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 for Gavin McCann in the 1–0 defeat against Sunderland at the Reebok Stadium and scored his first goal, the winning goal of the match in a 2–1 victory against Birmingham City on 26 September.[10] He was named Man of the Match in the match against Tottenham Hotspur, providing teammate Ricardo Gardner with 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 against Manchester City at the Reebok 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 from Liverpool after the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but Lee stated that it was likely that he would remain at Bolton for 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 against Newport County on 30 July 2011, Lee suffered a broken leg after a challenge from Tom 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 for Martin Petrov in Bolton's 2–2 draw with West 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 to Middlesbrough with Bolton's goal coming from Lee.

In the 2012–13 season, 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 the 2013–14 season. He scored in each of the last two games of the season as Bolton finished 14th in the table.

Crystal Palace

On 2 February 2015, transfer deadline day, Lee signed for Premier League side Crystal Palace for an undisclosed fee with Barry Bannan going the other way on loan.[18] Lee's contract ran until June 2018.[19] He scored his first goal for the club against Shrewsbury Town in the League Cup on 25 August 2015.[20] He scored his first league goal for Palace with a 30-yard volley at the 90th minute to defeat Stoke City 2–1 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 Palace director 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 to Bakary Sako. Lee was packing to travel to Bolton when informed of this.[24]

VfL Bochum

On 6 September 2018, Lee signed for 2. Bundesliga side VfL Bochum on 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 the 2018–19 2. Bundesliga.[26] The German football magazine kicker gave him the 26th-highest score in its statistics about all 2. Bundesliga players.[27]

Ulsan Hyundai

On 4 March 2020, Lee signed for K League 1 club Ulsan Hyundai. In December, he won the 2020 AFC Champions League with Ulsan. In 2022, he helped them win the 2022 K League 1 during which he was also given the K League 1 MVP Award and was included in the K League 1 Best XI for the second time in his career.

International career

Lee's international career started as part of the South Korea under-20 squad in the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[28] Despite impressing against quality opposition including the United States, Brazil, and Poland, 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 unsuccessful national under-23 team for the 2008 Summer Olympics. When Olympics were being held, Koreans nominated Lee as the most anticipated player among Korean football players.[29] His first under-23 match was against Syria in Damascus, 17 October 2007.

On 31 May 2008, Lee was given his national team debut by manager Huh Jung-moo in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Jordan. He would score his first national team goal against the same team in the return leg at home on 5 September 2008 in Seoul World Cup Stadium. Lee Chung-yong was one of the most consistent and important players in South Korea's successful seventh consecutive qualification for the FIFA World Cup and eighth overall, an Asian record. On 17 June 2010, Lee scored an injury time goal in the first half against Argentina in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[30] Lee scored again in the round of 16 match against Uruguay in South Korea's 2–1 defeat.[31] He was named in the top 10 rising stars of the 2010 FIFA World Cup by Sports Illustrated.[32]

On 15 October 2013, Lee made his 50th appearance for the Korean national team in a friendly match against Mali. Lee provided two assists as Korea won the game 3–1. One month later, Lee captained the side in a friendly against Switzerland and 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 the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. He started all three games as Korea were eliminated at the group stage. In the last minutes of the game against Belgium, he made a late challenge on Anthony Vanden Borre, ruling the Belgian out for injury for the rest of the tournament as a result.[33][34]

Lee was included in South Korea's squad for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. However, during the team's first match against Oman, he sustained a hairline fracture of the right tibia and was unable to participate in the remainder of the tournament.[35] Lee was included in South Korea's preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup but did not make the final selection.[36]

Personal life

Lee married his middle-school girlfriend at Hotel Shilla in Seoul on 12 July 2014.[37]

Lee said he shuns alcohol and smoking, and even refrains from drinking coffee. Upon arriving in England, he reportedly spent two to three hours a day studying English and attended English classes to improve his speaking ability.[38]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 29 October 2023[39][40]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
FC Seoul 2006 K League 200020—40
2007 K League 1532080—253
2008 K League 2251031—266
2009 K League 153201050233
Total 541150141507812
Bolton Wanderers 2009–10 Premier League 3444120—405
2010–11 Premier League 3134110—364
2011–12 Premier League 200000—20
2012–13 Championship 4143100—445
2013–14 Championship 4532000—473
2014–15 Championship 2330030—263
Total 1761713360—19520
Crystal Palace 2014–15 Premier League 300000—30
2015–16 Premier League 1311031—172
2016–17 Premier League 1503020—200
2017–18 Premier League 700030—100
Total 3814081—502
VfL Bochum 2018–19 2. Bundesliga 23100——231
2019–20 2. Bundesliga 12020——140
Total 35120——371
Ulsan HD 2020 K League 1 20441—80325
2021 K League 1 25320—70343
2022 K League 1 35330—50433
2023 K League 1 32110—20351
Total 11211101—22014412
Career total 4154134428227050447

International

Results list South Korea's goal tally first..[41]
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
15 September 2008Seoul, South Korea Jordan1–01–0Friendly
214 November 2008Doha, Qatar Qatar1–01–1Friendly
316 May 2010Seoul, South Korea Ecuador2–02–0Friendly
417 June 2010Johannesburg, South Africa Argentina1–21–42010 FIFA World Cup
526 June 2010Port Elizabeth, South Africa Uruguay1–11–22010 FIFA World Cup
615 November 2013Seoul, South Korea  Switzerland2–12–1Friendly
73 September 2015Hwaseong, South Korea Laos1–08–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
81 September 2016Seoul, South Korea China2–03–22018 FIFA World Cup qualification
922 March 2019Ulsan, South Korea Bolivia1–01–0Friendly

Honours

FC Seoul

Crystal Palace

Ulsan HD

South Korea

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 "Lee Chung-yong". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  2. ↑ "Lee Chung-yong". Premier League. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  3. ↑ 월드컵 허정무호 젊은 '쌍룡', 이란 격파 선봉에. Naver.com (in Korean). Newsis. 20 January 2009.
  4. ↑ Dart, Tom (12 January 2009). "Football's top 50 rising stars". The Times. London. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  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 from the original on 2 January 2014.
  7. ↑ 태극전사 라이프 스토리② 이청용"딱 10분 보니 큰 일낼 놈이다 싶었죠"..."가족은 나의 힘" 이청용, 가족사진 공개 (in Korean). Dong-A Ilbo. 12 October 2009. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014.
  8. ↑ Nakrani, Sachin (22 July 2009). "Bolton to complete Lee Chungyong signing". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
  9. ↑ "Lee Chung-Yong Deal Complete". Bolton Wanderers. 14 August 2009. Archived from the original on 17 August 2009. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
  10. ↑ Shaw, Phil (27 September 2009). "Birmingham City 1 Bolton Wanderers 2: match report". London: The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  11. ↑ "Honours even in Reebok thriller". Sky Sports. 12 December 2009. Archived from the original on 3 January 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  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. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
  14. ↑ "Chung-Yong Injury Update". Bolton Wanderers. 30 July 2011. Archived from the original on 24 September 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  15. ↑ "Chung-Yong Lee hopes for early Wanderers return". The Bolton News. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  16. ↑ "Coyle rules out Lee recall". The Bolton News. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  17. ↑ "Chung-Yong deal flies under the radar". The Bolton News. 29 May 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  18. ↑ "Lee Chung-Yong signs for Crystal Palace". Bolton Wanderers. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  19. ↑ "Lee Chung-Yong Joins Palace". Asian Footballers In Europe. 4 February 2015. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  20. ↑ "Crystal Palace 4–1 Shrewsbury". BBC Sport. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  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. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  22. ↑ "Three First-Team Players To Depart Palace". Crystal Palace. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  23. ↑ Iles, Marc (8 August 2018). "Chung-Yong Lee forced to quit UK over work permit issues". The Bolton News. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  24. ↑ "Crystal Palace man explains how loan move to Bolton collapsed". The Bolton News. 8 February 2018. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  25. ↑ Schroder, Oliver (6 September 2018). "VfL Bochum: Chung Yong Lee verpflichtet". Liga-Zwei.de (in German). Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  26. ↑ "Chung-Yong Lee" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  27. ↑ "2. Bundesliga - Topspieler 2018/19" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  28. ↑ Jin-young, Lee (22 May 2007). U-20 월드컵 청소년축구대표 명단 발표 [Announcement of U-20 World Cup Football Team List] (in Korean). JoyNews24.
  29. ↑ 이청용, 베이징 올림픽 최고 기대주...축구팬 설문조사 (in Korean). Edaily. 22 July 2008.
  30. ↑ Stevenson, Jonathan (17 June 2010). "Argentina 4–1 South Korea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  31. ↑ Chowdhury, Saj (26 June 2010). "Uruguay 2–1 South Korea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  32. ↑ Chang, Jen (10 July 2010). "Ozil and Coentrao among players whose stock rose at the World Cup". Sports Illustrated.
  33. ↑ "Anthony Vanden Borre has broken leg". ESPN. 28 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  34. ↑ "Belgique - Corée du Sud : La blessure d'Anthony Vanden Borre" (in French). RTBF. Archived from the original on 2 August 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  35. ↑ "South Korea's Lee Chung-Yong out of Asian Cup with leg fracture". Yahoo.com. AFP. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  36. ↑ 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. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  37. ↑ "Lee Chung-yong Makes His Long-Distance Romance Work". The Chosun Ilbo. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  38. ↑ 이청용 "1년 사귄 중학교 동창 여친 큰 힘 돼" (in Korean). Sports Seoul. 12 October 2009. Archived from the original on 13 October 2009.
  39. 1 2 3 "Chung-yong Lee". Soccerway. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  40. ↑ "Lee Chung-Yong". Soccerbase. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  41. ↑ "Lee, Chung-yong" (in Korean). Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  42. ↑ 11년 만에 K리그 복귀한 이청용 "우승하고 싶어 울산 선택" (in Korean). Korea Economic Daily. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  43. ↑ "Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester United (aet)". BBC Sport. 21 May 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  44. ↑ "Soccer-Junior double earns Asian Champions League title for Ulsan". Yahoo.com. Reuters. 20 December 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  45. ↑ Morrison, Neil (19 February 2015). "Asian Cup 2015 - final tournament match details". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  46. ↑ [프로축구] 울산, 서울 꺾고 세번째 컵대회 우승 차지. Naver.com (in Korean). Sports Chosun. 27 June 2007.
  47. ↑ 이운재, MVP 영예...신인상은 이승렬, 감독상은 차범근 감독. Naver.com (in Korean). Sports Chosun. 9 December 2008.
  48. ↑ 베스트11 MF 이청용. Naver.com (in Korean). Newsis. 24 October 2022.
  49. ↑ "Voting now open for Player of the Year award". Bolton Wanderers. 21 April 2016.
  50. ↑ "Chung-Yong Lee wins Northwest Awards accolade". BBC Sport. 12 October 2010.
  51. ↑ 이청용, 축구팬이 뽑은 '올해의 선수' 선정. Naver.com (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 26 December 2013.
  52. ↑ 울산 이청용 K리그 '최고의 별'... 홍명보는 감독상 영예 (종합). Naver.com (in Korean). Starnews. 24 October 2022.
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