.jpg) Lee with Daegu in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lee Keun-ho | ||
| Date of birth | (1985-04-11)11 April 1985 (age 40) | ||
| Place of birth | Incheon, South Korea | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2006 | Incheon United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2006 | Incheon United | 2 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Daegu FC | 46 | (19) |
| 2009–2010 | Júbilo Iwata | 36 | (13) |
| 2010–2011 | Gamba Osaka | 52 | (19) |
| 2012–2014 | Ulsan Hyundai | 33 | (8) |
| 2013–2014 | →Sangju Sangmu (draft) | 43 | (19) |
| 2014–2016 | El Jaish | 18 | (2) |
| 2015 | →Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (loan) | 15 | (4) |
| 2016 | Jeju United | 35 | (5) |
| 2017–2018 | Gangwon FC | 50 | (8) |
| 2018–2022 | Ulsan Hyundai | 52 | (6) |
| 2021 | →Daegu FC (loan) | 30 | (3) |
| 2022–2023 | Daegu FC | 63 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2003–2005 | South Korea U20 | 9 | (3) |
| 2006–2008 | South Korea U23 | 19 | (5) |
| 2007–2018 | South Korea | 84 | (19) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 3 December 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 3 February 2018 | |||
| Lee Keun-ho | |
| Hangul | 이근호 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 李根鎬 |
| RR | I Geunho |
| MR | I Kŭnho |
Lee Keun-ho (Korean: 이근호, born: 11 April 1985) is a South Korean formerfootballer who played as a forward. His pace, work-rate, and link-up plays mark him as a highly rated forward in Asia. A South Korean international from 2007 to 2014, he scored 19 goals in 84 caps for the national team. He represented his country in the2014 FIFA World Cup.
After graduating from Bupyeong High School, Lee joined local sideIncheon United in 2004. He stayed in Incheon's reserve team for three years, but got a chance to play for aK League club after winning the Best Player award in theR League contested between reserve teams.[1]Daegu FC signed him at the beginning of2007 season.
Daegu FC managerByun Byung-joo brought the fast and extremely aggressive "bullet football" tactic to his team.[2] bringin Lee into the spotlight.[3] He became the top scorer among South Korean players in 2007 and2008 K League.[1][4][5]
Lee wanted to leave for Europe after the end of the contract with Daegu in December 2008. Several European clubs showed their interest in him, and he was offered a trial fromPremier League clubBlackburn Rovers. However, he turned it down because he worried about the hard competition for a starting position in Blackburn.[6] He signed forJ1 League clubJúbilo Iwata on a nine-month contract in April 2009.[7][8] He tried to move toLigue 1 clubParis Saint-Germain in June after playing for Júbilo Iwata for two months,[9] but failed to negotiate with Paris. He finally signed a contract extension with Júbilo Iwata until July 2010.[10]
Lee joinedGamba Osaka in June 2010. He scored 15 goals while playing 32 matches for Gamba in the2011 J1 League.[11]
On 10 January 2012, he returned to South Korea, signing forUlsan Hyundai on a three-year deal. During a year in Ulsan, he led his team to theAFC Champions League title, winning theAsian Footballer of the Year award and the Champions League MVP award.[12] The next year, he was transferred toSangju Sangmu to perform hismilitary service as per South Korean law.
Lee was selected for the2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in Netherlands. However, for most matches, he remained in the bench, not playing a single match in the group stage, while his team-matePark Chu-young made good impressions. He was confirmed in theSummer Olympics squad in 2006, and became the most valuable player in the squad to qualify for the Olympic games. He was selected for the2007 AFC Asian Cup, and also capped for theSouth Korea under-23 team in qualification for the2008 Summer Olympics.
On 29 June 2007, Lee made his senior team debut in a friendly againstIraq through substitution in the second half. Lee also managed to score his debut goal from an assist made byLee Chun-soo.[13] On 15 October 2008, Lee scored two goals in aqualification match of the2010 FIFA World Cup againstUnited Arab Emirates. On 19 November 2008, Lee scored the most important goal in his international career yet in an away game againstSaudi Arabia, which ended South Korea's nineteen-year losing spell against the Saudis. Although he played in most of the qualification campaign, he was not named for the team to participate in the 2010 World Cup.
Lee was included in South Korea's squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup by showing good performances with three goals in thefinal round of the qualification. In their firstgroup stage match againstRussia on 17 June 2014, he came on as a substitute for Park Chu-young in the 52nd minute and scored his first ever World Cup goal in a 1–1 draw when his shot from outside the box was spilled by goalkeeperIgor Akinfeev over his head and over the line.[14] He also assistedKoo Ja-cheol's goal in the second match againstAlgeria.[15]
Lee was born in Incheon, South Korea. He is well known for his friendship withHa Dae-sung. Having played together in elementary, middle, and high school, they also played together atDaegu FC. His older brother Lee Won-ho is coaching a local side inIncheon.
Lee is the inaugural president ofFIFPro Korea, South Korea's official players'union, since it gained Candidate Member status.[16]
He has been supporting a former football player who suffered a heart attack during a match in 2011.[17][18]
In 2015, he was appointed as the promotional ambassador of the Purme Foundation, which helps disabled children in their path of rehabilitation and is based inGangneung.[19][20] During his fellowship with the association, he organized several charity football matches and clinics to help the child patients by providing them with scholarships and appropriate equipment.[18][20] In 2017, he also donated a correspondent of ₩100 million (about $90,200) to the foundation.[20]
Following the forest wildfire that brought severe damages all over theGangwon Province in 2019,[21][22] Lee offered financial support to help the process of recover and rebuilding.[17] He also made donations to the local health services in order to help fight theCOVID-19 pandemic.[17]
Thanks to his leading attitude both on and off the pitch and his charity activities, Lee was nominated for the 2020 FIFPro Merit Awards, three special prizes assigned to the footballers who distinguished themselves the most for their impact out of the playing field and their activism.[17][18]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Incheon United | 2004 | K League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2005 | K League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| 2006 | K League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||||
| Daegu FC | 2007 | K League | 20 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | — | — | 29 | 10 | ||
| 2008 | K League | 26 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 2 | — | — | 35 | 15 | |||
| Total | 46 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 4 | — | — | 64 | 25 | ||||
| Júbilo Iwata | 2009 | J1 League | 24 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 13 | ||
| 2010 | J1 League | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 16 | 2 | |||
| Total | 36 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 42 | 15 | ||||
| Gamba Osaka | 2010 | J1 League | 20 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 5 | ||
| 2011 | J1 League | 32 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | — | 40 | 17 | ||
| Total | 52 | 19 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | — | 65 | 22 | |||
| Ulsan Hyundai | 2012 | K League | 33 | 8 | 2 | 1 | — | 12 | 4 | 2[a] | 1 | 49 | 14 | |
| Sangju Sangmu (draft) | 2013 | K League 2 | 25 | 15 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2[b] | 0 | 29 | 15 | ||
| 2014 | K League 1 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 18 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 43 | 19 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 47 | 19 | ||||
| El Jaish | 2014–15 | Qatar Stars League | 18 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 23 | 2 | ||
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (loan) | 2015 | K League 1 | 15 | 4 | — | — | 2 | 0 | — | 17 | 4 | |||
| Jeju United | 2016 | K League 1 | 35 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 36 | 5 | |||
| Gangwon FC | 2017 | K League 1 | 37 | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 39 | 8 | |||
| 2018 | K League 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 50 | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 52 | 8 | |||||
| Ulsan Hyundai | 2018 | K League 1 | 22 | 4 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | 27 | 5 | |||
| 2019 | K League 1 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 21 | 2 | |||
| 2020 | K League 1 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | |||
| Total | 52 | 6 | 8 | 1 | — | 11 | 0 | — | 71 | 7 | ||||
| Daegu FC (loan) | 2021 | K League 1 | 30 | 3 | 5 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | — | 42 | 4 | ||
| Daegu FC | 2022 | K League 1 | 31 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 3 | — | 41 | 5 | ||
| 2023 | K League 1 | 32 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 34 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 63 | 4 | 4 | 1 | — | 8 | 3 | — | 75 | 8 | ||||
| Career total | 475 | 110 | 41 | 7 | 24 | 5 | 49 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 593 | 133 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 2007 | 3 | 1 |
| 2008 | 11 | 5 | |
| 2009 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2010 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 8 | 5 | |
| 2013 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2014 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| Career total | 84 | 19 | |
Júbilo Iwata
Ulsan Hyundai
Sangju Sangmu
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
South Korea
Individual
Awards | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||
