.jpg) Lee inSeoul Plaza, South Korea in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lee Seung-woo | ||
| Date of birth | (1998-01-06)6 January 1998 (age 27) | ||
| Place of birth | Suwon,Gyeonggi, South Korea | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Winger,attacking midfielder[2] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2011 | Kwangsung Middle School | ||
| 2011–2016 | Barcelona | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Barcelona B | 1 | (0) |
| 2017–2019 | Hellas Verona | 37 | (2) |
| 2019–2021 | Sint-Truiden | 17 | (2) |
| 2020–2021 | →Portimonense (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2022–2024 | Suwon FC | 88 | (34) |
| 2024– | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 16 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2013–2015 | South Korea U17 | 18 | (13) |
| 2015–2017 | South Korea U20 | 16 | (7) |
| 2018–2021 | South Korea U23 | 10 | (4) |
| 2018– | South Korea | 12 | (0) |
Medal record | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 March 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 October 2024 | |||
| Lee Seung-woo | |
| Hangul | 이승우 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 李昇祐 |
| Revised Romanization | I Seungu |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ri Sŭngu |
Lee Seung-woo (Korean: 이승우; born 6 January 1998) is a South Koreanfootballer who plays as aleft winger forJeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
Aged 12, Lee caught the attention ofFC Barcelona after he finished as the top scorer in the 2010Danone Nations Cup, one of the most prestigious youth football tournaments.[4] He joined Barcelona's youth academy,La Masia, and scored 39 goals in 29 appearances during his first season.[5] He was also named the best player in four youth tournaments: Torneo Canillas,[6] Memorial Gaetano Scirea,[7] Trofeo San Bonifacio,[8] and Gabala Cup.[9] He was nicknamed the "KoreanMessi" after showing his talent.[10]
However, he was banned from playing in the regular season for three years until his 18th birthday by transfer regulations ofFIFA.[4][5] On 13 March 2016, he made his senior debut for theB team.[11]
On 31 August 2017, Lee joinedSerie A clubHellas Verona on a four-year deal, for a fee of €1.5 million. Barcelona retained the option to repurchase him until 2019 for an undisclosed fee.[12]
On 24 September, he made his Serie A debut for Verona in the second half of the game againstLazio.[13] On 6 May 2018, he scored his first Serie A goal in an away match againstMilan, but his team lost 4–1.[11]
Verona was relegated to theSerie B by finishing the league in 19th place. He scored one goal and provided two assists during 27 appearances in the2018–19 Serie B. Verona was promoted to the Serie A by winning the promotion play-offs,[14] but he was excluded from Verona's plan for the next season.
On 30 August 2019, Lee joinedBelgian First Division A sideSint-Truiden.[15] He was excluded from the list of the squad for twelve consecutive matches, and this situation caused much controversy in South Korea.[16][17] His name was on the list for the first time againstGenk on 29 November,[18] and he made his Belgian league debut againstWaasland-Beveren on 26 December.[19] He finished his first season due to early termination of the Belgian league caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic after making only four appearances.[20]
On 13 September 2020, he scored his first and second goal for Sint-Truiden againstRoyal Antwerp, but his team lost 3–2 despite his two goals.[21] However, he failed to score in six games where he played as a starter excluding a game against Antwerp, and his team also did not get a victory at the same time.[22] When he was being excluded from the squad again, some South Korean journalists recommended playing in South Korea to him.[22]
On 1 February 2021, Lee joinedPrimeira Liga sidePortimonense on a six-month loan deal with an option to buy.[23] He had difficulty in leaving special impression on the new club. He left Portimonense after the end of his contract.
In December 2021, Lee returned to his hometown ofSuwon, signing withK League 1 sideSuwon FC on a multi-year deal.[24]
Lee still showed weak physical strength, pace and defensive skills, which had been followed by his failure in Italy and Belgium,[25] but his accurate shots and momentary movements stood out in South Korea.[26] In his first K League 1 season, he became the third highest scorer without a penalty, and was selected as one of the four best left wingers, who were nominated for theK League Best XI.[27]
In his second season, Lee struggled somewhat due to his weaknesses grasped by opponents,[25] but helped Suwon avoid relegation by scoring the most goals among team members.[28] He received an offer from Seire A clubFrosinone in the middle of the season,[29] but was more cautious about his challenge in Europe after the hardship at Sint-Truiden.[30]
For the first half of the2024 season, his third season at Suwon, Lee dominated the league and already reached double-digit goals. Another club in the same league,Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, offered him the league's highest salary in the summer transfer window.[31]
On 24 July 2024, Lee joined Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on a four-and-a-half year deal.[32]
Lee made his international debut as a part of theSouth Korea under-16 team in the2014 AFC U-16 Championship qualification. He scored four goals in a qualifier againstLaos.[33]
In the2014 AFC U-16 Championship, he showed overwhelming performances, leading South Korea to the final. He scored winning goals againstMalaysia andThailand in the group stage.[34] Afterwards, in the quarter-finals, he scored all two goals in a 2–0 win overJapan, and left a memorable scene. He destroyed Japan's defense by dribbling for about 50 meters, scoring his second goal.[35] In the semi-finals againstSyria, he recorded one goal and four assists.[36] He became the tournament's best player and top goalscorer, although his team lost the final toNorth Korea.
Lee played for South Korea in the2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, but he missed a crucial penalty againstBelgium.South Korea lost to Belgium in the round of 16.[37]
Lee participated in the2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup hosted by South Korea. He scored the winning goal and provided one assist in the first group match againstGuinea.[38] He scored the opening goal after dribbling alone for 40 meters in the second match againstArgentina.[39][40] South Korea was eliminated by a loss toPortugal in the round of 16.
In a friendly againstHonduras just before the2018 FIFA World Cup, Lee made his senior international debut and showed impressive performance including an assist.[41] He was selected for the World Cup team, playing two World Cup matches as a substitute.
Lee was named in theSouth Korea under-23 squad for the2018 Asian Games inJakarta-Palembang. In the round of 16 againstIran, he scored his first goal of the tournament.[42] In the semi-finals againstVietnam, he led South Korea to a 3–1 victory with two goals and one assist. In extra time of the final, he scored the crucial opening goal, contributing to a 2–1 victory overJapan. He won a gold medal after the final.[43]
Lee was selected to the Korean national team roster for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in October 2024 and returned to the national team after 5 years and 4 months. Lee was selected as a replacement due to injuries toHwang Hee-chan andUm Ji -seong. He needed to join the training urgently, so he arrived at the training using standing room on the train.[44]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barcelona B | 2015–16 | Segunda División B | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Segunda División B | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Hellas Verona | 2017–18 | Serie A | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19 | Serie B | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 3[a] | 0 | 27 | 1 | ||
| Total | 37 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 43 | 2 | |||
| Sint-Truiden | 2019–20 | Belgian First Division A | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Belgian First Division A | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 2 | |||
| Total | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 2 | ||||
| Portimonense (loan) | 2020–21 | Primeira Liga | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| Suwon FC | 2022 | K League 1 | 35 | 14 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 14 | ||
| 2023 | K League 1 | 35 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[b] | 0 | 36 | 10 | ||
| 2024 | K League 1 | 18 | 10 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 10 | |||
| Total | 88 | 34 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 89 | 34 | |||
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2024 | K League 1 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 1 | 1[b] | 0 | 15 | 3 |
| 2025 | K League 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | ||
| Total | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 163 | 40 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 175 | 41 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 2018 | 7 | 0 |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | |
| Career total | 12 | 0 | |
South Korea U17
South Korea U23
Individual
Awards | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||
South Korea squads | |
|---|---|
