Lee in 2020 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Lee Dong-gook | ||
| Date of birth | (1979-04-29)29 April 1979 (age 46) | ||
| Place of birth | Pohang,Gyeongbuk, South Korea | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–1997 | Pohang Jecheol Technical High School [ko] | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2007 | Pohang Steelers | 101 | (38) |
| 2000–2001 | →Werder Bremen (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2003–2005 | →Gwangju Sangmu (draft) | 46 | (12) |
| 2007–2008 | Middlesbrough | 23 | (0) |
| 2008 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 10 | (2) |
| 2009–2020 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 349 | (161) |
| Total | 536 | (213) | |
| International career | |||
| 1998–1999 | South Korea U20 | 9 | (6) |
| 1999–2002 | South Korea U23 | 29 | (20) |
| 1998–2017 | South Korea | 105 | (33) |
Medal record | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
| Lee Dong-gook | |
| Hangul | 이동국 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 李同國 |
| RR | I Dongguk |
| MR | I Tongguk |
Lee Dong-gook (Korean: 이동국;Hanja: 李同國;Korean pronunciation:[i.doŋ.ɡuk̚]; born 29 April 1979) is a South Korean former professionalfootballer who played as astriker. He is a record scorer in theK League 1, and had brief spells in Europe withWerder Bremen andMiddlesbrough. He also played for theSouth Korea national football team at twoFIFA World Cups and threeAFC Asian Cups.
In 1998, Lee joined aK League clubPohang Steelers and started his professional career instead of entering university. Lee was named theRookie of the Year after scoring eleven goals for Pohang in his firstK League season. He also helped Pohang win theAsian Club Championship in that year.
In January 2001, he was sent on loan to aBundesliga clubWerder Bremen, but he failed to settle in Bremen. He played only seven matches as a substitute during six months.
He scored six goals during seven league matches in early 2006 when his performance was at its height.[1] In April 2006, however, he tore thecruciate ligaments in his knee while playing in a league match that forced him out for six months, and was unable to play in the2006 FIFA World Cup.[2]
In 1998, Lee's father offered a bribe to an employee of theMilitary Manpower Administration in order to dodge Lee's military service. The conspiracy ended in smoke, and was revealed by the prosecutor's office in October 2001.[3] Lee and his father were criticised for their conspiracy, but the court only ordered the monetary penalty of his father.[4] Lee wasn't punished at all, and even got an opportunity to exempt from military service by participating in the 2002 Asian Games.[5] However, he failed to won a gold medal in the Asian Games despite the special treatment, and had to perform his obligation. In March 2003, he joined the military teamGwangju Sangmu.
In January 2007, after being granted a work permit, Lee signed forPremier League clubMiddlesbrough on an 18-month contract.[6] On 24 February 2007, he made his debut, coming on as an 85th minutesubstitute forYakubu in the 2–1 win againstReading.[7] On 29 August 2007, he scored his first goal againstNorthampton Town in the2007–08 Football League Cup.[8] On 26 January 2008, he scored his second goal againstMansfield Town in the2007–08 FA Cup.[9] However, he didn't score during 23 appearances in the Premier League and disappointed English fans.[10] His contract expired at the end of the 2007–08 season and Middlesbrough decided not to extend his contract.[11]
Lee signed a contract withSeongnam Ilhwa Chunma in 2008, but his difficult time was continued. He was transferred toJeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the 2009 transfer window. In the2009 K League, Lee became the top scorer by scoring 21 goals during 29 appearances, and Jeonbuk won their first-ever league trophy. He was named the Most Valuable Player after spending a successful season. In the2011 K League, Lee recorded 16 goals and 15 assists during 29 appearances, leading Jeonbuk's second league title. He became the Most Valuable Player once again as well as thetop assist provider. He also led Jeonbuk to the2011 AFC Champions League Final after scoring nine goals until the semi-finals. Jeonbuk lost the final toAl Sadd after penalty shoot-out, but he was named the Most Valuable Player and the top scorer. On 3 March 2012, Lee became the K League's all-time leading scorer with 117 goals when he got two goals in the2012 season opener against Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.[12]
In 2013, Lee was involved in a bizarre incident in a K League match againstSeongnam FC. While attempting to return the ball to Seongnam's goalkeeper after an injury stoppage, he accidentally struck it past him from 40 yards to level the score at 1–1. Jeonbuk goalkeeperChoi Eun-sung then sportingly scored anown goal on purpose to restore Seongnam's lead.[13]
Lee won his third and fourth MVP award after adding K League titles in 2014 and 2015. On 15 March 2016, Lee scored his 30th AFC Champions League goal againstBecamex Binh Duong and became theAFC Champions League's all-time top scorer. On 26 November 2016, Lee and Jeonbuk won the2016 AFC Champions League after defeatingAl Ain in the final.
In the2016 K League 1, Jeonbuk was deducted nine points for bribing two referees,[14] and Korean fans protested that the punishment was too light.[15] However, Lee ignored the corruption of his club,[16] and didn't accept the result after losing the league title.[5][17]
On 2 June 2019, he scored his 200th career goal atJeonbuk Hyundai Motors in a match againstSangju Sangmu.[18] On 9 May 2020, Lee scored the only goal in a 1–0 win overSuwon Samsung Bluewings, which was notable for being the first league match in the world during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[19]
On 1 November 2020, Lee played virtually last game of his 23-year playing career, and got his retirement ceremony immediately after the game.[20] This game, finished as a 2–0 victory over Daegu FC, was the last round of the2020 K League 1, and Jeonbuk sealed their fourth successive title.[21] On 8 November 2020, he played his last match as a substitute for eight minutes in the2020 Korean FA Cup final, and got his last trophy.
In the1998 FIFA World Cup, Lee was a member of theSouth Korea national team, playing a match against theNetherlands as a substitute. After the World Cup, he led South Korea to theAFC Youth Championship title,[22] and became joint-top goalscorer at the tournament and the player of the match in the final.[23]
Lee also took part in the2000 AFC Asian Cup. He scored a hat-trick againstIndonesia, bringing South Korea's only victory in the group stage. He scored a golden goal in extra time of the quarter-final match againstIran. He also scored a goal in the semi-finals againstSaudi Arabia, but South Korea lost this time. He became a top goalscorer with six goals after scoring the winning goal in the third place match againstChina.
In 2002, Lee was not chosen byGuus Hiddink to represent South Korea in2002 FIFA World Cup. Fans called him "Lazy Genius", because they felt that he did not fully use his potential. This is also because Hiddink emphasized strong stamina, great power, and agile speed, which are the categories that Lee struggles in, except power.[24][25] He later admitted that he spent his days drinking and did not watch a single game that took place during the 2002 World Cup.[26]
Lee was coachDick Advocaat's first-choice selection at forward for Korea ahead of the2006 FIFA World Cup, but a knee injury suffered in aK League match forced him to miss the tournament.[2] On 1 November 2007, Lee was banned from the national team for twelve months after it was revealed that he, along with team captainLee Woon-jae, teammatesKim Sang-sik andWoo Sung-yong, went on a late night drinking spree with several female employees during the2007 AFC Asian Cup, in which Korea received third place.[27] Unlike the other members who were involved in this incident, because Lee played for Middlesbrough in England, theKFA could not ban him from his club team matches.[28]
Lee was selected as a reserve striker of the national team for the2010 FIFA World Cup. He came on as a substitute in the round of 16 againstUruguay, and got a crucial chance made byPark Ji-sung. However, his shot lacked the power to cross the goal line, and South Korea lost the game after his mistake. He was denounced by South Korean fans, and was worried that his family would get hurt due to the criticisms about him.[29]
Lee played in qualifiers for2014 and2018 FIFA World Cup but was not listed on the final teams for the tournaments.
Lee married Lee Soo-jin, a runner up of Miss Korea Hawaii 1997, in December 2005.[30] The couple have five children: twin daughters Lee Jae-si and Lee Jae-ah (born 14 August 2007), twin daughters Lee Seol-ah and Lee Soo-ah (born 18 July 2013), and son Lee Si-an, nicknamed Daebak (born 14 November 2014).[citation needed]
Lee, along with his five children, has appeared on the Sunday variety showThe Return of Superman (aired on KBS World TV)[31] from 2015 to 2019.The Return of Superman shows famous Korean fathers taking care of their children for 48 hours without their wife. Lee is the first on the show to have five children to take care of.[32]
On 23 December 2022, Lee signed with Thinking Entertainment.[33]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Pohang Steelers | 1998 | K League | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | ? | ? | — | 24 | 11 | |
| 1999 | K League | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | ? | ? | — | 19 | 8 | ||
| 2000 | K League | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 4 | |||
| 2001 | K League | 17 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 19 | 4 | ||||
| 2002 | K League | 21 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 10 | |||
| 2005 | K League | 17 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 4 | — | — | 27 | 7 | |||
| 2006 | K League | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ? | ? | 1[a] | 0 | 10 | 7 | |
| Total | 101 | 38 | 9 | 4 | 21 | 9 | — | 1 | 0 | 132 | 51 | |||
| Werder Bremen (loan) | 2000–01 | Bundesliga | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||||
| Gwangju Sangmu (draft) | 2003 | K League | 27 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 11 | ||
| 2004 | K League | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | — | — | 25 | 4 | |||
| 2005 | K League | — | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 46 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | — | — | 53 | 15 | ||||
| Middlesbrough | 2006–07 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 14 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 18 | 2 | |||
| Total | 23 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 29 | 2 | ||||
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 2008 | K League | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 2 | ||
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2009 | K League | 27 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | 2[a] | 1 | 36 | 26 | |
| 2010 | K League | 25 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 3[a] | 0 | 40 | 17 | |
| 2011 | K League | 27 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 2[a] | 0 | 38 | 25 | |
| 2012 | K League | 40 | 26 | 2 | 2 | — | 6 | 4 | — | 48 | 32 | |||
| 2013 | K League 1 | 30 | 13 | 2 | 2 | — | 8 | 3 | — | 40 | 18 | |||
| 2014 | K League 1 | 31 | 13 | 2 | 0 | — | 7 | 3 | — | 40 | 16 | |||
| 2015 | K League 1 | 33 | 13 | 1 | 1 | — | 7 | 4 | — | 41 | 18 | |||
| 2016 | K League 1 | 27 | 12 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 5 | 1[b] | 0 | 41 | 17 | ||
| 2017 | K League 1 | 30 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 31 | 10 | ||||
| 2018 | K League 1 | 35 | 13 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 4 | — | 45 | 17 | |||
| 2019 | K League 1 | 33 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | — | 41 | 10 | |||
| 2020 | K League 1 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 13 | 4 | |||
| Total | 349 | 161 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 74 | 37 | 8 | 1 | 454 | 210 | ||
| Career total | 536 | 213 | 33 | 14 | 36 | 15 | 74 | 37 | 9 | 1 | 688 | 280 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 1998 | 8 | 0 |
| 2000 | 10 | 8 | |
| 2001 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2002 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 10 | 8 | |
| 2005 | 15 | 4 | |
| 2006 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2007 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2011 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 8 | 5 | |
| 2013 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 4 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | |
| Career total | 105 | 33 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 February 2000 | Los Angeles, United States | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup | |
| 2 | 7 October 2000 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 4–2 | 4–2 | 2000 LG Cup | |
| 3 | 19 October 2000 | Tripoli, Lebanon | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2000 AFC Asian Cup | |
| 4 | 2–0 | |||||
| 5 | 3–0 | |||||
| 6 | 23 October 2000 | Tripoli, Lebanon | 2–1 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | 2000 AFC Asian Cup | |
| 7 | 26 October 2000 | Beirut, Lebanon | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2000 AFC Asian Cup | |
| 8 | 29 October 2000 | Beirut, Lebanon | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2000 AFC Asian Cup | |
| 9 | 16 September 2001 | Busan, South Korea | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly | |
| 10 | 10 July 2004 | Gwangju, South Korea | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
| 11 | 23 July 2004 | Jinan, China | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2004 AFC Asian Cup | |
| 12 | 27 July 2004 | Jinan, China | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2004 AFC Asian Cup | |
| 13 | 2–0 | |||||
| 14 | 31 July 2004 | Jinan, China | 2–2 | 3–4 | 2004 AFC Asian Cup | |
| 15 | 8 September 2004 | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 16 | 17 November 2004 | Seoul, South Korea | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 17 | 19 December 2004 | Busan, South Korea | 2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly | |
| 18 | 9 February 2005 | Seoul, South Korea | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 19 | 30 March 2005 | Seoul, South Korea | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 20 | 8 June 2005 | Kuwait City, Kuwait | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 21 | 16 November 2005 | Seoul, South Korea | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
| 22 | 15 February 2006 | Los Angeles, United States | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly | |
| 23 | 7 February 2010 | Tokyo, Japan | 3–0 | 5–0 | 2010 EAFF Championship | |
| 24 | 14 February 2010 | Tokyo, Japan | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2010 EAFF Championship | |
| 25 | 3 March 2010 | London, Great Britain | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
| 26 | 25 February 2012 | Jeonju, South Korea | 1–0 | 4–2 | Friendly | |
| 27 | 2–0 | |||||
| 28 | 29 February 2012 | Seoul, South Korea | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 29 | 11 September 2012 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 30 | 14 November 2012 | Hwaseong, South Korea | 1–0 | 1–2 | Friendly | |
| 31 | 5 September 2014 | Bucheon, South Korea | 2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly | |
| 32 | 3–1 | |||||
| 33 | 14 October 2014 | Seoul, South Korea | 1–1 | 1–3 | Friendly |
| Year | Title | Role | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 2 Days & 1 Night | Himself | Episode 224–226 | |
| Healing Camp, Aren't You Happy | Himself | Episode 27 | ||
| 2015–2019 | The Return of Superman | Himself | Episode 89–298 | |
| 2019 | Knowing Bros | Himself | Episode 210 | |
| 2020 | Fly Shoot Dori 7th League | Himself | Episode 1–2, 4–6 | |
| The Gentlemen's League | Himself | Episode 46, 76 | ||
| The Return of Superman | Himself | Episode 363 | ||
| Master in the House | Himself | Episode 147–148 | ||
| 2021 | The Fishermen and the City Season 2 | Himself | Episode 55–56 | |
| My Fantasy House | Himself | Episode 3–4 | ||
| Law of the Jungle – Stove League | Himself | Episode 434–437 | [36] | |
| Stars' Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant | Himself | Episode 80–81 | ||
| Comfortable Café | Himself (host) | [37] | ||
| Let's Play Basketball | Himself | [38] | ||
| Law of the Jungle – Masters of Survival | Himself | Episode 443–445 | [39] | |
| King of Golf | Himself | [40] | ||
| Comfortable Café 2 | Himself (host) | [41] | ||
| 2021–2023 | The Gentlemen's League Season 2 | Himself | [42] | |
| 2022 | Can't Cheat Blood | Himself (host) | [43] | |
| Legend Festival | Himself (host) | [44] | ||
| Hole-in-one between Legends | Himself | [45] | ||
| Now, Follow Me | Himself | [46] | ||
| 2025 | The Gentlemen's League Season 4 | Himself | [47] |
Pohang Steelers
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
South Korea U20
South Korea U23
South Korea
Individual
Records
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KBS Entertainment Awards | 2015 | Best Entertainer Award | The Return of Superman | Won | |
| Male MC Newcomer Award | Nominated | ||||
| 2016 | Top Excellence Award in a Variety Show | Won | |||
| 2018 | Grand Prize | Nominated |