Lee Keun-ho

Lee Keun-ho
이근호
Personal information
Date of birth (1985-04-11) 11 April 1985
Place of birth Incheon, South Korea
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position Winger
Club information
Current team
 Ulsan Hyundai
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 (military service) 43 (19)
2014–2015 El Jaish 18 (2)
2015 → Jeonbuk Hyundai (loan) 15 (4)
2016 Jeju United 35 (5)
2017–2018 Gangwon FC 37 (8)
2018– Ulsan Hyundai
National team‡
2003–2005 South Korea U-20 9 (3)
2006–2008 South Korea U-23 19 (5)
2007– South Korea 84 (19)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 January 2018
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 3 February 2018
Lee Keun-ho
Hangul 이근호
Hanja 李根鎬
Revised Romanization Yi Geun-ho
McCune–Reischauer Yi Kŭn-ho

Lee Keun-ho (Hangul: 이근호, born: 11 April 1985) is a South Korean football player who plays for Gangwon FC and South Korea national team. His pace, work-rate, and link-up plays mark him as a highly rated forward in Asia.

Club career

Lee Keun-ho played for Boo-Pyung High School as a teenager, lifting three trophies with Kim Seung-Yong, now playing for Gamba Osaka. After graduating Boo-Kyung high school, Lee joined his hometown club, Incheon United in 2004. However, he was surplus to requirement, and usually stayed in the reserve squad.

In 2006 season, he was nominated as the Best Player in the R-League, the Korean reserves league for Incheon Reserves. Then, Daegu FC's manager Byun Byung-joo signed him at the beginning of 2007 season. Newly appointed manager Byun Byung-Joo brought intensively aggressive football to Daegu, named "Bullet Football" and Lee began to claim the spotlight with his powerful dribbles. In his first season, he came 7th in the top scorers chart, then came 5th in the 2008 season. In both seasons, he was top scoring South Korean in the league. During his two seasons at Daegu, he quickly became the fans' favourite, and was nicknamed "Silver Fox" due to his on the ball speed and agility (which resembled one of a fox) and also because of his silvery/grey hair. In his last game for Daegu, against Pohang Steelers in the semi-final of Korean FA Cup, he played full-time even with injury, but failed to rescue his side from a defeat.

Daegu wanted to keep Lee but Lee was willing to move to Europe, so in December 2008, Lee's contract with Daegu FC expired, meaning he became a free agent. Several European clubs showed their interest in acquiring his talents. He was offered a trial at English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers, however he turned them down. In February 2009, it was again rumoured that Blackburn Rovers would be interested in signing the still Free Agent Lee Keun-ho, but again, he rejected the opportunity.

In April 2009, Lee signed for Júbilo Iwata, on a 9 months contract.[1][2] He made 6 goals and 4 assists in his first 8 league games. In June, he left the club, with some media linking him with Paris Saint-Germain in the French Ligue 1;[3] however, the move did not materialize.[4] In June 2010, he signed for 2008 AFC Champions League winners Gamba Osaka. The 2011 season was his best season in the J1 League, having scored 15 goals for Gamba Osaka at 32 matches.

On 10 January 2012, Lee returned to K League 1, signing for Ulsan Hyundai on a three-year deal. In his first season with the club, he won the AFC Champions League that was named as the tournament Most Valuable Player and also named as the Asian Footballer of the Year at the end of the year.[5]

He was transferred on 1 January 2013 to Sangju Sangmu on loan to complete his military service as per South Korean law.

International career

Lee was selected for the 2005 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-mate Park Chu-Young made good impressions.

Lee was confirmed in the Olympics squad in 2006, and became the most valuable player in the squad to qualify for the Olympic games. He was selected for the 2007 Asian Cup. He also capped for the South Korea U-23 football team in qualification for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

On 29 June 2007, Lee made his senior team debut in a friendly against Iraq through substitution in the second half. Lee also managed to score his debut goal from an assist made by Lee Chun-Soo.[6]

On 11 October 2008, Lee scored a brace in an international friendly against Uzbekistan in a 3–0 victory for South Korea. On 15 October 2008, Lee scored two goals in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against United Arab Emirates. The game ended 4–1 for Korea. On 19 November 2008, Lee scored the most important goal in his international career yet in an away game against Saudi 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 FIFA World Cup.

On 26 March 2013, Lee scored the very important opening goal in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification against Qatar. The game ended 2–1 for Korea.

Lee was included in South Korea's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In their first group-stage match against Russia on 17 June 2014, Lee 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 goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev over his head and over the line.[7]

In May 2018 he was named in South Korea’s preliminary 28 man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.[8] However, injury ruled him out of the tournament.[9]

Korea Republic national team
YearAppsGoals
200731
2008115
2009132
201050
201172
201285
2013113
2014121
201550
201600
201760
201830
Total8419[10]

Club statistics

As of 14 September 2014
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
SeasonClubLeague AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
South Korea League KFA Cup League Cup Asia Total
2004Incheon UnitedK League 1-10--10
2005-1050-60
200620-10-30
2007Daegu FC2082072-2910
200826113262-3515
Japan League Emperor's Cup League Cup Asia Total
2009Júbilo IwataJ1 League24121110-2613
2010121-41-162
Gamba Osaka20451--255
2011321510-724017
South Korea League KFA Cup League Cup Asia Total
2012Ulsan HyundaiK League 1338--71409
2013Sangju SangmuK League 22515---2515
2014K League 1184---184
Qatar League - - Asia Total
2014-15El Jaish SCQatar Stars League182--20202
South Korea League KFA Cup League Cup Asia Total
2015Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FCK League 1154---154
2016Jeju United FC355-- -355
2017Gangwon FC368-- -368
Total South Korea 21063721947124370
Japan 883272517210737
Qatar 182--20202
Career total 31697144245163370109

International goals

#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
129 June 2007Seogwipo, South Korea Iraq3–03–0Friendly match
211 October 2008Suwon, South Korea Uzbekistan2–03–0Friendly match
311 October 2008Suwon, South Korea Uzbekistan3–03–0Friendly match
415 October 2008Seoul, South Korea United Arab Emirates1–04–12010 FIFA World Cup qualification
515 October 2008Seoul, South Korea United Arab Emirates3–14–12010 FIFA World Cup qualification
619 November 2008Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia0–10–22010 FIFA World Cup qualification
74 February 2009Dubai, United Arab Emirates Bahrain2–22–2Friendly match
828 March 2009Suwon, South Korea Iraq2–12–1Friendly match
925 March 2011Seoul, South Korea Honduras4–04–0Friendly match
1011 November 2011Dubai, United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates0–10–22014 FIFA World Cup qualification
1129 February 2012Seoul, South Korea Kuwait2–02–02014 FIFA World Cup qualification
128 June 2012Doha, Qatar Qatar1–14–12014 FIFA World Cup qualification
138 June 2012Doha, Qatar Qatar4–14–12014 FIFA World Cup qualification
1415 August 2012Anyang, South Korea Zambia1–02–1Friendly match
1515 August 2012Anyang, South Korea Zambia2–12–1Friendly match
1626 March 2013Seoul, South Korea Qatar1–02–12014 FIFA World Cup qualification
176 September 2013Incheon, South Korea Haiti3–14–1Friendly match
1810 September 2013Jeonju, South Korea Croatia1–21–2Friendly match
1917 June 2014Cuiabá, Brazil Russia1–01–12014 FIFA World Cup

Personal life

Lee Keun-ho was born in Incheon, South Korea. He is well known for his friendship with Beijing Guoan midfielder Ha Dae-Sung. Having played together in elementary, middle, and high school, they also played together at Daegu FC. His older brother Lee Won-Ho is coaching a local side in Incheon.

Honours

Club

Ulsan Hyundai
Sangju Sangmu
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

International

Individual

References

  1. ↑ 이근호, 주빌로 이와타 이적확정…계약기간 9개월 (in Korean)
  2. ↑ 李 根 鎬（イ グノ）選手の移籍加入内定 (in Japanese)
  3. ↑ Lee Move in Doubt
  4. ↑ Lee Keun-ho Rejoins Jubilo Iwata
  5. ↑ "Lee Keunho crowned Asian player of the year". FIFA. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  6. ↑ 베어벡호, 이라크에 3–0 완승…이천수 1골 1도움 (in Korean)
  7. ↑ "Russia v South Korea: World Cup 2014 – as it happened". Guardian. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  8. ↑ "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad - 23-man & preliminary lists & when will they be announced?". Goal. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  9. ↑ "(LEAD) Veteran forward ruled out of World Cup with knee injury". Yonhap News Agency. 22 May 2018.
  10. ↑ KFA::::KOREA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION::::"The Korea Football Association" Archived 1 February 2010 at WebCite
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