Lee Dong-Gook

This is a Korean name; the family name is Lee.

Lee Dong-Gook Personal information Full name Lee Dong-Gook Date of birth April 29, 1979(1979-04-29) (age 29) Place of birth Pohang, Republic of KoreaHeight 6 ft 1.5 in (1.87 m) Playing position StrikerSenior clubs1 Years Club App (Gls)* 1998–2002
2000–2001
2003–2005
2005–2007
2007–2008 Pohang Steelers
→ Werder Bremen(loan)
Gwangju Sangmu(army)
Pohang Steelers
Middlesbrough89 (65)
07 0(0)
50 (20)
35 (19)
23 0(0) National team2 1998– Korea Republic71 (22)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 21:57, 28 May 2008 (UTC).
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 12:00, 16 December 2007 (UTC).
* Appearances (Goals)

Lee Dong-Gook (Korean: 이동국, born April 29, 1979 in Pohang, South Korea) is a South Korean football player. He was recently released by Middlesbrough.

1 Club career
2 Personal Life
3 Career stats
4 International goals
5 References
6 External links

Club career

Early career

Lee started playing soccer for Pohang Steelers, making a total of 89 appearances and scoring 65 goals. He was then sent on loan to Werder Bremen of Germany's Bundesliga.

During six months at Werder Bremen in 2001, Lee's playing time was limited, partly due to injuries.

Lee left the Steelers in 2002 as he began his national service, joining the military team Gwangju Sangmu. He spent two seasons there. However, his career recovered after he returned to Pohang in 2004 and he was Korea's leading scorer in 2005 and 2006.

In April 2006, Lee tore cruciate ligaments in his knee while playing in a K-League match for the Pohang Steelers, forcing him out for six months.[1]

Middlesbrough

Lee signed with Middlesbrough in January 2007, after he was granted a work permit.[2] He made his Premier League debut for Middlesbrough on February 24, 2007 against Reading, and scored his first goal on August 29, 2007 in a Carling Cup match against Northampton Town. His contract expired at the end of the 2008 Premier League season.

On April 9th, 2008, Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate revealed that Lee Dong-Gook no longer featured in his first-team plans. Having become a target for abuse from certain sections of the Boro faithful, Southgate confirmed that injuries to a number of his more favoured front men would be the only way in which Lee would be welcomed back into the fold.

Lee rejected the opportunity to return to his former club Pohang Steelers on transfer deadline day, and was released by Gareth Southgate at the end of the season for the season 2008/09. He has received offers from Japanese Clubs and from Germany [3]

International career

Lee was a member of the South Korea national football team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He also took part in the 2000 AFC Asian Cup and finished top scorer with six goals.

In 2002, Lee was not chosen by Guus Hiddink to represent South Korea in 2002 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. [4][5] He later admitted to spending his days drinking and not watching a single game that took place in Korea.[6]

Lee was coach Dick Advocaat's first-choice selection at forward for Korea ahead of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but a knee injury suffered in a K-League match forced him to miss the tournament.[1]

On 1 November 2007 Lee was banned from the national team for twelve months after it was revealed that he, along with team captain Lee Woon-Jae and teammates Kim Sang-Sik and Woo Sung-Yong, went on a late night drinking spree with several female employees during the Asian Cup, in which Korea received third place.[7]

Unlike the other members who were involved in this incident, because Lee played for Middlesbrough in England, the KFA (Korea Football Association) couldn't ban him from his club team matches. Therefore, as long as he does not return to a Korean club team, he would not be restricted from his club team matches.[8]

Personal Life

Lee began dating with Lee Soo-Jin, a former Miss Korea, and the couple married in December 2005, [9]. On 14 August 2007, he became a father of two girls (twins). [10]

Career stats

(Last Update:January 26, 2008)

All-Time Club Performance Club Season League FA Cup League Cup
/ K-LeagueCup European Competition Total Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Assists Middlesbrough F.C.2007-08 14 0 0 2 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 18 2 0 2006-07 9 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0 0 Total 23 0 0 4 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 29 2 0 Pohang Steelers2006 10 7 1 - - - - - - - - - 10 7 1 2005 17 8 3 - - - 8 4 1 - - - 25 12 4 Total 27 15 4 - - - 8 4 1 - - - 35 19 5 Gwangju Sangmu Phoenix2004 19 6 5 - - - 4 3 0 - - - 23 9 5 2003 27 11 6 - - - - - - - - - 27 11 6 Total 46 17 11 - - - 4 3 0 - - - 50 20 11 Pohang Steelers2002 21 15 3 - - - 0 0 0 - - - 21 15 3 2001 17 13 1 - - - - - - - - - 17 13 1 Total 38 28 4 - - - 0 0 0 - - - 38 28 4 SV Werder Bremen2000-2001 7 0 1 - - - - - - ? ? ? 7 0 1 Total 7 0 1 - - - - - - - - - 7 0 1 Pohang Steelers2000 7 4 1 - - - 1 0 0 - - - 8 4 1 1999 15 13 3 - - - 4 2 1 - - - 19 15 4 1998 15 10 2 - - - 9 8 0 - - - 24 18 2 Total 37 27 6 - - - 14 10 1 - - - 51 37 7