Lee Woon-jae

In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.

Lee Woon-jae
Lee with Suwon Samsung Bluewings in 2009
Personal information
Full name Lee Woon-jae[1]
Date of birth (1973-04-26) 26 April 1973
Place of birth Cheongju, Chungbuk, South Korea
Height 1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Position Goalkeeper
Youth career
1986–1988 Cheongju Daeseong Middle School
1989–1991 Cheongju Commercial High School
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1995 Kyung Hee University
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–2010 Suwon Samsung Bluewings 267 (0)
2000–2001 → Sangmu FC (draft)
2011–2012 Jeonnam Dragons 63 (0)
Total 330 (0)
International career
1994–2002 South Korea U23 32[α] (0)
1993 South Korea B
1994–2010 South Korea 133 (0)
Medal record
Representing  South Korea
Men's football
Summer Universiade
1993 Buffalo[2]
AFC Asian Cup
2000 Lebanon
2007 Indonesia/Malaysia
/Thailand/Vietnam
Asian Games
2002 Busan
EAFF Championship
Winner 2003 Japan
Runner-up 2010 Japan
East Asian Games
1993 Shanghai[3]
* Club domestic league appearances and goals
Lee Woon-jae
Hangul
이운재
Hanja
李雲在
RRI Unjae
MRI Unjae

Lee Woon-jae (Korean: 이운재; born 26 April 1973) is a South Korean football coach and former player. Considered one of the greatest Asian goalkeeper of all time,[4] he played for the South Korea national team at the 1994, 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, and kept three clean sheets while reaching the semi-finals at the 2002 tournament.[5] He is currently working as a goalkeeping coach at the Vietnam national team.[6]

International career

Lee was a part of the South Korea national team for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He came on as a second-half substitute after main goalkeeper Choi In-young conceded three goals in the first half of the last group stage match against Germany. He did not concede a goal during the second half, leaving a good impression.[7]

After the 1994 World Cup, however, Lee suffered from tuberculosis and hepatitis, being in danger of ending his playing career early. He was excluded from the national teams for the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 1998 FIFA World Cup while overcoming diseases.[7]

Lee played as first-choice goalkeeper for South Korea at the 2002 FIFA World Cup under manager Guus Hiddink. While his country finished fourth at the tournament, he appeared in all seven matches, and kept clean sheets against Poland, Portugal and Spain. He blocked Spain's fourth penalty taken by Joaquín in a 5–3 penalty shoot-out win of a quarter-final match against Spain, helping his team become the first-ever Asian team to advance to the semi-finals at the World Cup.[8][9]

Lee captained South Korea at the 2007 AFC Asian Cup in place of injured Kim Nam-il. During the tournament, he kept four clean sheets including three in the knockout stage, and saved a total of three penalties in shoot-outs (two against Iran and one against Japan). After defeating Japan 6–5 on penalties in the third place match, he was selected for the tournament's All-Star Team.[10] However, he was suspended from the national team for a year, because he sneaked out from his hotel room and went on a drinking binge in an Indonesian bar along with teammates Kim Sang-sik, Woo Sung-yong and Lee Dong-gook before a group stage match against Bahrain, which ended in a 2–1 defeat.[11]

Lee was called up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but his teammate Jung Sung-ryong played all matches as a main goalkeeper for South Korea instead of him during the competition. On 11 August 2010, he played his 133rd and last international match in a 2–1 friendly win over Nigeria.[5]

Style of play

Nicknamed the "Spider Hands" in South Korea,[12] Lee did not have good height and rapid pace, but showed great leadership, judgments and harmonies with defenders.[12] He was noted for his predictive ability, which made him strong on penalty shoot-outs. In shoot-outs of his K League career, he won 92% of matches (11 out of 12) and saved 45% of shots (26 out of 58).[13]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[14]
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Suwon Samsung Bluewings 1996 K League 12 0 ?[a] ? 1 0 — — 13 0
1997 K League 7 0 ?[a] ? 10 0 — — 17 0
1998 K League 18 0 ?[a] ? 16 0 — — 34 0
1999 K League 27 0 0 0 12 0 — 1[b] 0 40 0
2002 K League 19 0 4 0 0 0 ?[c] ? — 23 0
2003 K League 41 0 1 0 — — — 42 0
2004 K League 23 0 0 0 3 0 — — 26 0
2005 K League 17 0 3 0 9 0 6 0 2[d] 0 37 0
2006 K League 13 0 1 0 1 0 — — 15 0
2007 K League 25 0 1 0 10 0 — — 36 0
2008 K League 28 0 0 0 11 0 — — 39 0
2009 K League 25 0 5 0 1 0 5 0 1[e] 0 37 0
2010 K League 12 0 2 0 2 0 7 0 — 23 0
Total 267 0 17 0 76 0 18 0 4 0 382 0
Sangmu FC (draft) 2000 Semipro League ? ? ?[f] ? — — ?[g] ? ? ?
2001 Semipro League ? ? ?[f] ? — — ?[g] ? ? ?
Total ? ? ? ? — — ? ? ? ?
Jeonnam Dragons 2011 K League 30 0 2 0 4 0 — — 36 0
2012 K League 33 0 ?[a] ? — — — 33 0
Total 63 0 2 0 4 0 — — 69 0
Career total 330 0 19 0 80 0 18 0 4 0 451 0
  1. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in Korean FA Cup
  2. ^ Appearance in Korean Super Cup
  3. ^ Appearance(s) in Asian Club Championship
  4. ^ One appearance in A3 Champions Cup, one appearance in Korean Super Cup
  5. ^ Appearance in Pan-Pacific Championship
  6. ^ a b Appearance(s) in Korean National Championship
  7. ^ a b Appearance(s) in Korean President's Cup

International

  • Appearances and goals by national team and year[5]
    National team Year Apps Goals
    South Korea 1994 3 0
    1995 1 0
    1999 2 0
    2000 8 0
    2001 12 0
    2002 15 0
    2003 14 0
    2004 15 0
    2005 15 0
    2006 16 0
    2007 8 0
    2008 2 0
    2009 13 0
    2010 9 0
    Career total 133 0
  • Appearances and goals by competition
    Competition Apps Goals
    Friendlies 55 0
    Minor competitions 12 0
    EAFF Championship 9 0
    CONCACAF Gold Cup 3 0
    AFC Asian Cup qualification 7 0
    AFC Asian Cup 15 0
    FIFA Confederations Cup 3 0
    FIFA World Cup qualification 18 0
    FIFA World Cup 11 0
    Total 133 0

    • Filmography

    Television

    Year Title Role Note(s) Ref.
    2015 Cheongchun FC Hungry Eleven Himself
    2018 Escape Nest Season 3 Himself
    2019 Let's Eat Dinner Together Himself Episode 133
    2022 Gundesliga Himself [15]

    Honours

    Suwon Samsung Bluewings

    Sangmu FC

    South Korea U23

    South Korea B

    South Korea

    Individual

    See also

    Notes

    1. ^ Includes seven appearances against non-national teams, and nine appearances as an overage player (six appearances in Asian Games, three appearances in friendlies).

    References

    1. ^ "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 21 March 2014. p. 17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2019.
    2. ^ a b "FOOTBALL". Universiade '93-Buffalo -Results-. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
    3. ^ 동아시아축구 대표 확정. Naver (in Korean). The Hankyoreh. 30 March 1993. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
    4. ^ a b "The best Asian team at the FIFA World Cup announced!". Asian Football Confederation. 7 July 2020. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
    5. ^ a b c "Lee Woon-jae at Korea Football Association" (in Korean). KFA. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
    6. ^ thanhnien.vn (25 February 2025). "Cựu danh thủ Hàn Quốc bất ngờ 'tái hợp' đội tuyển Việt Nam: VFF ký dài hạn". Báo Thanh Niên (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 23 December 2025.
    7. ^ a b 가난과 폐결핵·간염 극복…그는 불굴의 거미손이었다 (in Korean). Ilyoseoul. 27 June 2006.
    8. ^ "Korean dream lives on". BBC Sport. 22 June 2002. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
    9. ^ Hayward, Paul (23 June 2002). "Korean miracle spoilt by refereeing farce". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
    10. ^ a b "Fanzone". AFC Asian Cup. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
      "Official All-Star XI". BigSoccer. 18 August 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
    11. ^ 이운재·우성용·김상식·이동국 … 대표 자격정지 1년 (in Korean). JoongAng Ilbo. 3 November 2007.
    12. ^ a b [스포츠 화제] '국대 골키퍼의 대명사' 김병지-이운재 20년 우정 (in Korean). Joongang Sisa Magazine. 17 August 2016.
    13. ^ [집중분석] 이운재는 왜 승부차기에 강할까? (in Korean). Maeil Business Newspaper. 15 July 2010. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
    14. ^ Lee Woon-jae – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
    15. ^ Ji, Seung-hoon (14 April 2022). WC 레전드 VS 강철 군대 격돌...'군대스리가', 5월 첫방 (공식). Naver (in Korean). YTN. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
    16. ^ Lee, Seung-soo; Schöggl, Hans; Trevena, Mark (13 May 2020). "South Korea – List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
    17. ^ a b c Lee, Seung-soo; Trevena, Mark (8 April 2020). "South Korea – List of Cup Winners". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
    18. ^ Fujioka, Atsushi; Halchuk, Stephen; Stokkermans, Karel (25 March 2020). "Asian Champions' Cup". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
    19. ^ Fujioka, Atsushi (21 July 2002). "Asian Super Cup". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
    20. ^ Nakanishi, Masanori; Lee, Seung-soo (14 June 2007). "East Asian Champions Cup". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
    21. ^ Saaid, Hamdan (26 February 2009). "Pan-Pacific Championship". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
    22. ^ (축구/실업선수권)상무, 강릉시청 꺾고 우승감격. Naver (in Korean). The Dong-a Ilbo. 6 July 2001.
    23. ^ "Football Men's (Final Result) – Match Schedule". Busan Asian Games. Archived from the original on 10 January 2003. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
    24. ^ Morrison, Neil (20 December 2019). "East Asian Games". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
    25. ^ Stokkermans, Karel (7 February 2019). "Asian Nations Cup". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
    26. ^ Stokkermans, Karel (20 December 2019). "East Asian Championship". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
    27. ^ 프로축구 올스타전. Naver (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. 8 August 1998. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
    28. ^ 신세대 축구스타 잠실벌서 뜬다. Naver (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. 21 July 1999. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
    29. ^ 홍명보 ’영원한 왕별’ (in Korean). Kyeonggi Ilbo. 3 August 2002. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
    30. ^ [프로축구]이관우 K리그 별중의 별…올스타 팬투표 최다득표 (in Korean). The Dong-a Ilbo. 4 August 2003. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
    31. ^ 수원 4인방, 2004 K리그 올스타전 출장 (in Korean). Suwon Samsung Bluewings. 4 July 2004. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
    32. ^ 차범근 감독, 수원 선수들과 함께 K리그 올스타전 참가! (in Korean). Suwon Samsung Bluewings. 10 August 2005. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
    33. ^ '진공청소기' 김남일, 올스타전 최고 득표 (in Korean). OhmyNews. 9 August 2006. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
    34. ^ K리그 올스타전에 나설 별들 확정 (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. 30 July 2007. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
    35. ^ "JOMO CUP 2008" (in Japanese). J.League Data Site. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
    36. ^ "JOMO CUP 2009" (in Japanese). J.League Data Site. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
    37. ^ 안정환 시즌 MVP (in Korean). The Dong-a Ilbo. 10 November 1999.
    38. ^ 2002년 K-리그 시상식 21일 개최 (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 20 December 2002.
    39. ^ 나드손, 외국인 첫 MVP! (in Korean). YTN. 16 December 2004.
    40. ^ a b 이운재, MVP 영예...신인상은 이승렬, 감독상은 차범근 감독 (in Korean). Sports Chosun. 9 December 2008.
    41. ^ 동아시아컵축구 이운재 최우수 골키퍼상 (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 7 August 2005.
    42. ^ 수원, 7년 만의 FA컵 우승…MVP 이운재 (in Korean). Maeil Business Newspaper. 9 November 2009.
    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lee Woon-jae.
    This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.