Lee Young-pyo ( ko, 이영표; ; born 23 April 1977) is a retired South Korean professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a right-footed

left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

. Lee was recognized for his speed and

dribbling In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. A ...

skills. His former manager

Martin Jol Maarten Cornelis "Martin" Jol (born 16 January 1956) is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder. He played over 400 games during his career which included spells in the Netherlands, Germany, and England, as well as earning three caps wit ...

once called him "the best left back in Holland". Prior to playing for

PSV Eindhoven Philips Sport Vereniging (; en, Philips Sports Association ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department, whi ...

and

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

, Lee started his professional career at

FC Seoul FC Seoul ( ko, FC 서울) is a South Korean professional football club based in Seoul that competes in the K League 1, the top flight of South Korean football. The club is owned by GS Sports, a subsidiary of GS Group. They play their home games ...

, then known as Anyang LG Cheetahs in the Korean

K League K League (Hangul: K리그) is South Korea's professional football league. It includes first division K League 1 and second division K League 2. History Until the 1970s, South Korean football operated two major football leagues, the National S ...

and then spent two years with PSV Eindhoven of the Netherlands, earning high acclaim from PSV Coach

Guus Hiddink Guus Hiddink (; born 8 November 1946) is a Dutch former football manager and professional player. He enjoyed a long career playing as a midfielder in his native Netherlands. Retired as player in 1982, Hiddink went into management, leading both c ...

, who had previously coached Lee and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

during the

2002 World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

. Recognized as the best left-back in the Netherlands after the 2004–05 season, Tottenham signed him amidst heavy competition with several

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

clubs. He transferred to Tottenham in August 2005. On 19 November 2008, Lee became the seventh Korean player to earn 100 caps in a World Cup qualifier against

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

. During the

2011 AFC Asian Cup The 2011 AFC Asian Cup was the 15th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Qatar from 7 to 29 January 2011. It was the fifte ...

, Lee captained the national team twice after the substitutions of the regular Korean captain,

Park Ji-sung Park Ji-sung (; ; born 30 March 1981) is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in the South Korean capital Seoul, Park is the most successful Asian player in football history, having won 19 trophies in ...

. Post-retirement, he received high accolades from professionals and laymen for his spot-on commentaries and uncanny ability to predict various football related matters. So much so that some took to comparing him to Paul the Octopus. On January 1, 2021, he began his 2-year stint as the CEO of the first tier k-league football team Gangwon FC.

Playing career

Anyang LG Cheetahs

Lee graduated from

Konkuk University Konkuk University () is a South Korean private university founded in 1946. The university was founded based on three virtues: sincerity, fidelity, and righteousness. Konkuk University gives comprehensive education in agricultural and life scien ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, and began his professional career in a

club Anyang LG Cheetahs, currently FC Seoul. He contributed to Anyang's K League title in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

. His team also advanced to the

Asian Club Championship The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...

final in the 2001–02 season, but failed to bring the title against

Suwon Samsung Bluewings ''(The Blue, White and Reds)''Tricolor'' , short name = SSB , image = , caption = , founded = , ground = Suwon World Cup Stadium , capacity = 44,031 , owner = Cheil Worldwide(Samsung's subsidiary) , chairma ...

, another South Korean club. An impressive player in the league, Lee could play for the South Korean national team in the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

. He assisted South Korea's winning goals against

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

with crosses. He followed

and teammate

into

after finishing the World Cup in fourth place.

PSV Eindhoven

At PSV, Lee flourished under Hiddink's guidance and soon established himself in PSV's first team. Known for his endurance, technique, and ability in both defence and attack, Lee was widely regarded as the best left-back in the Dutch

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

. Lee and his compatriot Park were instrumental in PSV Eindhoven's run to the 2005 UEFA Champions League semi-final, although, to their disappointment, they were knocked out by

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. Despite PSV's persistent attempts to keep him, Lee moved to the English club

in August 2005. During his PSV career, Lee scored 1 goal and assisted 13 goals.

Tottenham Hotspur

At Tottenham, Lee was an immediate hit and earned a spot on the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

's best eleven in his debut week. Tottenham coach

, at the time of his signing on 31 August 2005, touted him as "the best left-back in Holland." His form did however fluctuate in the 2005–06 season, despite being almost ever present in a defence which conceded the fourth lowest number of goals in that season. In the beginning of 2006–07 season, Lee moved to right full-back due to Benoît Assou-Ekotto's impressive pre-season performance and an injury to regular right-back

Paul Stalteri Paul Andrew Stalteri (born October 18, 1977) is a Canadian former professional soccer player who played as a defender or midfielder. He spent most of his professional career in Germany, winning the league and cup double with Werder Bremen in th ...

. Lee then faced increased competition when Tottenham signed French defender

Pascal Chimbonda Pascal Chimbonda (born 21 February 1979) is a French former professional footballer who played as a right-back. Chimbonda began his professional career in 1998 with Le Havre, where he featured over 100 times combined for the club's first team ...

on the final day of the transfer period. Lee also suffered a knee injury and in August 2006, Tottenham offered his rights to

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

of Italy's Serie A, but he backed out at the last minute for "personal reasons". An Italian media report said religion played a part in his decision to reject the transfer offer. On 31 August 2006, Lee held a press conference in Korea and denied that religion was a factor in his decision. He said that moving to Roma would have been great for him in terms of football alone but he decided against it for personal reasons that he would not reveal, despite being pressed for answers by 50 attending reporters. Lee regained his place in the first team when Assou-Ekotto's form began to falter, most notably in a very poor performance against arch-rivals

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

. Lee came on as a half-time substitute in that match and was a notable improvement, and was again preferred by Jol for the starting eleven, until a season-ending knee injury sustained in a

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...

Quarterfinal match against

Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Gua ...

on 5 April. On 9 August 2007, Tottenham manager Martin Jol announced that Lee would be "fit for selection" in "one or two weeks". On 18 August 2007, Lee made his first start of the season against

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...

. He continued to play regularly for Tottenham in the 2007–08 season, along with League Cup appearances against

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

and

. He missed the final but earned a medal for his contributions.

Borussia Dortmund

On 27 August 2008, Lee transferred to a

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

club

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional footb ...

for an undisclosed fee. He consistently made appearances early in the season, and

announced that the period of Lee's contract was extended to two years in December. However, he was benched after the vice-captain Dedé recovered from his injury.

Al-Hilal

On 10 July 2009, Lee left for a Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal. Known to be a devout Christian, he decided to go to Saudi Arabia after hearing the word of God, although he didn't want to go there. He couldn't understand the will of God, but enjoyed his new life with Muslims. He told this interesting anecdote in his lecture after retirement.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Lee officially signed with Vancouver on 6 December 2011. He scored his first

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

goal for Vancouver on 28 April 2012 off a free kick against the

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

. Lee was a crucial part to Vancouver's 2012 season and was played as a right back. He was considered one of their best players on the team that year. Lee was awarded with Vancouver's 2012 Player of the Year on 21 October 2012 after helping the team become the first Canadian team to reach the

MLS Cup Playoffs The MLS Cup Playoffs is the annual postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer. The final match of the tournament is the MLS Cup, the league's championship game. Under the current format adopted for the 2019 season, 14 teams qualif ...

. He played his final professional game on 27 October 2013 in Vancouver in 3–0 win against the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, la ...

. After scoring the first and eventual game-winning goal, 2013

MLS Golden Boot The MLS Golden Boot (currently commercially termed "Audi Golden Boot") has been awarded since the 2005 season to Major League Soccer's regular–season leading scorer. The award replaced the MLS Scoring Champion Award that was awarded since the le ...

-winner

Camilo Sanvezzo Camilo da Silva Sanvezzo (born 21 July 1988) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga MX club Toluca. He is a Mexican naturalized citizen. Club career Corinthians Alagoano Camilo began his career in the youth ...

presented Lee with the ball during the goal celebration.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Korea Republic's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lee goal.''

Filmography

Variety show

Honours

Player

Anyang LG Cheetahs *

K League 1 The K League 1 (Hangul: K리그1) is the men's top professional football division of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs. History The South Korean professional football league was founded in 1 ...

Korean Super Cup The Korean Super Cup was the annual curtain-raiser to the South Korean football season from 1999 to 2006, and was contested between the champions of K League and Korean FA Cup. It was dropped from the South Korean football calendar in 2007. Afte ...

: 2001 *

runner-up: 2001–02 PSV Eindhoven *

: 2002–03, 2004–05 *

KNVB Cup The KNVB Beker (; en, KNVB Cup), branded as the TOTO KNVB Beker for sponsorship reasons, is a competition in the Netherlands organized by the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) since 1898. It was based on the format of the English FA Cup. Ou ...

: 2004–05 *

Johan Cruyff Shield The Johan Cruyff Shield (, ) is a football trophy in the Netherlands named after Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, also often referred to as the Dutch Super Cup. The winner is decided in one match only, played by the winner of the national footbal ...

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

Tottenham Hotspur *

Football League Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...

: 2007–08 Al-Hilal *

Saudi Professional League The Saudi Pro League (SPL for short) ( ar, دوري المحترفين السعودي, link=no, ''Dawriyy al-Muḥtarifayni as-Suʿūdī''), known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL for short) for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of associat ...

: 2009–10, 2010–11 *

Saudi Crown Prince Cup The Saudi Crown Prince's Cup ( ar, كأس ولي العهد) was the Saudi Arabian annual cup competition. It was the oldest domestic football competition in Saudi Arabia, its first edition was held in 1956–57, but was not crowned from 1975 unti ...

: 2009–10, 2010–11 South Korea U23 *

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

bronze medal:

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

South Korea *

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

fourth place:

AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...

third place:

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

Individual * K League 1 Best XI:

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

* Vancouver Whitecaps FC Player of the Year:

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Entertainer

References

External links

*
Lee Young-pyo – National Team Stats
at KFA *
Al Hilal Saudi Club
* *

www.psvweb.nl profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Young-pyo 1977 births Living people South Korean footballers Association football fullbacks South Korean expatriate footballers South Korea under-23 international footballers South Korea international footballers FC Seoul players PSV Eindhoven players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Borussia Dortmund players Al Hilal SFC players Vancouver Whitecaps FC players K League 1 players Eredivisie players Premier League players Bundesliga players Major League Soccer players Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Germany Expatriate footballers in Saudi Arabia Expatriate soccer players in Canada 2000 AFC Asian Cup players 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2002 FIFA World Cup players 2004 AFC Asian Cup players 2006 FIFA World Cup players 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2011 AFC Asian Cup players Footballers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers of South Korea FIFA Century Club South Korean expatriate sportspeople in the Netherlands South Korean expatriate sportspeople in England South Korean expatriate sportspeople in the United Kingdom South Korean expatriate sportspeople in Germany South Korean expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia South Korean expatriate sportspeople in Canada Konkuk University alumni South Korean Christians Asian Games medalists in football Footballers at the 2002 Asian Games Asian Games bronze medalists for South Korea Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games Saudi Professional League players Sportspeople from Gangwon Province, South Korea