Lee Seung-woo

Lee Seung-woo (Korean: 이승우; Hanja: 李昇祐; born 6 January 1998) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Portimonense on loan from Sint-Truiden and the South Korea national team.

Lee Seung-woo
Lee in Seoul Plaza, South Korea in 2018
Personal information
Full name Lee Seung-woo
Date of birth (1998-01-06) January 6, 1998
Place of birth Suwon, Gyeonggi, South Korea
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Position(s) Winger
Attacking midfielder[2]
Club information
Current team
 Portimonense
(on loan from Sint-Truiden)
Number 10
Youth career
2011 Kwangsung Middle School
2011–2016 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 Barcelona B 1 (0)
2017–2019 Verona 37 (2)
2019– Sint-Truiden 17 (2)
2021– → Portimonense (loan)
National team‡
2013–2015 South Korea U17 18 (13)
2015–2017 South Korea U20 16 (7)
2018– South Korea U23 6 (4)
2018– South Korea 11 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 January 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 June 2019
Lee Seung-woo
Hangul
이승우
Hanja
李昇祐
Revised RomanizationI Seungu
McCune–ReischauerRi Sŭngu
This article is about a footballer. For the writer, see Lee Seung-u.
In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.

Early life
Lee in 2012

At age of 12, Lee caught the attention of FC Barcelona after he finished as the top scorer in the 2010 Danone Nations Cup, one of the most prestigious youth football tournaments.[4] He joined Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia, and scored 39 goals in 29 appearances during his first season.[5] He was also named the best player in four youth tournaments: Torneo Canillas,[6] Memorial Gaetano Scirea,[7] Trofeo San Bonifacio,[8] and Gabala Cup;[9] and was nicknamed the "Korean Messi".[10] However, he was banned from playing in the regular season for three years until his 18th birthday by transfer regulations of FIFA.[4][5] On 13 March 2016, he made his senior debut for the B team.[11]

Club career

Verona

On 31 August 2017, Lee joined Italian club Hellas Verona on a four-year deal, for a fee of €1.5 million. Barcelona retains the option to repurchase him until 2019 for an undisclosed fee.[12] On 24 September 2017, he made a Serie A debut for Verona in the second half of the game against Lazio.[13] On 6 May 2018, he scored his first Serie A goal in an away match against Milan, but his team lost 4–1.[11] Verona was relegated to Serie B by finishing their league as 19th place. In the 2018–19 season, he recorded one goal and two assists in 27 appearances, and his team was promoted to the Serie A by winning the promotion play-offs.[14]

Sint-Truiden

On 30 August 2019, Lee joined Belgian First Division A side Sint-Truiden.[15] He was excluded from the list of squad for twelve consecutive matches, and this situation caused much controversy in South Korea.[16][17] On 29 November 2019, his name was on the list for the first time against Genk, but didn't appear.[18] On 26 December 2019, he made his Belgian league debut against Waasland-Beveren.[19] He finished his first season with only four appearances according to early termination of the Belgian league, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[20]

On 13 September 2020, he scored his first and second goal for Sint-Truiden against Royal Antwerp, but his team lost 3–2 despite his two goals.[21] He failed to score in six games, where he played as a starting member excluding a game against Antwerp, and his team also did not get a victory at the same time.[22] When he was being excluded from the squad again, some South Korean journalists recommended playing in South Korea to him.[22]

Loan to Portimonense

On 1 February 2021, Lee joined Primeira Liga side Portimonense on a loan deal with an option to buy.[23]

International career

Under-17 level

Lee made his international debut as a part of South Korea under-16 team competing for the 2014 AFC U-16 Championship qualification. He scored four goals against Laos.[24] In April 2014, he participated in the Montaigu Tournament with South Korea under-16 team, and they finished the tournament as runners-up after he scored two goals.[25]

In September, he led South Korea to another runners-up at the 2014 AFC U-16 Championship. He scored winning goals against Malaysia and Thailand in the group stage.[26] He led South Korea to a 2–0 victory against Japan in the quarter-final with two goals. He destroyed Japan's defense by dribbling alone for approximately 50 meters and struck his second goal after he received the ball at around the halfway line.[27] He recorded one goal and four assists against Syria in the semi-final which South Korea won 7–1.[28] He became the top goalscorer and MVP of the tournament, although his team lost to North Korea in the final.

At the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, South Korea advanced to the knockout stage as winner of their group by defeating Brazil and Guinea in the group stage. However, Lee missed a crucial penalty kick against Belgium in the round of 16 where they eventually lost 2–0.[29] He shortly returned to South Korea afterwards to train with the second division side Suwon FC until January 2016, when he turned 18 and became able to participate in official matches for Barcelona again.

Under-20 level

In May 2015, Lee was the youngest member of South Korea under-18 team that participated in the Suwon JS Cup, hosted by Park Ji-sung.[30] In September 2015, he also played in an under-17 competition, Suwon Continental Cup, and scored two goals against Croatia.[31] In March 2017, Lee participated in the Adidas U-20 Tournament to prepare the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He scored two goals against Zambia in the second game of the tournament, including a chip shot.[32]

He was named in the under-20 squad for the 2017 U-20 World Cup, hosted in South Korea. He scored the winning goal and assisted team's second goal in the first group match against Guinea.[33] He scored the opening goal after dribbling alone for 40 meters against Argentina in the second match,[34] and this goal was ranked fourth in top 10 goals of the tournament.[35] South Korea advanced to the knockout stage with previous two victories although they lost their final group match against England. However, they lost to Portugal without Lee's goal in the round of 16.

2018 World Cup

In May 2018, Lee was called for senior national side for the first time before 2018 FIFA World Cup, and was also named in South Korea's preliminary 28-man squad.[36] On 28 May 2018, he has played a big part in South Korea's 2–0 victory over Honduras in Daegu Stadium. He showed short passes, bold dribbling and witty play in midfield, and also assisted Son Heung-min's starting goal.[37] He participated in two matches of the 2018 World Cup as a substitute.

2018 Asian Games

Lee was named in the South Korea under-23 squad for the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang by coach Kim Hak-bum. At 23 August, when Korea was playing against Iran, he scored his first goal of the Asian Games, leading to the victory of the team by 2–0.[38] At the semi-final against Vietnam, he scored two goals and led his team to the final by 3–1. At the final against Japan, he started the game as a sub, and switched with Kim Jung-min during the second half. Both teams could not score in the first 90 minutes, but he scored the opening goal in extra time, and contributed to a 2–1 victory. Lee and his teammates won the gold medal in the Asian Games.[39]

Career statistics

Club
As of 12 December 2020[11]
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Barcelona B 2015–16 Segunda División B 10———10
Hellas Verona 2017–18 Serie A 14120——161
2018–19 Serie B 23 110— 3[lower-alpha 1] 0271
Total 37 2 3 0 — 3 0 43 2
Sint-Truiden 2019–20 Belgian First Division A 40———40
2020–21 Belgian First Division A 13200——132
Total 172———172
Career total 55430—30614
  1. Appearances in Serie B Promotion play-offs.

International
As of 11 June 2019[40]
National teamYearAppsGoals
South Korea U17 201334
201497
201562
Total1813
South Korea U20 201530
201642
201795
Total167
South Korea U23 201864
South Korea 201870
201940
Total110
Career total5124

Honours

South Korea U17

South Korea U23

Individual

References
  1. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – List of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 4 June 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  2. 중앙에 자리잡은 이승우 "내가 좋아하는 포지션" (in Korean). Goal. 6 April 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  3. 2014년 08월 26일 현재, U-16 대표팀 명단 (AFC U-16 챔피언십, 태국). JoinKFA.com (in Korean). JoinKFA. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  4. Price, Steve (25 January 2016). "The South Korean Prodigies Held Back by Barcelona's Transfer Ban". TheseFootballTimes.co. These Football Times. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  5. Duerden, John (3 July 2015). "Teenager Seung-woo builds bridge between Korea and Barcelona". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  6. "El infantil del Barça, campeón en Canillas". Sport.es (in Spanish). Sport. 18 September 2011. Archived from the original on 31 December 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  7. "El cadete B del Barça, campeón en Italia tras ganar al Milan en el último segundo". Sport.es (in Spanish). Sport. 10 September 2012. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  8. "Lee Seung Woo miglior giocatore del torneo". TrofeoSanBonifacio.com (in Italian). Verona Soccer Cup. 2 May 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  9. "2nd Gabala Cup - Awarding Ceremony - Video". GabalaFC.az. Gabala FK. 1 June 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  10. "Barcelona's 'Korean Messi' Seung-Woo Lee turns 18". AS.com. Diario AS. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  11. Lee Seung-woo at Soccerway
  12. "Barcelona sell Lee Seung-Woo to Hellas Verona for €1.5m". ESPN.com. ESPN. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  13. "Pagelle Verona, Bearzotti e Lee sono gli unici che non vanno a fondo". Hellas1903.it (in Italian). Hellas1903. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  14. "Lee Seung-woo 2018-2019 Match Logs". FBref.com. FBref.com. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  15. "#WELCOMESEUNGWOO". STVV.com. Sint-Truidense V.V. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  16. 이승우, 신트트라위던 12경기 연속 엔트리 제외 [오피셜]. Naver,com (in Korean). Maeil Business Newspaper. 24 November 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  17. Seo, Hyung-wook (30 October 2019). [서형욱] 달라질 이승우에, 조롱 대신 응원을. Naver.com (in Korean). Naver Sports. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  18. 이승우, 벨기에 프로축구 데뷔 기회…'첫 소집명단 포함'. Naver.com (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 30 November 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  19. 이승우, 벨기에리그 데뷔…공격포인트는 다음으로. Naver.com (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. 27 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  20. "Belgium's Pro League cancelled and Club Brugge set to be declared champions due to coronavirus". Goal. 2 April 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  21. "Sint-Truidense VV - Royal Antwerp FC". SofaScore. 13 September 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  22. 잊혀져가는 이승우, 더 늦기 전에 한국행은 어떨까. Naver.com (in Korean). OhmyNews. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  23. Sepúlveda, Pedro (1 February 2021). "Seung-woo Lee vai reforçar o Portimonense" [Seung-woo Lee will reinforce Portimonense]. SIC Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  24. 한국 U-16 대표, 라오스에 4-1 완승 본선 진출. Naver.com (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 29 September 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  25. "Matchs Arbitres Buteurs Nations" (PDF). Mondial-Football-Montaigu.fr (in French). Mondial Football Montaigu. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  26. "Lee Seung-Woo scores again / AFC U16 Quarterfinals with Japan on Sunday". TaegukWarriors.com. Tavern of the Taeguk Warriors. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  27. "U-16 Japan National Team lose to Korea at AFC U-16 Championship, failing to qualify for U-17 World Cup". JFA.jp. JFA. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  28. Duerden, John (9 June 2018). "Lee Seung-woo: Korean Messi who had to leave Barça to further career". TheGuardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  29. "Lee Seungwoo: I want to go further than we did in Chile". FIFA.com. FIFA. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  30. 이승우-백승호도 그들에게는 '선수 한 명'일 뿐. Naver.com (in Korean). No Cut News. 28 April 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  31. -수원컵축구- '이승우 2골 폭발' 한국, 크로아티아 2-2 무승부. Naver.com (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 4 September 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  32. [한국-잠비아] 투지부터 칩슛까지, 다 보여준 이승우. Naver.com (in Korean). Sportalkorea. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  33. "(U20 World Cup) Barca youngster shines in S. Korea's victory vs. Guinea". KoreaTimesUS.com. The Korea Times. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  34. [한국 아르헨티나] '40m 질주 & 칩슛' 이승우는 진짜 '한국 메시'였다. Chosun.com (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  35. "T O P 10 G O A L S - FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Rep. 2017 [OFFICIAL]". YouTube.com. FIFATV. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  36. "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad – 23-man & preliminary lists & when will they be announced?". Goal.com. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  37. Lee, Jong-hyun (30 May 2018). 西언론 "이승우, 월드컵 최종 23인 발탁 유력…데뷔전 맹활약" [A Spanish press "Lee Seung-woo, the possibility of 23 finalists in the World Cup…Very active debut"] (in Korean). SPOTVNEWS. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  38. "Korea beats Iran to move into last eight". The Korea Times. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  39. "Asian Games: Extra time goals allow South Korea to win soccer gold". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  40. 이승우 LEE Seungwoo MF. KFA.or.kr (in Korean). KFA. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  41. "Lee scoops MVP, top scorer awards". The-AFC.com. AFC. 21 September 2014. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  42. "Khrbin and Kerr land AFC Awards". The-AFC.com. AFC. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  43. 이승우, 올해의 베스트골 수상 (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 19 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
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