Playing position Name Lee Jung-soo Career start 2002 Years Team Weight 76 kg | 1998–2001 Kyunghee University Height 1.85 m Number 40 Role Footballer | |
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Date of birth (1980-01-08) 8 January 1980 (age 36) Current team Al Sadd SC (#40 / Defender) Similar People Huh Jung‑moo, Park Chu‑young, Lee Chung‑yong, Yeom Ki‑hun, Kim Jae‑sung | ||
Lee Jung-soo (Korean: 이정수; born 8 January 1980) is a South Korean footballer who plays as a central defender.
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K League
Lee started his career at FC Seoul in 2002 then known as Anyang LG Cheetahs and stay at the club for 2 years and joined Incheon United where in his first season, the club became second place behind Busan IPark.
Originally he was a forward. However, in 2003 his coach Cho Kwang-rae advised him to switch positions to a defender because Cho's team had too many foreign attackers. He accepted the coach's suggestion. He is known for his speed and goal-scoring ability even as a center back and scoring in set piece situations.
In 2006, Lee moved to Suwon Samsung Bluewings where in 2008 the club won not only the League Cup but also the K-League.
J.League
In 2009, Lee joined Japanese side Kyoto Sanga FC. Lee made his debut for the club in a 1–0 win over Vissel Kobe on 8 March 2009. Lee's first goal came when he scored a header in a 2–1 win over Gamba Osaka on 22 March 2009. Lee elected to the MVP from the second year in a row as he participated in J.League selection of J.League All-Star Soccer, to determine the second point, such as participation in the full team was held on 8 August.
On 22 March 2010, Lee joined another Japansese side Kashima Antlers. On 27 March 2010, Lee scored on his debut in a 3–1 win over Montedio Yamagata. His second goal came when he scored a header in a 3–1 win over Yokohama F. Marinos on 24 April 2010. After the World Cup with good performance with 2 goals in 4 appearance, Lee made his return for the club which he made his last appearance for club before moving to Qatar in a 2–1 win against Kawasaki Frontale where he scored a header which turns to be a winning goal on a 78 minutes on 17 July 2010.
Al Sadd
On 22 July 2010, he transferred to Qatar club Sadd Sports Club as his recent move to Kashima Antlers was short lived.
In the 2011 AFC Champions League semi-final first leg against his former club Suwon Bluewings, Lee was involved in a heated argument with Al Sadd teammates following Mamadou Niang's controversial second goal, which was scored after Suwon claimed to have put the ball out to allow treatment to injured players, thus inferring possession should have been returned to the Korean club. Lee said that the goal was 'unfair' and suggested Al Sadd should give a goal back although the idea was rejected. The situation prompted Lee to walk off the pitch requiring his coach Jorge Fossati to substitute him with Ibrahim Majid from the remainder of additional time.
Al Sadd won the AFC Champions League final against Jeonbuk in South Korea on penalties. Lee was chosen to take a penalty but his shot hit the crossbar, making him the only Al Sadd player to miss in the penalty shootout.
In June 2012, Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande confirmed their interest in signing Lee and, according to the Jinghua Times, claimed that they signed him following his contract rejection from Al Sadd. However, Lee rejected the Guangzhou Evergrande offer and signed a one-year extension with Al Sadd.
NB: Friendly match against Oman (on 3 June 2009) was not full A-match.