Lee Seung-woo

Lee Seung-woo (Korean: 이승우; Hanja: 李昇祐; born 6 January 1998) is a South Korean footballer who plays as a left winger for Suwon FC.

This article is about a footballer. For the writer, see Lee Seung-u.

In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.
Lee Seung-woo
Lee in Seoul Plaza, South Korea in 2018
Personal information
Full name Lee Seung-woo
Date of birth (1998-01-06) 6 January 1998
Place of birth Suwon, Gyeonggi, South Korea
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s) Winger, attacking midfielder[2]
Team information
Current team
 Suwon FC
Number 11
Youth career
2011 Kwangsung Middle School
2011–2016 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 Barcelona B 1 (0)
2017–2019 Hellas Verona 37 (2)
2019–2021 Sint-Truiden 17 (2)
2021 → Portimonense (loan) 4 (0)
2022– Suwon FC 61 (21)
International career‡
2013–2015 South Korea U17 18 (13)
2015–2017 South Korea U20 16 (7)
2018–2021 South Korea U23 10 (4)
2018– South Korea 11 (0)
Medal record
Representing  South Korea
Men's football
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place2018 Jakarta-PalembangTeam
AFC U-16 Championship
Silver medal – second place2014 ThailandTeam[3]
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 02 Sep 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 June 2021
Lee Seung-woo
Hangul
이승우
Hanja
李昇祐
Revised RomanizationI Seungu
McCune–ReischauerRi Sŭngu

Early life
Lee in 2012

Aged 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] He was nicknamed the "Korean Messi" after showing his talent.[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 retained the option to repurchase him until 2019 for an undisclosed fee.[12]

On 24 September, he made his 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 the Serie B by finishing the league in 19th place. He scored one goal and provided two assists during 27 appearances in the 2018–19 Serie B. Verona was promoted to the Serie A by winning the promotion play-offs,[14] but he was excluded from Verona's plan for the next season.

Sint-Truiden

On 30 August 2019, Lee joined Belgian First Division A side Sint-Truiden.[15] He was excluded from the list of the squad for twelve consecutive matches, and this situation caused much controversy in South Korea.[16][17] His name was on the list for the first time against Genk on 29 November,[18] and he made his Belgian league debut against Waasland-Beveren on 26 December.[19] He finished his first season due to early termination of the Belgian league caused by the COVID-19 pandemic after making only four appearances.[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] However, he failed to score in six games where he played as a starter 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]

On 1 February 2021, Lee joined Primeira Liga side Portimonense on a six-month loan deal with an option to buy.[23] He had difficulty in leaving special impression on the new club. He left Portimonense after the end of his contract.

Suwon FC

In December 2021 Lee returned to his hometown of Suwon, signing with K League 1 side Suwon FC on a multi-year deal.[24]

International career

Lee made his international debut as a part of the South Korea under-16 team in the 2014 AFC U-16 Championship qualification. He scored four goals in a qualifier against Laos.[25]

In the 2014 AFC U-16 Championship, he showed overwhelming performances, leading South Korea to the final. He scored winning goals against Malaysia and Thailand in the group stage.[26] Afterwards, in the quarter-finals, he scored all two goals in a 2–0 win over Japan, and left a memorable scene. He destroyed Japan's defense by dribbling for about 50 meters, scoring his second goal.[27] In the semi-finals against Syria, he recorded one goal and four assists.[28] He became the tournament's best player and top goalscorer, although his team lost the final to North Korea.

Lee played for South Korea in the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, but he missed a crucial penalty against Belgium. South Korea lost to Belgium in the round of 16.[29]

Lee participated in the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup hosted by South Korea. He scored the winning goal and provided one assist in the first group match against Guinea.[30] He scored the opening goal after dribbling alone for 40 meters in the second match against Argentina.[31][32] South Korea was eliminated by a loss to Portugal in the round of 16.

In a friendly against Honduras just before the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Lee made his senior international debut and showed impressive performance including an assist.[33] He was selected for the World Cup team, playing two World Cup matches as a substitute.

Lee was named in the South Korea under-23 squad for the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang. In the round of 16 against Iran, he scored his first goal of the tournament.[34] In the semi-finals against Vietnam, he led South Korea to a 3–1 victory with two goals and one assist. In extra time of the final, he scored the crucial opening goal, contributing to a 2–1 victory over Japan. He won a gold medal after the final.[35]

Career statistics

Club
As of 28 May 2023[11]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Barcelona B 2015–16 Segunda División B 10———10
2016–17 Segunda División B 00———00
Total 1 0 — — — 1 0
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 4000——40
2020–21 Belgian First Division A 13200——132
Total 17200——172
Portimonense (loan) 2020–21 Primeira Liga 40———40
Suwon FC 2022 K League 1 351400——3514
2023 K League 1 30900——309
Total 652300——6523
Career total 1062530—3012225
  1. Appearances in Serie B Promotion play-offs.

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 European Portuguese). Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  24. Yoo, Jee-ho (3 December 2021). "Ex-Barca youth player Lee Seung-woo joins K League's Suwon FC". Yonhap News Agency.
  25. 한국 U-16 대표, 라오스에 4-1 완승 본선 진출. Naver.com (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 29 September 2013. 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. Archived from the original on 19 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  30. "(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.
  31. [한국 아르헨티나] '40m 질주 & 칩슛' 이승우는 진짜 '한국 메시'였다. Chosun.com (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  32. "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.
  33. 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). SPOTV News. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  34. "Korea beats Iran to move into last eight". The Korea Times. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  35. "Asian Games: Extra time goals allow South Korea to win soccer gold". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  36. "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.
  37. "Khrbin and Kerr land AFC Awards". The-AFC.com. AFC. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  38. 이승우, 올해의 베스트골 수상 (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 19 December 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
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