Lee Eul-yong

Lee Eul-yong (; born 12 October 1975) is a South Korean football manager and former professional player.

Early life Lee was born in Taebaek, Gangwon, and attended high school in Gangneung. He continued his football career during his school days, but he failed to join a university football club. He stopped playing football for a while before receiving an offer to join semi-professional club Korea Railroad. His son, Lee Tae-seok, too is a football player.

International career Lee was part of the South Korean national team in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Noted for his accurate kicks including free-kicks, he provided two assists against Poland and the United States, and scored a free-kick against Turkey. After the World Cup, he transferred to Trabzonspor with the help of Tınaz Tırpan.

In September 2006, after a match against Chinese Taipei, Lee announced that he would retire from the national team to focus on FC Seoul and also to make way for younger players in the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Personal life Internet meme

Lee is well known by most South Koreans and other Asian football fans for a famous incident which is sometimes referred as "Eul-yong Ta ," and roughly translated as 'Eul-yong Strike/Smash'. The incident occurred during a match against China in the inaugural East Asian Cup in December 2003.

During the second half of the game, Chinese forward Li Yi kicked Lee in the shins immediately after he finished his pass. Visually upset with Li's violent play, Lee slapped Li on the back of his head. Li Yi started rolling on the pitch grabbing his head in an apparent exaggeration. For a while the entire Chinese and Korean squad ran toward the scene but further conflict did not occur, as the referee awarded a yellow card for Li and red card for Lee. Korea defeated China in the match, and Lee became the source of a popular internet meme after the incident.

Career statistics Club

International Results list South Korea's goal tally first.

Filmography Television Year Title Role Note(s) 2015 Cheongchun FC Hungry Eleven Himself 2020 We Can Game Himself 2022 Gundesliga Himself 2022–present Kick a Goal Season 3 Himself

Honours Player Sangmu FC Korean Semi-professional League (Autumn): 1996, 1997 Korean National Championship: 1996

Bucheon SK Korean League Cup: 2000+

Trabzonspor Turkish Cup: 2003

FC Seoul Korean League Cup runner-up: 2007

South Korea EAFF Championship: 2003

Individual K League All-Star: 2001, 2003, 2004

Television personality + List of awards and nominations received by TV personality Lee Eul-yong Award ceremony Year Category Nominated work Result SBS Entertainment Awards 2022 Leader of the Year Award Kick a Goal