Lee Hoe-taik explained

Lee Hoe-taik
Fullname:	Lee Hoe-taik
Birth Date:	11 October 1946
Position:	Forward
Youthyears1:	1963
Youthclubs1:	Yongdungpo Technical High School
Youthyears2:	1963–1965
Youthclubs2:	Dongbuk High School
Collegeyears1:	1966
Collegeyears2:	1970–1973
College2:	Hanyang University
Years1:	1966
Years2:	1967–1969
Years3:	1973–1977
Years4:	1977
Years5:	1977–1978
Clubs5:	POSCO FC
Nationalyears1:	1965–1966
Nationalteam1:	South Korea U20
Nationalyears2:	1966–1977
Nationalteam2:	South Korea
Nationalcaps2:	82
Nationalgoals2:	21
Manageryears1:	1983–1985
Manageryears2:	1987–1992
Manageryears3:	1988–1990
Manageryears4:	1998–2003
Managerclubs4:	Jeonnam Dragons
Medaltemplates:	(as player) (as manager)

Lee Hoe-taik (born 11 October 1946) is a former South Korean football player and manager. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest South Korean forwards of all time.^[1] ^[2] He is also one of four players inducted into the Korean FA Hall of Fame.

Early life

Lee started his youth career late in high school, but showed a fast development. He was selected for the South Korea national team three years after beginning football in earnest. On 10 December 1966, Lee made his senior international debut against Thailand in the 1966 Asian Games.^[3]

Club career

Lee joined Yangzee,^[4] founded by the Korean Central Intelligence Agency to develop the national team.^[5]

In the 1967 Pestabola Merdeka, Lee scored three goals, contributing to team's title.^[3]

Yangzee also participated in the 1969 Asian Champion Club Tournament. Lee scored a hat-trick in the first group match against Mysore State.^[6] Lee was injured during the third group match against Bangkok Bank,^[7] but assisted the winning goal in the next match against Vietnam Police.^[8] Yangzee won all of the five matches including the semi-finals before the final, but it lost 1–0 to Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv after extra time in the final.

International career

Lee scored three goals in five matches of the 1968 Summer Olympics qualification. South Korea failed to qualify for the Olympics on goal difference, although their points were tied with Japan, the group winners.^[3]

In the 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification, Lee showed poor performance and couldn't prevent South Korea's elimination.^[9] However, Lee proved his worth again as an important playmaker in the 1969 King's Cup after the failure in the World Cup qualification. He assisted three winning goals against Laos,^[10] Malaysia,^[11] and Indonesia,^[12] leading South Korea to the title.

Lee's performance was continued in the 1970 Pestabola Merdeka. In the group stage, he scored the winning goal against Singapore,^[13] and assisted two goals against Indonesia.^[14] In the semi-finals and the final, Lee consecutively scored winning goals against India and Burma.^[15] ^[16]

On 5 September 1970, South Korea had a friendly match with Benfica. Lee scored the opener, but the match ended in a 1–1 draw with Eusébio's penalty equaliser.^[17]

Lee recorded a goal against Hong Kong and two assists against Malaysia in the 1970 King's Cup, helping South Korea win the competition again.^[3] ^[18]

Lee played for South Korea in the 1970 Asian Games, making the effort to won a major title. He scored the winning goal against Iran in the group stage,^[19] and assisted all of South Korea's two goals in the semi-finals against Japan.^[20] After defeating its biggest rivals, South Korea shared the gold with Burma by drawing 0–0 in the final. Lee was named the Korean FA Player of the Year as the largest contributor to three Asian titles of the national team in that year.

Lee also participated in the 1972 AFC Asian Cup. Lee scored the winning goal against Khmer Republic in the group stage.^[21] In the final against Iran, he assisted the equaliser, but South Korea finally lost 2–1 after extra time.^[22]

On 2 June 1972, South Korea had a friendly match with Santos, for which Pelé was playing. Lee scored a goal, but South Korea lost 3–2.^[23]

Style of play

Lee was nicknamed the "Leopard" in South Korea due to his innate stamina, rapid pace, and powerful shots.^[24] He was also proficient in creating chances, giving many key passes to other forwards in the middle.^[25]

Managerial career

Lee managed POSCO Atoms from 1987 to 1992 and won two K Leagues. Lee also managed the South Korea national team from 1988 to 1990.^[26] He finished the 1988 AFC Asian Cup as a runner-up, and recorded nine wins and two draws without a defeat in the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification. However, his team lost all three group matches in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, struggling at world-class level.

Career statistics

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
South Korea	1966	1	0
	1967	18	8
	1968	6	2
	1969	8	1
	1970	18	5
	1971	9	2
	1972	11	2
	1974	8	1
	1977	3	0
Career total		82	21

Appearances and goals by competition
Competition	Apps	Goals
Friendlies	8	0
Minor competitions	42	14
Asian Games	12	2
AFC Asian Cup qualification	4	1
AFC Asian Cup	4	1
Summer Olympics qualification	6	3
FIFA World Cup qualification	6	0
Total	82	21

Results list South Korea's goal tally first.

List of international goals scored by Lee Hoe-taik
No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Score	Result	Competition
1	5 August 1967	Taipei, Republic of China	4	1–0	7–0	1968 AFC Asian Cup qualification
2	11 August 1967	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	6	3–1	3–1	1967 Pestabola Merdeka
3	20 August 1967	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	9	1–0	3–0	1967 Pestabola Merdeka
4	23 August 1967	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	10	3–1	3–1	1967 Pestabola Merdeka
5	28 September 1967	Tokyo, Japan	12	3–1	4–2	1968 Summer Olympics qualification
6	7 October 1967	Tokyo, Japan	15	1–2	3–3	1968 Summer Olympics qualification
7	9 October 1967	Tokyo, Japan	16	?–0	5–0	1968 Summer Olympics qualification
8	12 November 1967	Saigon, South Vietnam	18	1–0	3–0	1967 South Vietnam Independence Cup
9	12 August 1968	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	20	1–2	3–2	1968 Pestabola Merdeka
10	21 August 1968	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	23	2–1	2–1	1968 Pestabola Merdeka
11	21 November 1969	Bangkok, Thailand	31	2–0	2–0	1969 King's Cup
12	4 August 1970	Penang, Malaysia	36	1–0	4–0	1970 Pestabola Merdeka
13	13 August 1970	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	39	3–2	3–2	1970 Pestabola Merdeka
14	16 August 1970	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	40	1–0	1–0	1970 Pestabola Merdeka
15	10 November 1970	Bangkok, Thailand	41	2–0	3–0	1970 King's Cup
16	11 December 1970	Bangkok, Thailand	46	1–0	1–0	1970 Asian Games
17	9 May 1971	Seoul, South Korea	54	1–0	2–0	1971 Korea Cup
18	9 May 1971	Seoul, South Korea	54	2–0	2–0	1971 Korea Cup
19	10 May 1972	Bangkok, Thailand	61	2–0	4–1	1972 AFC Asian Cup
20	23 July 1972	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	68	1–0	2–0	1972 Pestabola Merdeka
21	13 September 1974	Tehran, Iran	78	1–1	2–3	1974 Asian Games