Lee Woon Jae
The Suwon Samsung Bluewings goalkeeper Lee Woon Jae is the most famous goalkeeper in the history of Korean football and he has the awards to prove it.? He has won three K-League titles with the Suwon Bluewings and has been a mainstay on the Korean national team for over 15 years.? He is most famous for winning a penalty shootout over Spain in the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup.
Lee Woon Jae has been with the Suwon Bluewings since their inception in 1996.? He has made over 200 caps for the team and only left them for a brief 2 year span while he served his mandatory military service from the 1999 until 2001. During that time he played for Gwangju Sangmu, Korea’s military sports complex that competes on the professional level.? During the 2008 campaign where Suwon won the K-League championship, Lee Won Jae played in all 26 league games and was the MVP of the K-League, the first time a goalkeeper has been named MVP.
However, it is the heroics of the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup that Lee Woon Jae will forever be known for.? On the way to becoming the first Asian team to ever make it to the World Cup semi-finals, Lee helped his team to beat world powerhouses Italy and Spain in the knockout stages. Both of those games went to extra-time but only the Spain game went to penalty kicks.? At the age of 35, Lee seems to be in the best shape of his life and wants to finish his career in Suwon, just not for a few more years. |
Home > History > Legends
