1. Lee Chung-yong is nicknamed "Blue Dragon", which is a literal translation of his given name "Chung-yong".
33 Facts About Lee Chung-yong
1. 2.
Lee Chung-yong joined FC Seoul, his first club in the 2004 season.
3.
Ever since his early debut at the age of 18 for the South Korean side FC Seoul in the 2006 season of K League, Lee has gathered much attention from domestic football fans of South Korea in general, particularly because in South Korean football, where new players mostly make their entrance into professional clubs through a draft system, dropping out of middle school to sign a contract with a top division football club was a very rare case.
4.
Subsequently, Lee Chung-yong dropped out of the school and joined FC Seoul.
5.
Lee Chung-yong was a substitute in the 2004 League Cup, In 2006, he debuted in the K League.
6.
That season, Lee Chung-yong began to break into the first team, playing in 15 league matches and scoring three goals.
7.
FC Seoul confirmed that Lee Chung-yong had agreed a deal to join Premier League side Bolton Wanderers.
8.
Lee Chung-yong had already agreed personal terms on a three-year contract with Bolton the previous week and underwent a successful medical.
9.
Lee Chung-yong was named Man of the Match in the match against Tottenham Hotspur, providing teammate Ricardo Gardner with an assist.
10.
Towards the end of April 2012, Lee Chung-yong started training with the Bolton first team again and was hopeful of playing a game or two before the season concluded.
11.
Every game Lee Chung-yong had scored in for Bolton, Bolton had won.
12.
However, during the second half of the season, Lee Chung-yong appeared to be getting closer to the form which marked him out as one of South Korea's top footballing talents.
13.
Lee Chung-yong finished the season with a respectable return of four goals and seven assists in the Championship.
14.
Lee Chung-yong scored in each of the last two games of the season as Bolton finished 14th in the table.
15.
On 2 February 2015, transfer deadline day, Lee Chung-yong signed for Premier League side Crystal Palace for an undisclosed fee with Barry Bannan going the other way on loan.
16.
Lee Chung-yong scored his first goal for the club against Shrewsbury Town in the League Cup on 25 August 2015.
17.
In June 2018, Lee Chung-yong was released by Crystal Palace on the expiry of his contract.
18.
Bolton attempted to re-sign their former player, but Lee Chung-yong failed to get a work permit, cancelling the move.
19.
Lee Chung-yong was packing to travel to Bolton when informed of this.
20.
On 4 March 2020, Lee Chung-yong signed for K League 1 club Ulsan Hyundai.
21.
Lee Chung-yong has played as a starting player much less frequently, but he has recently led his team to three consecutive league wins by coming in as a substitute and showing himself as a playmaker.
22.
On 31 May 2008, Lee Chung-yong was given his national team debut by manager Huh Jung-moo in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Jordan.
23.
Lee Chung-yong was one of the most consistent and important players in South Korea's successful seventh consecutive qualification for the FIFA World Cup and eighth overall, an Asian record.
24.
On 17 June 2010, Lee Chung-yong scored an injury time goal in the first half against Argentina in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
25.
Lee Chung-yong was named in the top 10 rising stars of the 2010 FIFA World Cup by Sports Illustrated.
26.
On 15 October 2013, Lee Chung-yong made his 50th appearance for the Korean national team in a friendly match against Mali.
27.
One month later, Lee Chung-yong captained the side in a friendly against Switzerland and scored the winning goal with an 87th-minute header.
28.
Lee Chung-yong was selected for the South Korea squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
29.
Lee Chung-yong started all three games as Korea were eliminated at the group stage.
30.
Lee Chung-yong was included in South Korea's squad for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.
31.
Lee Chung-yong was included in South Korea's preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup but did not make the final selection.
32.
Lee Chung-yong married his middle-school girlfriend at Hotel Shilla in Seoul on 12 July 2014.
33.
Lee Chung-yong said he shuns alcohol and smoking, and even refrains from drinking coffee.