Squad No: 1
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 37
Birth Date: Apr 26, 1973
Birth Place: Cheongju, South Korea
Height: 5' 11" (1.82m)
Weight: 181 lbs (82 kg)
Club: Suwon Bluewings (Korea)
International Caps: 130
Club History
Suwon Samsung Bluewings (KOR): 2001-
Sangmu (Army): 2000-2001
Suwon Samsung Bluewings (KOR): 1996-1999
from Wikipedia (full wiki)
Lee has been a member of the Korea Republic national football team since the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Even though he was now 33 years of age, he still started for South Korea at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, ahead of younger high-profile goalkeepers such as Kim Young Kwang. He captained the side at the 2007 Asian Cup in place of the injured Kim Nam-Il.
Lee is well-known for saving vital penalties during international competitions. In the 2002 World Cup, he made football history during the quarter-final between Spain and South Korea, which ended in a draw and went to penalties. After both sides scored their first three penalties, Korea scored its fourth goal, and Lee blocked Spain's fourth shot, taken by the 21-year old winger Joaquín. Korea scored its fifth penalty and went on to the semi-finals against Germany. In addition, he saved a total of three shootout penalties during the 2007 Asian Cup, two against Iran and one against Japan (they would win both matches and finish third overall).
Lee will be one of two players (other being Rigobert Song of Cameroon) to part of 2010 World Cup squad that also played in 1994 World Cup. Also joining one of seven players from Asia to play in 4 different World Cup.
from ESPN SoccerNet
The elder statesman of the team, Lee made his international debut for the Taeguk Warriors as long ago as March 1994 in a friendly with the USA and is poised to become the team's most-capped player of all-time in South Africa. This will be his fourth World Cup finals and he joins an elite band of players to have appeared on the biggest stage on a quartet of occasions.
His first major international tournament was the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and his senior position in the national side has seen him don the captain's armband from time to time.
A devout Christian, he was a hero of the 2002 World Cup campaign when his side rewrote the form book to go all the way to the semi-finals. His most sparkling moment of glory came in the quarter-final penalty shoot-out against Spain, decisively blocking Joaquin's kick.
from FIFA.com
Korea Republic’s most capped player in the current squad, Lee Woon-Jae is regarded by many as the first choice goalkeeper during the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. Although he may not be the tallest among the South Korean custodians of all time, ‘Spider Hands’ has become one of the most reliable figures between the sticks.
In 1996, he began his professional career at Suwon Samsung Bluewings where he has enjoyed a series of successes including four national championships, two Korean FA Cups, two Super Cups as well as an Asian Club Championship in his 14 seasons so far.
Lee made his debut at the FIFA World Cup as a half-time substitute in Korea Republic’s final group game against Germany at USA 1994. With his confidence boosted by a solid performance in Dallas, he went on become a permanent fixture in the national team.
He was the first choice goalkeeper at the 2000 AFC Asian Cup in Lebanon where Korea Republic finished third under the guidance of coach Huh Jung-Moo. Despite missing out on the squad for France 1998, Lee returned to help his country achieve groundbreaking success at Korea/Japan 2002. He recorded two clean sheets in the victories over Poland and Portugal in the group stage before guiding the co-hosts into the last four with his heroics in the penalty shoot-out against Spain in the quarter-finals. Lee went on to feature in the semi-final against Germany and the third place match against Turkey, conceding six goals in seven games overall.
Despite wearing the captain’s armband for the first time in a major tournament, Lee’s second journey to the Asian Cup two years later was to be shortlived. Although he kept clean sheets against Jordan, UAE and Kuwait in the group stage, the Taeguk Warriors were eliminated in the quarter-finals after a 4-3 defeat by Iran.
Nevertheless, Lee was still an integral part of Korea Republic’s qualifying campaign for Germany 2006, conceding no more than seven times over the course of 12 matches in the second and the third round of the preliminary competition. But his third trip to the world finals came to a halt as the South Koreans made a premature exit from the group stage at Germany 2006.
Lee then went on to prove his worth again in the penalty shoot-outs against Iran and Japan in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, as Korea Republic finished third in the continental championship. Although he was subsequently suspended by the Korean FA for breaking team rules during the tournament, Lee returned in time for the crucial encounter with Saudi Arabia in the final round of qualifying for South Africa 2010 to lead his country to a 2-0 win in Riyadh in November 2008. He went on to take part in the remaining qualifiers, conceding only two goals in six matches as the Taeguk Warriors secured their seventh consecutive appearance at world football’s showpiece event.
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