Lee Geum-min


Lee Geum-min is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Championship club Birmingham City and the South Korea women's national team. She has previously played for Seoul City, Gyeongju KHNP, Manchester City and Brighton & Hove Albion.

Club career

Seoul WFC

On 4 November 2014, Lee was drafted first overall by Seoul WFC. She finished the 2015 season with six goals and two assists in 18 appearances. The following season, she scored nine goals and registered four assists in 18 appearances. In her final season with Seoul, Lee scored eleven goals and had six assists in 21 appearances.

Gyeongju KHNP

In 2018, Lee joined Gyeongju KHNP. On 23 April 2018, she made her debut in a 0–0 draw with Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels. On 14 May 2018, she scored twice in a 3–0 away victory against Changnyeong WFC. In her final game for Gyeongju KHNP, Lee scored a hat-trick as her team won 3–0 away at Boeun Sangmu, having previously scored two goals in the previous match, her last at home, a 5–2 win over Suwon UDC.

Manchester City

On 7 August 2019, Manchester City announced they had signed Lee on a two-year contract. She made her Women's Super League debut on 7 September 2019, coming on as a second-half substitute against Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium. The match broke the record attendance for a WSL match at 31,213. Lee made her UEFA Women's Champions League debut and first City start in a 7–1 away win against Swiss team FF Lugano 1976 on 12 September 2019. She scored her first goal for Manchester City on 12 October 2019, coming on as a late substitute at home to Birmingham City to seal a 3–0 victory.

Loan to Brighton & Hove Albion

On 24 July 2020, it was announced that Lee had joined WSL team Brighton & Hove Albion on loan for the 2020–21 season with head coach Hope Powell describing the signing as "a real coup." She made her debut for Brighton in the season opener, a 2–0 home win against Birmingham City on 6 September 2020. Lee made her FA Cup debut on 27 September 2020, starting in Brighton's quarter-final also against Birmingham City.
On 7 February 2021, Lee was part of the Brighton team that ended Chelsea's 33-match unbeaten run with a 2–1 victory for the Seagulls. Her first goal for Brighton, a header, came in the away fixture at Reading on 2 May 2021. Her second, a long-range hit, came just a minute later when she intercepted the ball from Reading's kick-off. The strike was described as an contender for WSL goal of the season. Lee then went on to score in Brighton's next fixture, an end-of-season game at home to Bristol.

Brighton & Hove Albion

Lee transferred permanently to Brighton from Manchester City in August 2021. She scored for Albion in their 2021–22 season opener against West Ham United on 5 September 2021. It was her fourth goal in her last three WSL games, including the final two matches of the previous season.

Birmingham City

In September 2024, Lee joined Women's Championship club Birmingham City on a two-year permanent deal for an undisclosed fee, subject to league and visa approval.

International career

Lee was a member of the under-16 team that won the 2009 AFC U-16 Women's Championship and was in the under-17 team that claimed the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup the following year. She made two appearances at the 2011 AFC U-19 Women's Championship, scoring two goals against Australia in a 4–2 win. In 2013, she helped South Korea win the 2013 AFC U-19 Women's Championship and qualify for the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Lee was selected by South Korea for the 2015 Women's World Cup and the 2019 Women's World Cup.

Career statistics

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
16 March 2013Tasos Markou Stadium, Paralimni, Cyprus2–02–02013 Cyprus Women's Cup
29 March 2016Nagai Stadium, Osaka, Japan3–04–02016 Olympic Games qualification
38 November 2016Hong Kong Football Club Stadium, Hong Kong10–013–02017 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup qualification
411 November 2016Hong Kong Football Club Stadium, Hong Kong1–014–02017 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup qualification
511 November 2016Hong Kong Football Club Stadium, Hong Kong11–014–02017 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup qualification
611 November 2016Hong Kong Football Club Stadium, Hong Kong12–014–02017 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup qualification
714 November 2016Hong Kong Football Club Stadium, Hong Kong4–09–02017 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup qualification
85 April 2017Kim Il-sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea3–010–02018 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification
95 April 2017Kim Il-sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea4–010–02018 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification
105 April 2017Kim Il-sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea7–010–02018 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification
119 April 2017Kim Il-sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea5–06–02018 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification
1213 April 2018King Abdullah II Stadium, Amman, Jordan2–04–02018 AFC Women's Asian Cup
1324 August 2018Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium, Palembang, Indonesia3–05–02018 Asian Games
1431 August 2018Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium, Palembang, Indonesia2–04–02018 Asian Games
1517 January 2019Wuhua County Olympic Sports Centre, Meizhou, China3–03–02019 Four Nations Tournament
166 April 2019Yongin Mireu Stadium, Yongin, South Korea2–22–3Friendly
1717 September 2021Pakhtakor Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan3–012–02022 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification
1817 September 2021Pakhtakor Stadium, Tashkent, Uzbekistan6–012–02022 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification
1924 January 2022Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune, India1–02–02022 AFC Women's Asian Cup
209 April 2022Goyang Stadium, Goyang, South Korea3–03–0Friendly
2119 February 2023Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry, England1–01–22023 Arnold Clark Cup
227 April 2023Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, South Korea2–25–2Friendly
237 April 2023Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, South Korea3–25–2Friendly
2411 April 2023Yongin Mireu Stadium, Yongin, South Korea1–05–0Friendly
2511 April 2023Yongin Mireu Stadium, Yongin, South Korea3–05–0Friendly
2611 April 2023Yongin Mireu Stadium, Yongin, South Korea4–05–0Friendly
2726 October 2023Xiamen Egret Stadium, Xiamen, China8–010–12024 Olympic Games qualification

Honours

South Korea