Lee Hoe-taik

Lee Hoe-taik is a former South Korean football player and manager. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest South Korean forwards of all time. 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 Association football|football team|South Korea national team] three years after beginning football in earnest. On 10 December 1966, Lee made his senior international debut against Thailand at the 1966 Asian Games.

Club career

Lee joined Yangzee, founded by the Korean Central Intelligence Agency to develop the national team.
At the 1967 Merdeka Tournament, Lee scored three goals, contributing to the club's title.
Yangzee also participated at the 1969 Asian Champion Club Tournament. Lee scored a hat-trick in the first group match against Mysore State. Lee was injured during the third group match against Bangkok Bank, but provided an assist for the winning goal in the next match against Vietnam Police. Yangzee won all five matches until the semi-finals, but they lost 1–0 to Maccabi Tel Aviv after extra time in the final.

International career

Lee scored three goals in five matches of the [Football at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Men's qualification|1968 Football at the Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics qualification]. South Korea failed to qualify for the Olympics on goal difference, although their points were tied with Japan, the group winners.
Lee was lethargic while South Korea was eliminated in the group stage of the 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification, but he provided an assist for the winning goal in each of three matches against Laos, Malaysia, and Indonesia while winning the 1969 King's Cup after the failure in World Cup qualifiers.
Lee maintained the upturn at the 1970 Merdeka Tournament, scoring winning goals in a group stage match against Singapore, a semi-final match against India, and the final against Burma. On 5 September 1970, he scored the opener in a friendly against Benfica, which ended in a 1–1 draw after Eusébio's penalty equaliser. At the 1970 King's Cup, he had a goal against Hong Kong and two assists against Malaysia, helping South Korea defend their title.
At the 1970 Asian Games, Lee made efforts to won a major title. He scored the winning goal in a group stage match against Iran, and provided assists for all two of South Korea's goals in the semi-final win over Japan. After defeating their biggest rivals, South Korea shared the gold with Burma by drawing 0–0 in the final. That year, he was evaluated as the largest contributor to the national team's success including three Asian titles, being named the Korean FA Most Valuable Player.
Lee also played for South Korea at the 1972 AFC Asian Cup. He scored the winning goal in a group stage match against Khmer Republic. In the final against Iran, he provided an assist for the equaliser, but his team lost 2–1 after extra time.
On 2 June 1972, Lee scored a goal in a 3–2 friendly defeat to Santos, for which Pelé was playing.

Style of play

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

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. He finished runner-up at the 1988 AFC Asian Cup, and earned nine wins and two draws without a defeat at the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification. However, he lost all three matches in the group stage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup, struggling at world-class level.

Career statistics

International

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

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	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