# Lee Jung-hyo

Lee Jung-Hyo (born July 23, 1975) is a South Korean former football player and current manager of K League 1 club Gwangju FC.
Lee played for one club in his entire professional career with Busan I'Park making him a one-club man.
In March 2009, Lee announced his retirement from football.

## Playing career

He is one of the legends of Busan, a one-club man who has experienced Daewoo-Icons-IPark (former teams based in Busan).
As the captain of the Ajou University soccer team, he won the 1997 National University Football League Fall Championship and was named the tournament MVP.
After receiving attention through this tournament, he joined Daewoo Royals (now Busan I'Park), the parent company of Ajou University.His first season with the Daewoo Royals (now Busan I'Park) was a difficult one for him. He couldn't play a single game due to injuries.
After returning from injury in 1999, he was recognized as an important player by interim manager Chang Woe-ryong in the second half of the season, and played a key role. He played 20 games in the season, mainly as a right-back. In 2000, he was recognized for his skills and signed a new contract with a signing bonus of 60 million won and an annual salary of 24 million won, but he was injured again and only played in 4 league games.
From 2001 to 2007, he played excellent as a fullback and wingback under several Korean coaches with good skills. In 2008, he was appointed as the captain as the most veteran player of the team under coach Hwang Sun-hong.
However, towards the end of the first half of the season, he suffered a serious injury and it became difficult for him to continue playing. In 2009, he ended his career as a player with a retirement ceremony at Busan Gudeok Stadium.

## Tactical style

Unlike other K-League coaches, Lee is famous for using state-of-the-art tactics. He also uses goalkeepers like field players to attract opponents and counterattacks. As Lee said in an interview, "I learn from Brighton and Arsenal's tactics, I will inherit those of Roberto De Zerbi and Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta.
The core of the pressing soccer used by Manager Lee Jung-hyo is the side. When the opposing goalkeeper catches the ball or catches the ball in the center, he waits while guarding the area, and when the ball is passed to the side, the wingback advances to a considerably high position and begins to press. At this time, the central midfielder also advances and blocks the opponent's ball path. Gwangju can play soccer by suppressing the opponent from above and continuing the attack through strong pressing tactics.
Manager Lee Jung-hyo also implanted high spatial awareness in Gwangju players. Thanks to this, Gwangju can play the ball organically with players not restricted by position during build-up and attack. For example, when the central defender advances and plays the build-up, the central midfielder drops down to cover the space, and when the ball is played in the midfield, the striker also drops down to create a momentary numerical advantage in the center and passes and advances.
During the attack, the midfielder and the striker move freely while keeping the opposing defense in check. In the meantime, the wingers and central midfielders endlessly penetrate the side space or half space to create a threatening situation. At this time, the wingbacks are given the role of ‘inverted’ to come in to cover the empty midfield space and help with the ball circulation or prepare for the opponent’s counterattack.

## Managerial career
### the early days of a leader

After retiring from Busan I'Park, he went through the process of obtaining a leadership certificate and was appointed as a coach in his alma mater Ajou University's soccer department since 2011.
After serving as a head coach under coach Ha Seok-joo, he was promoted to coach when Ha Seok-joo took over as manager of Jeonnam Dragons in August 2012, and began his coaching career early on. He has won numerous championship trophies for about three years at Ajou University and began to be recognized as a competent leader in the U-League.
Ahead of the 2015 season, he changed seats with coach Ha Seok-joo. He joined the Jeonnam Dragons as a coach and made his debut as a professional leader.

### the Nam Ki-il coaching team

With his appointment as a coach of Gwangju in 2016, he will serve as a major member of the division that will remain. Along with coach Ma Chul-joon and goalkeeper coach Ki Woo-sung, he continued to assist coach Nam Ki-il through Seongnam FC and Jeju United FC and served as the right arm of coach Nam Ki-il as a senior coach.
After that, he moved to Seongnam with Nam Ki-il, leading Seongnam to promotion and stay in the top division, and in 2020, he moved back to Jeju United, manager Nam Ki-il's former club, to build leadership as a senior coach, including Jeju's promotion and fourth place in the league.

### Gwangju

On December 28, 2021, he officially took over as the 7th manager of Gwangju FC, which was relegated to the K League 2, making his debut as a professional club manager, and returning to Gwangju after about five years.

### 2022 season in Gwangju

He made his managerial debut through the league's opening game against Gimpo FC, but unfortunately lost 1:2.
In a series of matches against Daejeon Hana Citizen, he beat everyone's expectations and achieved his first win since his debut as a coach. He was aggressive in this game, but he was aggressive and pushed Daejeon hard, blocking Daejeon's build-up and causing pass misses, interfering with the attack and stealing the ball. He showed strong pressure and prepared well for Daejeon, which plays a lot of soccer. It was a famous game that predicted Gwangju's victory.
In particular, with rookie Jung Ho-yeon as the first starter in the game, he blocked Lee Hyun-sik, Daejeon's playmaker, and blocked Daejeon's build-up. In addition, Jung Ho-yeon acted as a cleaner in the center of Gwangju, overwhelmed the center of Daejeon, raising the morale of the team and fans with determined plays and leading the game in an advantageous direction.
Since then, he has continued to rise, leading Bucheon 1995 and leading the league, and in the third round of the FA Cup away match against Incheon United in the K League 1, he has created a stir by winning 6-1 in a big victory.
Based on Gwangju's upturn, he became the winner of the Paradise City Coach of the Month award in April. Since the main prize is awarded through integration of the first and second parts, it is quite difficult for the K League 2 coach to receive, but he made it through.
In the face-off against Gimpo at home on September 3, he made an aggressive replacement while being dragged 0:1, resulting in a crazy come-from-behind victory by scoring goals in the 90th and 94th minutes. Now, regardless of the results of FC Anyang's fierce pursuit, if they achieve four wins, they can win the K League 2 title and win direct promotion on their own.
On Sept. 21, then-second-ranked Anyang lost to Daejeon at the FC Anyang vs. Daejeon Hana Citizen match. Thanks to the double-digit gap that it has accumulated, it has secured early victory in the K League 2 and promotion to the K League 1 regardless of the results of the remaining matches.
Along with the 2022 season's coach award, he contributed greatly to the team winning nine gold medals.

### 2023 season in Gwangju

On January 18, 2023, the Gwangju club officially announced that it had signed a two-year contract with manager Lee Jung-hyo.
He received attention for his unique answers that broke the mold at the opening media day of the K League 1. He wore Lee Eut-deum's uniform upside down out of comfort and care for Lee Eut-deum, who suffered a long-term injury after training hard. This time, he pointed out Lee Hee-kyun as the most notable player in Gwangju in 2023.
Lee Jung-hyo led Gwangju FC in the 2023 season based on his own tactics, and led the team to third place after twists and turns. Through this, he earned his first berth in the Asian Champions League since the foundation of Gwangju FC.

### 2024 season in Gwangju

With the end of the 2023 season and the news of the transfer of several coaches drawing attention, exclusive reports have emerged that they have agreed to renew their contracts with the Gwangju club on December 13, 2023. The contract lasts for three years, until 2027.
Lee's tactics are analyzed a lot by the opposing team, and he advanced to the Final B this season due to grass problems.
Although his performance is poor in the league, the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite has been cruising with victories so far, making him a coach who is receiving attention from all over the world.

## Controversies and incidents
### Comments on FC Seoul's tactics

He said this at a press conference after the loss to FC Seoul in the second round of 2023 in Gwangju: "What I'm most upset about is that we lost to a team that plays soccer like that."He made the above remarks at a press conference after losing the 2nd round match against FC Seoul in 2023 at the Gwangju Football Stadium. The remarks were met with criticism for disparaging FC Seoul and Coach Ahn Ik-soo's football. He was criticized as a rude coach who could not accept the result and disparaged the opponent.
Immediately after the remark, he also felt a sense of problem with the remark and later apologized to Coach Ahn Ik-soo and the Seoul players several times through personal contact and interviews.

### Manner ball remarks related to Gangwon

He made the above statement at a press conference after the 21st round match against Gangwon FC in 2023 held at Gangneung Stadium. "Gangwon tried to delay the time, but I think that was not the attitude of a professional. Also, I hope you don't expect 'manner ball' from us in the future."
The manager's remarks can be interpreted as pointing out the situation that occurred after Jeong Ho-yeon tackled Park Sang-hyeok near the halfway line in the second half of the day at around the 22nd minute. In particular, he directly expressed his dissatisfaction because he touched the ball first during the tackle and Gwangju continued to attack and even scored. The reason the manager strongly expressed his dissatisfaction by directly continuing to speak after the reporters' questions ended during the press conference was because of the situation that followed. When Park Sang-hyeok, who fell after the tackle, complained of pain for a while and could not get up, referee Koh Heung-jin blew the whistle and Gwangju eventually had to stop the attack while maintaining possession.

### Comment: "I wonder what coach Dan Petrescu's salary is"

On September 24, 2023, he made a provocation by asking about the salary of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors manager Dan Petrescu. The interview was criticized by most soccer fans, except for some public opinion supporting Lee Jung-hyo. The reason is that the salary is a personal information, and touching on this part is going too far. In fact, it is rare to touch on other managers' salaries overseas. On November 3, 2023, he added fuel to the fire by saying that he found out about Coach Petrescu's salary.

### Gwangju Bitgoeul Supporters' Banner Removal Incident

On April 3, 2024, during a home game against Incheon United, coach Lee Jung-hyo personally took down a banner put up by supporters. Bitgoeul supporters immediately protested and even considered boycotting the cheering at one point.
Immediately after the match, a brief meeting between the supporters' representative and coach Lee Jung-hyo took place, where coach Lee Jung-hyo expressed his deepest apology. Afterwards, Bitgoeul held internal discussions and requested a more clear explanation and apology, and coach Lee Jung-hyo contacted the supporters again on April 6th right before the away match against Gimcheon Sangmu to personally explain and apologize. The supporters responded with their usual strong cheers, and the incident was brought to a close.

### Controversy over attitude and swearing after Incheon United match

On May 25, 2024, during a press conference after the match against Incheon United at the Incheon Football Stadium, there was controversy over his aggressive response to a reporter's question. It seems that his dissatisfaction with Incheon's dramatic draw was revealed.
Incheon United brought along an unidentified reporter and used provocative remarks that seemed to irritate the manager, and there were opinions that Incheon United did not properly identify the reporter, and even if the reporters' questions were mild, it is likely that he intended to provoke Manager Lee Jung-hyo's nervous personality to get news stories, as can be seen from his nonverbal expressions.
After the press conference, a Gwangju FC official apologized on their behalf, saying, "We will be careful to prevent something like this from happening in the future."
The Korea Professional Football League requested a report on the incident and considered holding a disciplinary committee. The review of the account was concluded with a warning. Meanwhile, it was explained that the controversy over the swearing occurred during the process of selecting Gwangju players.

## Career statistics

| Club performance | Club performance | Club performance | League | League | Cup | Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Continental | Continental | Total | Total |
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| South Korea | South Korea | South Korea | League | League | KFA Cup | KFA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Asia | Asia | Total | Total |
| 1999 | Busan I'Park | K-League | 15 | 0 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | ? | ? | | |
| 2000 | Busan I'Park | K-League | 4 | 0 | ? | ? | 5 | 0 | - | - | | |
| 2001 | Busan I'Park | K-League | 22 | 0 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | - | - | | |
| 2002 | Busan I'Park | K-League | 25 | 2 | ? | ? | 7 | 0 | - | - | | |
| 2003 | Busan I'Park | K-League | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 20 | 0 |
| 2004 | Busan I'Park | K-League | 14 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 1 | - | - | 27 | 4 |
| 2005 | Busan I'Park | K-League | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | ? | ? | | |
| 2006 | Busan I'Park | K-League | 19 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | - | - | 30 | 3 |
| 2007 | Busan I'Park | K-League | 24 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1 | - | - | 35 | 3 |
| 2008 | Busan I'Park | K-League | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 12 | 0 |
| Total | South Korea | South Korea | 171 | 10 | | | 51 | 3 | | | | |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 171 | 10 | | | 51 | 3 | | | | |

## Managerial statistics

    As of match played 1 March 2025
Managerial record by team and tenure :
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Team | Nat | From | To | G | W | D | L | Win% |
| Gwangju | | 28 December 2021 | Present | 137 | 66 | 32 | 39 | 048.18 |
| Career Total | Career Total | Career Total | Career Total | 137 | 66 | 32 | 39 | 048.18 |

## Honours
### player

Busan I-Park
* K League runner-up : 1999
* Korean League Cup : 1999, 2001
* Korean FA Cup : 2004
Korean Super Cup runner-up : 2005

### Manager

Seongnam FC
* K League2 runner-up : 2018
Jeju United
* K League2 : 2020
Gwangju FC
* K League2 : 2022

### Individual

* K League Manger Award : 2022