# Lee Tae-ho

Lee Tae-ho (Korean: 이태호; Hanja: 李泰昊; Korean pronunciation:; born January 29, 1961) is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a forward. He spent his entire career playing for the Daewoo Royals. In the history of the FIFA World Cup, he was the first player to be blind in one eye.

## International career

Before starting his professional career, he was the first South Korean to score at the FIFA World Youth Championship. His goal came against Canada at the 1979 tournament. Afterwards, he was called the "Korean Gerd Müller" for his scoring ability. He contributed to South Korea's gold medal at the 1986 Asian Games. During the K-League match against POSCO Atoms, his right eye was injured in 1987 after Nam Ki-young hit him in Lee's face with his foot, resulting in the latter losing his sight. However, his blindness was not enough to stop his performance. He became the top goalscorer in the 1988 AFC Asian Cup and participated at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

## Career statistics
### International

    Results list South Korea's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 24 April 1981 | Kuwait City, Kuwait | Thailand | 4–1 | 5–1 | 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 1 March 1982 | Calcutta, India | China | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1982 Nehru Cup |
| 3 | 10 March 1982 | Baghdad, Iraq | Iraq | ?–? | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 9 May 1982 | Bangkok, Thailand | Thailand | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1982 King's Cup |
| 5 | 11 June 1982 | Gwangju, South Korea | Bahrain | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1982 Korea Cup |
| 6 | 11 June 1982 | Gwangju, South Korea | Bahrain | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1982 Korea Cup |
| 7 | 6 June 1983 | Suwon, South Korea | Thailand | 3–0 | 4–0 | 1983 Korea Cup |
| 8 | 15 June 1983 | Seoul, South Korea | Ghana | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1983 Korea Cup |
| 9 | 3 June 1984 | Busan, South Korea | Guatemala | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1984 Korea Cup |
| 10 | 13 October 1984 | Calcutta, India | Pakistan | 1–0 | 6–0 | 1984 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 11 | 2 December 1984 | Singapore | Saudi Arabia | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1984 AFC Asian Cup |
| 12 | 2 March 1985 | Kathmandu, Nepal | Nepal | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 13 | 6 June 1985 | Daejeon, South Korea | Thailand | 3–1 | 3–2 | 1985 Korea Cup |
| 14 | 8 June 1985 | Gwangju, South Korea | Bahrain | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1985 Korea Cup |
| 15 | 26 October 1985 | Tokyo, Japan | Japan | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 16 | 28 September 1986 | Seoul, South Korea | China | 3–1 | 4–2 | 1986 Asian Games |
| 17 | 3 October 1986 | Seoul, South Korea | Indonesia | 3–0 | 4–0 | 1986 Asian Games |
| 18 | 6 January 1988 | Doha, Qatar | Egypt | 1–0 | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) | 1988 Afro-Asian Cup of Nations |
| 19 | 3 December 1988 | Doha, Qatar | United Arab Emirates | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1988 AFC Asian Cup |
| 20 | 14 December 1988 | Doha, Qatar | China | 1–0 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | 1988 AFC Asian Cup |
| 21 | 14 December 1988 | Doha, Qatar | China | 2–1 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | 1988 AFC Asian Cup |
| 22 | 5 May 1989 | Seoul, South Korea | Japan | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 23 | 25 May 1989 | Seoul, South Korea | Nepal | 2–0 | 9–0 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 24 | 3 June 1989 | Singapore | Nepal | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification |

## Honours

Korea University
* Korean National Championship runner-up: 1981
* Korean President's Cup: 1982
Daewoo Royals
* K League 1: 1984, 1987, 1991
* Korean National Championship: 1989
* Korean League Cup runner-up: 1986
South Korea U20
* AFC Youth Championship: 1978
South Korea
* Asian Games: 1986
* AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 1980, 1988
* Afro-Asian Cup of Nations: 1987
Individual
* Korean FA Best XI: 1981, 1984, 1987, 1988
* K League 1 Best XI: 1984, 1990
* AFC Asian All-Star: 1985
* AFC Asian Cup top goalscorer: 1988
* AFC Asian Cup Best Forward: 1988
* Korean National Championship Best Player: 1989
* Korean National Championship top goalscorer: 1989