Tadanari Lee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Tadanari Lee
李 忠成

Lee with Sanfrecce Hiroshima in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Tadanari Lee
Date of birth	(1985-12-19) 19 December 1985 (age 39)
Place of birth	Nishitokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	striker, attacking midfielder
Youth career
1998–2000	Yokogawa Electric
2001–2003	FC Tokyo
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004	FC Tokyo	0	(0)
2005–2009	Kashiwa Reysol	108	(24)
2009–2011	Sanfrecce Hiroshima	70	(26)
2012–2014	Southampton	7	(1)
2013	→ FC Tokyo (loan)	13	(4)
2014–2018	Urawa Red Diamonds	133	(24)
2019	Yokohama F. Marinos	10	(1)
2020–2021	Kyoto Sanga	22	(0)
2022–2023	Albirex Niigata (S)	45	(21)
International career
2007–2008	Japan U23	12	(4)
2011–2012	Japan	11	(2)
Medal record Representing  Japan AFC Asian Cup Gold 2011 Qatar
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Tadanari Lee (李 忠成, Lee Tadanari, born 19 December 1985) is a Japanese former footballer. He played as a striker or attacking midfielder. He also played 11 games for the Japan national team. Some people know him as "Chung," which comes from his Korean name, Lee Chung-seong.

Lee is famous in Japan for a special moment. He came into the 2011 AFC Asian Cup final in Qatar as a substitute. In the 109th minute, he scored his first goal for Japan. This goal helped Japan win 1–0 against Australia. It gave Japan their fourth Asian Cup title.

Early Life and Football Start

Tadanari Lee was born on December 19, 1985. His parents were Zainichi Korean, meaning they were Koreans living in Japan. He was born in Tanashi, Tokyo, which is now called Nishitokyo. His father was also a football player. He played for a team called Yokohama Tristar FC.

Lee's Korean name is Lee Chung-seong. He also used the Japanese name Tadanari Ōyama (大山 忠成, Ōyama Tadanari) for a while.

Starting His Football Journey

Lee began playing football at a young age with Komine FC. Later, he joined Yokogawa Electric. In 2001, he moved to the FC Tokyo youth team. With FC Tokyo, his team finished second in several big youth tournaments. These included the All Japan Club Youth Soccer tournament and the J.League Youth tournament.

He briefly trained with the South Korea U-19 and U-20 teams. However, he did not play in any official games for them. During this time, he faced some difficulties because of his background.

Club Career Highlights

Playing in Japan

Lee became a professional player with FC Tokyo in 2004. In 2005, he moved to Kashiwa Reysol. He played there for several years before joining Sanfrecce Hiroshima in 2009.

Time with Southampton in England

On January 11, 2012, Lee got permission to play in England. He officially joined Southampton on January 25, 2012. He made his first appearance for Southampton on January 28, 2012. This was in an FA Cup match against Millwall.

Lee scored his first goal for Southampton on February 18, 2012. It was a powerful shot in a 4–0 win against Derby County. A week later, he started his first league game against Watford. He helped his team win a penalty in that match. Sadly, he got injured on March 10, 2012, and missed the rest of the season. His goal against Derby County won Southampton's Goal of the Season Award.

After five months, he returned from his injury. He scored a goal in a League Cup game against Stevenage. On January 14, 2014, Lee left Southampton after two years.

Returning to Japan

On February 14, 2013, Lee went back to his old club, FC Tokyo, on loan. He played his first game back on March 2, 2013. He scored his first goal for FC Tokyo on March 23, 2013, against Kashima Antlers.

Success with Urawa Red Diamonds

Lee had a very successful time playing for Urawa Red Diamonds. He helped them win many important titles. These included the 2016 J.League Cup in 2016. They also won the Suruga Bank Championship and the 2017 AFC Champions League in 2017. In 2018, they won the 2018 Emperor's Cup.

Playing in Singapore

After nine years in Japan, Lee moved to Singapore. On January 1, 2022, he joined Albirex Niigata (S). He decided to donate all his goal bonuses, which were $200 per goal, to SportCares.

He played his first game for the club on January 19, 2022. He scored a penalty in the Singapore Community Shield match. Lee helped his team win the 2022 Singapore Premier League title in 2022. He continued to play for another season in 2023. On September 14, 2023, Lee announced he would retire at the end of the season. In his final league game, he scored two goals. His team won 5–0 and kept their league title.

International Career for Japan

In August 2008, Tadanari Lee was chosen to play for the Japan U-23 national team. He played in all three matches at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

After playing well for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Lee was called up to the Japan senior team. This was for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. He made his full international debut on January 9, 2011, against Jordan. His most famous international goal was in the 109th minute of the final. This goal secured a 1–0 win over Australia. It helped Japan win their fourth Asian Cup title.

Career Statistics

Club Performance

International Appearances and Goals

Goals for Japan

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	29 January 2011	Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar	Australia	0–1	0–1	2011 AFC Asian Cup final
2.	7 October 2011	Kobe Wing Stadium, Kobe, Japan	Vietnam	1–0	1–0	International friendly

Honours and Achievements

Tadanari Lee won many awards and championships throughout his career:

Sanfrecce Hiroshima

• J.League Cup runner-up: 2010

Southampton

• EFL Championship runner-up: 2011–12

Urawa Red Diamonds

• J.League Cup: 2016
• Suruga Bank Championship: 2017
• AFC Champions League: 2017
• Emperor's Cup: 2018

Yokohama F. Marinos

• J1 League: 2019

Albirex Niigata (S)

• Singapore Premier League: 2022, 2023
• Singapore Community Shield: 2023

Japan National Team

• AFC Asian Cup: 2011
• Kirin Cup: 2011

See also

In Spanish: Tadanari Lee para niños