Lee Ho-jae (footballer)
|
Lee in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 October 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Suwon, Gyeonggi, South Korea | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Pohang Steelers | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2015 | Onehunga Sports | ||
| 2016–2018 | Incheon United | ||
| 2018–2020 | Korea University | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021– | Pohang Steelers | 129 | (35) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2025– | South Korea | 3 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 30 November 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 15 July 2025 | |||
| Lee Ho-jae | |
| Hangul | 이호재 |
|---|---|
| RR | I Hojae |
| MR | I Hojae |
Lee Ho-jae (Korean: 이호재; born 14 October 2000) is a South Korean professional footballer, who plays as a center-forward for Pohang Steelers[1] and the South Korea national team.
Club career
After completing his youth development between New Zealand, with NRFL Premier club Onehunga Sports, and South Korea, where he played for Incheon United while his father Lee Ki-hyung was coaching the first team, Lee entered Korea University and eventually graduated in 2020.
At the start of 2021, Lee officially started his professional football career by joining K League 1 side Pohang Steelers. He subsequently made his professional debut on 28 February 2021, when he came in as a substitute for the injured Alex Grant in the 83rd minute of the 2-1 win against Incheon United.
On 28 June of the same year, he also made his debut in the AFC Champions League, as he replaced Goh Young-jun in the 88th minute of the group stage match against Malaysian side Johor Darul Ta'Zim, which ended up in a 4–1 win for Pohang.
On 3 October 2021, after coming in as a substitute for Lee Seung-mo in the 76th minute of a league match against Gwangju FC, he scored his first and second professional goals (respectively, in the 83rd and 90th minutes), which proved to be crucial as his team ultimately gained a 3–2 come-back victory.[2]
International career
Lee joined the South Korean under-23 national team for the first time in September 2021, when he was invited by manager Hwang Sun-hong to take part in a training camp in Paju.[2]
Personal life
He is the son of former professional footballer and manager Lee Ki-hyung, who represented South Korea at full international level. He moved to New Zealand in 2007 when his father signed for Auckland City.[2]
Career statistics
- As of 11 December 2025
| Club performance | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 2021 | Pohang Steelers | K League 1 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5[a] | 0 | 20 | 2 |
| 2022 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 17 | 3 | |||
| 2023 | 37 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 6[a] | 2 | 47 | 12 | ||
| 2024 | 27 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2[a] | 0 | 31 | 10 | ||
| 2025 | 34 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 5[b] | 3 | 40 | 18 | ||
| Career total | 129 | 35 | 8 | 5 | 18 | 5 | 155 | 45 | ||
- ^ a b c Appearances in AFC Champions League Elite
- ^ Two appearances and one goal in AFC Champions League Elite, three appearances and two goals in AFC Champions League Two
International
- Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first.[3]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 July 2025 | Yongin Mireu Stadium, Yongin, South Korea | Hong Kong | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2025 EAFF Championship |
References
- ^ "K League".
- ^ a b c Jung, Mu-yeol (4 October 2021). "Lee Ho-jae, son of former South Korean international and Incheon manager Lee Kihyung, made a great impression with a brace including his first pro goal after gaining his confidence in Korea U23 National Team training. He is def the one to watch for future". Twitter. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
- ^ "Lee, Ho-jae" (in Korean). Retrieved 11 July 2025.
External links
- Lee Ho-jae at Soccerway
- Lee Ho-jae – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)