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Lee Young-pyo (; ; born 23 April 1977) is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a right-footed left back. Lee was recognized for his speed and dribbling skills. His former manager Martin Jol once called him "the best left back in Holland".
Prior to playing for PSV Eindhoven and Tottenham Hotspur, Lee started his professional career at FC Seoul, then known as Anyang LG Cheetahs in the Korean K League and then spent two years with PSV Eindhoven of the Netherlands, earning high acclaim from PSV Coach Guus Hiddink, who had previously coached Lee and South Korea during the 2002 World Cup. Recognized as the best left-back in the Netherlands after the 2004–05 season, Tottenham signed him amidst heavy competition with several Serie A clubs. He transferred to Tottenham in August 2005.
On 19 November 2008, Lee became the seventh Korean player to earn 100 caps in a World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia. During the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, Lee captained the national team twice after the substitutions of the regular Korean captain, Park Ji-sung.
On January 1, 2021, he began his 2-year stint as the CEO of the first tier K League football team Gangwon FC.
In the beginning of 2006–07 season, Lee moved to right full-back due to Benoît Assou-Ekotto's impressive pre-season performance and an injury to regular right-back Paul Stalteri. Lee then faced increased competition when Tottenham signed French defender Pascal Chimbonda on the final day of the transfer period. Lee also suffered a knee injury and in August 2006, Tottenham offered his rights to Roma of Italy's Serie A, but he backed out at the last minute for "personal reasons". An Italian media report said religion played a part in his decision to reject the transfer offer. On 31 August 2006, Lee held a press conference in Korea and denied that religion was a factor in his decision. He said that moving to Roma would have been great for him in terms of football alone but he decided against it for personal reasons that he would not reveal, despite being pressed for answers by 50 attending reporters.
Lee regained his place in the first team when Assou-Ekotto's form began to falter, most notably in a very poor performance against arch-rivals Arsenal. Lee came on as a half-time substitute in that match and was a notable improvement, and was again preferred by Jol for the starting eleven, until a season-ending knee injury sustained in a UEFA Cup Quarterfinal match against Sevilla FC on 5 April.
On 9 August 2007, Tottenham manager Martin Jol announced that Lee would be "fit for selection" in "one or two weeks". On 18 August 2007, Lee made his first start of the season against Derby County. He continued to play regularly for Tottenham in the 2007–08 season, along with League Cup appearances against Blackpool, Manchester City and Arsenal. He missed the final but earned a medal for his contributions.
He played his final professional game on 27 October 2013 in Vancouver in 3–0 win against the Colorado Rapids. After scoring the first and eventual game-winning goal, 2013 MLS Golden Boot-winner Camilo Sanvezzo presented Lee with the ball during the goal celebration.
| +Appearances and goals by club, season and competition |
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| +Appearances and goals by national team and year | |
| South Korea | 0 |
| 3 | |
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| +Appearances and goals by competition | ||
| Exhibition game | 50 | 1 |
| Minor competitions | 12 | 1 |
| CONCACAF Gold Cup | 7 | 0 |
| AFC Asian Cup qualification | 6 | 0 |
| AFC Asian Cup | 16 | 1 |
| FIFA Confederations Cup | 3 | 0 |
| FIFA World Cup qualification | 21 | 2 |
| FIFA World Cup | 12 | 0 |
| + List of international goals scored by Lee Young-pyo | ||
| 1 | Workers' Stadium, Beijing, China | Friendly |
| 2 | Al-Maktoum Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 2000 LG Cup |
| 3 | International Olympic Stadium, Tripoli, Lebanon | 2000 AFC Asian Cup |
| 4 | Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
PSV Eindhoven
Tottenham Hotspur
Al-Hilal
South Korea U23
South Korea
Individual
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