I've never seen a director like this before…Lee Jung Hyo's relentless high kick!
I've never seen a director like this before…Lee Jung Hyo's relentless high kick!
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Gwangju FC coach Lee Jung-hyo is a key keyword in Korean soccer in 2025 as well as Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, and Lee Kang-in. Despite leading a team of citizens, which is not a big club in the K-League of Korean professional football, he has steadily succeeded in levelling up over the past four years, increasing its ripple effect. Now, his actions and every word he says are drawing keen attention from Korean society beyond soccer fandom.
Coach Lee Jung-hyo's value surged during the round of 16 strongest teams at the AFC Champions League (ACLE) from 2024 to 25. The team lost 0-2 in the first away match against Vissel Kobe, which is heavily backed by the Rakuten Group, which is dubbed the "Amazon of Japan." Thanks to perfect tactics in the second round match held at home, however, the team won 3-0, successfully reversing the trend.
Among the K-League teams, the only team that advanced to the quarterfinals of ACLE was Gwangju, a civic club, rather than a corporate club such as Ulsan HD and Pohang Steelers. In addition, Gwangju's squad weakened even more as a large number of key players such as Jung Ho-yeon, Lee Hee-kyun, and Heo Yul left during the winter. However, the fact that it toppled Vissel Kobe, which uses the most massive amount of money in East Asia, drew great attention once again.
Hope in Korean soccer? An issue maker of excessive words and actions?
Until now, Gwangju had been a typical elevator team that repeatedly promoted and demoted in the first and second divisions. Since the introduction of the promotion and relegation system in 2012, the team has recorded three demotions, and spent five seasons in the second division. We are entering a new era after the appointment of Lee Jung-hyo as coach in 2022. Gwangju has appointed Lee Jung-hyo, who had only experience as a head coach in the professional league, as its coach. Gwangju under Lee Jung-hyo, who won promotion to the top division for the first time in a year by winning the K League 2 title in the first year, stirred the field with tremendous momentum.
In 2023, he ranked third in the K-League 1, his team's best performance, to qualify for the ACLE. Although he was ninth in the K-League 1 in 2024, he continued his strides by defeating Japan's strongman Yokohama F. Marinos 7-3 in the ACLE group stage. Lee Jung-hyo's trendy tactics and strategies have been a hot topic of conversation day after day even in Asia, where the gap in squads is widening.
Lee Jung-hyo's representative image is a tactician. In the Korean soccer community, it is not easy for a leader to talk for hours through tactical discourse, but Lee has clear philosophy and methodology. What is most focused on in the preparation process for the match is how to "lead the game, score more goals and win," which is the core of Lee Jung-hyo's soccer direction, and come up with effective training programs accordingly. It is not difficult to witness Lee working hard late at night at a regular cafe in Gwangju, accompanied by an analysis coach.
The secret to playing soccer, which is superior to the level of players, lies in elaborate position play. The concept, which Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, the best player in the 21st century, began in earnest, has been used as the basis for Lee's team's teamwork. Lee's soccer is to create a numerical advantage in a specific space through players with high soccer intelligence who can play various positions, and to create an advantage in both offense and defense. Gwangju is also the team that encourages goalkeepers to actively participate in build-up and defense.
It is also attractive in terms of narrative aspects. Since joining the team named Gwangju, the keyword that he has emphasized was "growth." Through the growth of players, the team grows, which proves his own growth as a coach. In fact, Gwangju has elevated its value by bringing in players who have not been recognized by other teams or have failed to burst their potential. Examples include Um Ji-sung who moved to Swansea City in the English Championship (division 2) and Jeong Ho-yeon who moved to Minnesota United in the North American Major League Soccer. Lee Soon-min (Daejeon), Lee Hee-kyun and Heo Yul (Ulsan) also moved to Korea's leading teams. Goalkeeper Kim Kyung-min was selected for the national team, while Asani and Park Tae-joon received attention from all over Asia. 스포츠토토