1. Overview
Lee Chang-Min (이창민Lee Chang-MinKorean; born January 20, 1994) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Jeju United in the K League 1. His career began with Bucheon FC 1995 before various loan spells led him to establish himself at Jeju United. Lee has represented South Korea at multiple youth levels, including U-20 and U-23 squads, and has also earned caps for the senior national team, scoring his debut goal in a friendly against Poland.
2. Early Life
Lee Chang-Min was born on January 20, 1994.
3. Club Career
Lee Chang-Min's professional football career began with an initial signing with Bucheon FC 1995, followed by several loan spells and a significant period with Jeju United, before commencing his mandatory military service.
3.1. Youth and Early Professional Career
In 2014, ahead of the K League season, Lee Chang-Min garnered interest from several professional clubs before ultimately joining Bucheon FC 1995 as a free agent. Immediately after signing, he was loaned to Gyeongnam FC. During his time with Gyeongnam, he established himself as a starting midfielder, making 32 appearances. However, after Gyeongnam was relegated, Lee returned to Bucheon upon the expiration of his loan.
In 2015, Lee was again loaned out, this time to Jeonnam Dragons. He maintained consistent performance, notably scoring two goals in a match against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on April 26.
3.2. Jeju United
Before the start of the 2016 season, Lee Chang-Min made a complete transfer to Jeju United. He has since become a key player for the club, contributing significantly to their campaigns. His tenure at Jeju United includes a K League 2 championship in 2020.
3.3. Military Service
In June 2023, Lee Chang-Min began his mandatory 21-month military service. During this period, he is continuing his football career by playing for K League 4 side Geoje Citizen FC.
4. International Career
Lee Chang-Min has represented South Korea at various levels of international football, from youth teams to the senior national squad.
4.1. Youth National Teams
Lee Chang-Min began his international career with South Korea's youth teams. In 2014, he scored his debut goal for the U-23 national team in the fourth match of the Toulon Cup against England U-23. He followed this with his second goal in the second match of the 2015 King's Cup against Honduras. During the qualifiers for the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship, Lee scored against Indonesia U-23 with a powerful right-footed shot following a pass from Moon Chang-jin. On March 28, 2016, he contributed to South Korea's 3-0 victory over Algeria U-23 in a friendly match by scoring the team's opening goal. Lee was included in the final squad for the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship, which was announced on December 26, 2015. On June 27, 2016, he was also named in the final U-23 squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, alongside prominent players such as Son Heung-min and Suk Hyun-jun.
4.2. Senior National Team
Lee Chang-Min was initially named in the preliminary squad for the 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup but did not make the final roster. He received his first call-up to the senior national team for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Qatar and a friendly against Iraq, though he did not feature in either match. His official A-match debut came on November 10, 2017, in a game against Colombia, where he came on as a substitute for Kwon Chang-hoon in the 88th minute. On March 28, 2018, Lee scored his debut A-match goal against Poland with a long-range shot during a friendly match.
5. Career Statistics
This section presents Lee Chang-Min's statistical information regarding his appearances and goals for his clubs and the national team throughout his career.
5.1. Club Statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition.
| Club | Season | League | League | FA Cup | Playoffs | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Gyeongnam FC (loan) | 2014 | K League 1 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 34 | 2 | |
| Jeonnam Dragons (loan) | 2015 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 23 | 2 | |||
| Jeju United | 2016 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 22 | 2 | |||
| 2017 | 26 | 5 | 1 | 0 | - | 8 | 3 | 35 | 8 | |||
| 2018 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | 5 | 2 | 29 | 5 | |||
| 2019 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 33 | 5 | ||||
| 2020 | K League 2 | 24 | 4 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 27 | 4 | |||
| 2021 | K League 1 | 34 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 35 | 4 | |||
| 2022 | 31 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 32 | 4 | ||||
| 2023 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 14 | 0 | ||||
| Career Total | 244 | 30 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 270 | 34 | ||
5.2. International Goals
Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first.
| No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | March 27, 2018 | Silesian Stadium, Chorzów, Poland | Poland | 1-2 | 2-3 | Friendly |
6. Honours
Lee Chang-Min has achieved several honours throughout his career with both his clubs and the national teams, in addition to individual accolades.
6.1. Club Honours
- K League 2
- Winner: 2020 (Jeju United)
6.2. International Honours
- AFC U-19 Championship
- Winner: 2012 (South Korea U-20)
- King's Cup
- Winner: 2015 (South Korea U-23)
- EAFF East Asian Cup
- Winner: 2017 (South Korea)
- AFC U-23 Championship
- Runner-up: 2016 (South Korea U-23)
6.3. Individual Honours
- K League 1 Best XI: 2017
- K League 2 Best XI: 2020