Nam Tae-hee (; ; born 3 July 1991 in Busan) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or central midfielder for A-League Men club Brisbane Roar and the South Korea national team.
Club career Valenciennes Nam played in the Reading's Youth Academy through , but was unable to sign for the club due to work permit issues.
In July 2009, Nam signed his first professional contract with Ligue 1 side Valenciennes. He made his debut against Nancy on 8 August 2009, becoming the youngest Asian player to play in the Ligue 1 at age 18.
During the 2010–11 season, Nam was able to get more opportunities under manager Philippe Montanier, providing three assists in 18 Ligue 1 matches.
Al-Duhail
In the winter break of the 2011–12 season, Nam agreed to leave France for Qatar Stars League club Lekhwiya on 26 December 2011. He made his debut on 1 January 2012 against Al Kharaitiyat. He scored his first league goal from a free kick on 19 January 2012. He made his AFC Champions League debut for Lekhwiya on 7 March 2012, scoring the only goal against Al-Ahli Saudi, thereby scoring the first ever goal for Lekhwiya in any regional competition.
Nam scored 12 goals in 24 appearances at the 2013–14 Qatar Stars League, winning the league title as a key forward. He was evaluated as the best player according to league's official statistics, and was selected as one of three nominees for the Qatar Football Association Player of the Year.
On 6 May 2015, Nam contributed to all of Lekhwiya's goals by scoring a goal, providing an assist and winning a penalty in a 3–1 win over Al-Nassr, which was the last group stage match at the 2015 AFC Champions League. This match determined Lekhwiya's first-place finish in the group and Al-Nassr's elimination. Al-Nassr player Fabián Estoyanoff raided Nam from behind at the exit of the field just after the end of the match.
Nam had 14 goals and nine assists in 25 appearances at the 2016–17 Qatar Stars League, bringing his club's fifth league title and his fourth league title. He was named the Qatar FA Player of the Year at the end of the season, defeating Hassan Al-Haydos and Xavi.
Lekhwiya was merged with another QSL club El-Jaish and was rebranded as Al-Duhail prior to the 2017–18 season, but Nam still played as a main player for the club. He helped the club win the league without a defeat for the first time.
On 20 November 2018, Nam injured his anterior cruciate ligament in an international friendly against Uzbekistan. He agreed not to extend his contract with Al-Duhail when taking a rest.
Al-Sadd On 8 February 2019, Al-Sadd announced that they acquired Nam from fellow Qatari club Al-Duhail. He signed a three-year contract since the 2019–20 season with Al-Sadd. He became Jung Woo-young's teammate at both the club and the national team.
In the 2020–21 season, Nam contributed to Al-Sadd's first unbeaten QSL season like at Al-Duhail.
Return to Al-Duhail Nam returned to Al-Duhail ahead of the 2021–22 season, and played for the club for two more seasons. He scored 122 goals and won 15 titles including six league titles as he played for the club in 270 matches. On 30 July 2023, Al-Duhail confirmed that he would leave the club.
Yokohama F. Marinos On 1 August 2023, Nam signed with J1 League club Yokohama F. Marinos. He helped Yokohama reach the final at the 2023–24 AFC Champions League. At the Champions League final against Al-Ain, he played as a starter in a 2–1 first leg win, but was absent from the second leg, which ended in a 5–1 loss.
Jeju SK After two half-seasons with Yokohama F. Marinos, in July 2024 it was announced that Nam would be joining K League 1 club Jeju United (renamed Jeju SK in 2025).
International career Nam started to represent South Korea at the 2006 AFC U-17 Championship. He made his debut for the senior national team on 9 February 2011 in a friendly against Turkey.
Nam played for South Korea under-23 team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He appeared in all six of South Korea's matches including four matches as a starter, winning a bronze medal.
Nam was named in South Korea's squad for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup held in Australia. In the team's second group match, Nam scored the only goal as Korea defeated Kuwait 1–0 to ensure qualification to the knockout stage.
Style of play Nam was skilled in technique and sprint, having confidence in his dribbling. However, he had a small physique, and also had difficulty performing systematic teamwork.
Career statistics
Club
+Appearances and goals by club, season and competition Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps GoalsValenciennes2009–10Ligue 1601000——702010–11Ligue 11801020——2102011–12Ligue 11300000——130Total3702020——410Valenciennes B2009–10National 341————412010–11National 332————322011–12National 211————11Total84————84Al-Duhail2011–12Qatar Stars League105 61 1662012–13Qatar Stars League196 70 2662013–14Qatar Stars League2412 92 33142014–15Qatar Stars League257 83 33102015–16Qatar Stars League2510 923237142016–17Qatar Stars League2514 841034182017–18Qatar Stars League2112 10713432172018–19Qatar Stars League117 002010147Total16073 1056138622592Al-Sadd2019–20Qatar Stars League193 3171513462020–21Qatar Stars League1872232101203512Total37102263172716918 Al-Duhail2021–22Qatar Stars League165420060—2672022–23Qatar Stars League18611713021319Total3411537190215716 Yokohama F. Marinos2023J1 League90003150—1712024J1 League112100060—182Total2021031110—353 Jeju SK2024K League 18020———1002025K League 122300———223Total30320———323Career total3261031251959315178467136
International Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first.
+ List of international goals scored by Nam Tae-hee No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition1 10 October 2014 Cheonan Stadium, Cheonan, South Korea 2–0 2–0 Friendly2 13 January 2015 Canberra Stadium, Canberra, Australia 1–0 1–0 2015 AFC Asian Cup3 12 November 2015 Suwon World Cup Stadium, Suwon, South Korea 4–0 4–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification4 15 November 2016 Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul, South Korea 1–1 2–1 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification5 7 September 2018 Goyang Stadium, Goyang, South Korea 2–0 2–0 Friendly6 20 November 2018 QSAC, Brisbane, Australia 1–0 4–0 Friendly7 5 June 2021 Goyang Stadium, Goyang, South Korea 2–0 5–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours Al-Duhail Qatar Stars League: 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2022–23 Emir of Qatar Cup: 2016, 2018, 2022 Qatari Stars Cup: 2022–23 Sheikh Jassim Cup: 2015, 2016 Qatar Cup: 2013, 2015, 2018, 2023
Al-Sadd Qatar Stars League: 2020–21 Emir of Qatar Cup: 2020, 2021 Qatari Stars Cup: 2019–20 Sheikh Jassim Cup: 2019 Qatar Cup: 2020, 2021
Yokohama F. Marinos AFC Champions League runner-up: 2023–24
South Korea U23 Summer Olympics bronze medal: 2012
South Korea AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 2015
Individual Qatar Stars League Team of the Season: 2013–14 Qatar FA Player of the Year: 2017 AFC Champions League All-Star Squad: 2018, 2019
Notes
References
External links
Nam Tae-hee at KFA