Lee Ho-jae (; born 14 October 2000) is a South Korean professional footballer, who plays as a center-forward for German club Darmstadt 98 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.
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.
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.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueCupContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsPohang Steelers2021K League 115200502022022K League 116112—1732023K League 1378426247122024K League 1279212031102025K League 13415105340182026K League 12080020228Total149438520517753Darmstadt 982026–272. Bundesliga11000011Career total150448520517854
International Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first.
+List of international goals scored by Lee Ho-jae No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition1 11 July 2025 Yongin Mireu Stadium, Yongin, South Korea 2–0 2–0 2025 EAFF Championship
References
External links