Screenshot of Li Tongguo's social media.

　　Chinanews Client, October 26th. Beijing time on the 26th, South Korean veteran Lee Tongguo, currently playing for the K-League Jeonbuk Hyundai, announced that he will officially retire after this season, ending his 23-year career .

　　Li Tongguo wrote on his personal social media: "As this season of regret and gratitude is about to end, I decided to leave the stadium where I have devoted my entire life. I made this decision only after a long time of thinking. Retirement is not an end, but a new beginning. I am very grateful for so many people who have encouraged and supported me in the past 23 years. Although I cannot express my gratitude to everyone directly, I will always remember it in my heart. ."

　　Li Tongguo is 41 years old and is one of the "evergreen trees" in Asian football.

His professional career began in 1998. After graduating from high school, Li Tongguo joined Pohang Steelers. In the following three years, he gradually grew into the main player of the team.

In the 2000-01 season, Li Tongguo was briefly loaned to the Bundesliga team Werder Bremen.

　　Because of his military service in 2003, Lee Tongguo served for Gwangju Sangmu Phoenix for two years. In 2005, he returned to Pohang Steelers.

In January 2007, Li Tongguo stayed abroad again and joined the Premier League Middlesbrough.

In the summer of 2008, Lee Tongguo returned to South Korea and joined Seongnamichi and Tianma.

At the beginning of 2009, he transferred again and joined Jeonbuk Hyundai.

Since playing, he has helped Jeonbuk win 7 K-League championships.

　　In the AFC Champions League, Li Tongguo has repeatedly performed well in the face of the Super League team, and he is therefore known to more Chinese fans.

　　As for the national team, Lee Tongguo joined the Korean team in the 1998 World Cup in France.

He replaced the home court in the match against the Dutch team and became the youngest player in the history of the Korean team to play in the World Cup.

In the 2000 Asian Cup, Li Tongguo scored 6 goals and was elected the best scorer in the tournament.

Since then, he has missed the World Cup in Japan and South Korea and the World Cup in Germany.

In the 2010 South Africa World Cup, he was once again selected for the national team squad.

　　It can be said that Lee Tongguo is one of the witnesses of the gradual rise of Korean football.

Most of his contemporaries in Asia have already faded out of the court.

At the age of 41, he can still contribute to the team. Li Tongguo's love and professionalism for football is commendable.

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