Jeonbuk fact file
Jeonbuk Motors was founded in 1994 as a phoenix club for the now-defunct Chonbuk Buffalo and has competed in South Korea’s top flight since their inception. The club won the K League 1 title for the first time in 2009 and has since been crowned champions a record seven times (equal with rivals Seongnam FC). The Warriors, as they are affectionately known, have also won the AFC Champions League on two occasions, having lifted the continental trophy in 2006 and 2016, and have taken part in two FIFA Club World Cup tournaments.
Jeonbuk are currently led by Portuguese manager Jose Morais, who assumed the reins at the start of the 2019 campaign and guided the club to a third consecutive K League 1 title. The 54-year-old boasts a wealth of experience to his name, having previously held managerial positions across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and was famously part of Jose Mourinho’s coaching staff during the current Tottenham Hotspur boss’ respective spells with FC Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
Among the most notable players in Jeonbuk’s squad is veteran striker Lee Dong-gook. The 41-year-old is the K League 1’s all-time leading goalscorer with 132 goals in 291 appearances and scored the opening goal of the 2020 campaign during his side’s 1-0 win over Suwon Bluewings. The Pohang- born forward is a four-time K League MVP and was the league’s top goalscorer in the 2009 campaign. He has also made more than 100 international appearances for South Korea, featured at two FIFA World Cup tournaments, and previously turned out for the likes Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga and Middlesbrough in the Premier League.
Veldwijk is one of three foreign players in Jeonbuk’s squad this season, alongside Brazilian midfielder Murilo and Japanese forward Takahiro Kunimoto. The trio all joined the South Korean outfit at the start of the 2020 campaign and made their respective debuts across the club’s AFC Champions League matches against Yokohama F. Marinos and Sydney FC earlier in the year, prior to football being suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.