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 K League 1 club Jeju SK and the South Korea national team.
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 2010âÂÂ11 season, Nam was able to get more opportunities under manager Philippe Montanier, providing three assists in 18 Ligue 1 matches.
In the winter break of the 2011âÂÂ12 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 2013âÂÂ14 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 3âÂÂ1 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 2016âÂÂ17 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 2017âÂÂ18 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.
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 2019âÂÂ20 season with Al-Sadd. He became Jung Woo-young's teammate at both the club and the national team.
In the 2020âÂÂ21 season, Nam contributed to Al-Sadd's first unbeaten QSL season like at Al-Duhail.
Nam returned to Al-Duhail ahead of the 2021âÂÂ22 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.
On 1 August 2023, Nam signed with J1 League club Yokohama F. Marinos. He helped Yokohama reach the final at the 2023âÂÂ24 AFC Champions League. At the Champions League final against Al-Ain, he played as a starter in a 2âÂÂ1 first leg win, but was absent from the second leg, which ended in a 5âÂÂ1 loss.
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).
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 1âÂÂ0 to ensure qualification to the knockout stage.
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.
Al-Duhail
Al-Sadd
Yokohama F. Marinos
South Korea U23
South Korea
Individual