Interview Lee Seung-woo in the South China Morning Post

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tesneusdoek
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Lid geworden op: 03 aug 2016, 18:20

Interview Lee Seung-woo in the South China Morning Post

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South Korean footballer Lee Seung-woo motivated by responsibility as an Asian playing in Europe and why he lives his life with ‘no regrets’
https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/art ... lity-asian
Former Barcelona youth player brushes aside talk of a lack of game time in Belgium – ‘I’m just trying to do my best’
Former coach Kevin Muscat says, ‘There are certainly no signs of him settling on where he’s at’

Andrew McNicol
Published: 10:00am, 9 Dec, 2020


At just 22, South Korean international Lee Seung-woo is more than familiar with intense media scrutiny and sky-high expectations. The flamboyant winger was thrust into the limelight as a teenage prodigy after being scouted into FC Barcelona’s renowned La Masia youth set-up, drawing the usual “Asian Messi”, “Korean Beckham” comparisons as one of the few to have “cracked it” from the Far East.

While things may not have panned out how he – and hundreds of thousands of adoring fans – had envisioned, Lee still feels a strong responsibility as an Asian playing in Europe’s top flight.

“As a player representing Korea in a European league, I try to work harder and do better compared to others. I try to do better in every game because of my responsibility as a Korean player here,” he told the Post.

“These aspects have put more responsibility on me and I feel like me succeeding as a player also gives more opportunities to future Korean and Asian players. This motivates me to work even harder.”

Lee, who speaks five languages, is helping Belgian Pro League team Sint-Truiden avoid relegation in what has been a topsy-turvy season. That he has ended up plying his trade in Belgium’s Flemish region is testament to his unrelenting desire to succeed on the continent.

After graduating to Barcelona’s B team and cementing himself through South Korean national team age-group set-ups, Suwon-born Lee made a shock move to Italian outfit Verona in 2017.

Less than 40 club appearances in two years would end his rather underwhelming tenure, with fans and media increasingly fearful of potential career stagnation. After all, he was still one of South Korea’s hottest prospects, having been called up for the 2018 Fifa World Cup and 2018 Asian Games.
Lee signed for Sint-Truiden in 2019 after being guaranteed playing time under club CEO Takayuki Tateishi, appointed by owners and Japanese e-commerce giants DMM.com. He became the club’s highest-paid player and was given the No 10 jersey. Perhaps intimidating to some, but nothing he had not experienced before.

“I talked with the owners a lot before joining,” Lee recalled. “I saw and began to trust the team and its vision. It was also a different challenge from Spain and Italy – I wanted to experience a more aggressive style of football here.”

Lee again struggled for minutes on the pitch, only made worse by his open feud with then-coach Marc Brys. The Belgian had clearly taken issue with Lee’s attitude, famously telling the youngster not to “dream of the past”.

He eventually made his Pro League debut four months later and earned a few more appearances before the Covid-19 pandemic brought the season to an early close. In an interview with Korea JoongAng Daily, he expressed overwhelming emotion after reflecting on the sacrifices his mother made ahead of the move.

Under new Australian manager Kevin Muscat, appointed this summer, Lee took the clean-slate opportunity to prove he was worthy of regular starts. He has made a conservative 14 appearances for the club, scoring two goals. Unlike his predecessor, Muscat was full of praise and optimism.

“He’s a very impressive player and shows maturity beyond his years. It’s a very challenging competition for him, maybe because of his lack of physicality. But he makes up for it in sharpness and quick decision-making,” said Muscat, before he was sacked last month for the team’s poor run of form.

“It goes without saying that he’s not going to get into or win too many battles – his game is based around winning the contest before the duel actually appears.

“There’s no doubt he’s well respected and has a great following in Korea. He very ambitious and believes in his ability without being arrogant. There are certainly no signs of him settling on where he’s at the moment. He wants to achieve a lot more in career.”

Lee was encouraged by being under the tutelage of someone hailing from the Asia-Oceania region, though the reins have since changed hands once again.

As for the future, Lee had previously vowed to demonstrate he was capable of reaching his early Catalonian heights. The objective now is more general, but the fire in his belly is still very much alive.

“I aim to be on the field more and score more goals, get more assists, and win more games. Regarding the amount of game time, I’m just trying to do my best whenever I get on the field,” he said, adding that he did not have any real trouble adapting to life and football, having been in Belgium “almost two years now”.

“I want to fully enjoy every day of my life with no regrets. By doing so, I believe that better opportunities will come my way and I will develop myself more in a positive environment. I am trying to believe in myself and take steps forward.”
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stvvilvoorde
Berichten: 4139
Lid geworden op: 19 okt 2010, 11:07

Re: Interview Lee Seung-woo in the South China Morning Post

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Alain
Berichten: 991
Lid geworden op: 04 okt 2010, 13:50

Re: Interview Lee Seung-woo in the South China Morning Post

Bericht door Alain »

Maar het is toch niet meer dan normaal dat een TOPPER als SEUNGWOO LEE niet gemotiveerd is, als hij ziet welke guddereers er in zijn plaats in de basis mogen starten!* **



*post kan sporen van cynisme bevatten
**elke gelijkenis met andere posts is geheel toevallig
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Halenaar
Berichten: 5278
Lid geworden op: 06 okt 2010, 18:22

Re: Interview Lee Seung-woo in the South China Morning Post

Bericht door Halenaar »

Nog eens een uitgebreid artikel over Lee:

https://www.goal.com/en/amp/news/nxgn-r ... ssion=true
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