“I came to (KTX) standing room only.”
It didn’t matter if he was standing, seated, or in a reserved seat; what mattered most to him was that he was back in the national team.
After five years and four months of waiting, it’s finally here: the “Korean Messi” Lee Seung-woo (Jeonbuk) has been named to the national team for the first time in a long time. The Korea Football Association named Lee Seung-woo and Moon Sun-min (Jeonbuk) as replacements for Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) and 엔트리 파워사다리 Uhm Ji-sung (Swansea City) after they were ruled out with injuries.
Lee learned of the call-up on the evening of Nov. 11 and traveled to Yongin on the morning of Nov. 12 by KTX Ipsuk. “It would be best if I play, but even if I don’t, I hope I can make a lot of good memories here,” he joked with the media after a long absence. ‘I haven’t thought about it (playing in the North American World Cup) yet,’ he said in all seriousness.
“I just go with the flow, I train day in and day out, thinking, ‘It’s going to happen,’” he said, adding, ”It’s been a long time coming to this special place.”
The South Korean national soccer team, led by Hong Myung-bo, will take on Iraq at Yongin Mir Stadium on Friday at 8 p.m. in the fourth match of Group B of the FIFA Confederations Cup North America 2026 Asian qualifying tournament.
To be fair, picking Lee could be difficult. He’s been called up in the middle of the season, and the second spot is already filled with the likes of Lee Kang-in (PSG), Lee Jae-sung, Hong Hyun-seok (Mainz) and Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City). Lee is aware of this. However, if given the chance, he is determined to do his best as he has always wanted to. “I just want to do my best,” he said, ”because it’s been so long and I’ve really been waiting for this time, so I want to prepare well and show everything I can show.
