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Lee Woon-jae, seen here in a file photo, has played in 123 international football matches, second-most all time among Korean players. / Korea Times File |
By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
At 36 years old, Korean national team goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae is showing that he still has what it takes to compete at a high level.
On Sunday (KST), Lee was in net for Korea's 0-0 draw with Denmark and made several key saves, against the best team Korea has faced in some time.
It was also Lee's 123rd cap with the national team, which moved him past Yoo Sang-chul into second all-time in national team appearances. He now trails only Hong Myung-bo, the current manager of the Korean Olympic team, who played in 135 matches over his career.
Hong is also 20th in the world all-time in international caps.
With Lee still on top of his game, he's on pace to break the record. Lee does have an advantage as a goalkeeper, as players at his position can typically play at a high level later into their careers, more so than players at other positions.
He has been good enough to earn the trust of national team manager Huh Jung-moo, who used him in every qualifying match for the 2010 World Cup. And even against Northern European powerhouse Denmark, Lee was sharp. On one play, Lee rushed out of his net to cut down the angle on a one-on-one with a Danish player.
Lee also renewed his reputation for making big saves in shootouts when he stopped two shots and was the hero as his Suwon BlueWings won the FA Cup against Seongnam Chunma.
If Lee hopes to break the record, he will need to be named to the roster for next year's World Cup in South Africa, something which should be all but assured as long as he stays healthy and maintains his physical conditioning and stamina.
Besides Lee, Lee Young-pyo, a defender with Saudi club Al-Hilal, has also crossed the century mark for international caps. His 109 matches put him fifth all time, behind fourth-place Cha Bum-kun (121 caps).
yc@koreatimes.co.kr
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'600만명 학살 지휘' 잔인한 인물의 뒷얘기 공개
