Lee Chun-soo to end up-and-down career
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Lee Chun-soo
By John Duerden
Things will never be the same again. Lee Chun-soo is hanging up his cleats, calling it a day or whatever cliche that fits when a football player announces his retirement. And so ends one of the most up-and-down careers that any athlete ― Korean or not ― has ever had.
Lee had the talent to be one of the best players in the modern history of Asian football and off the pitch too, he had other gifts. He will be missed though by different people and for different reasons.
Lee is talking of following fellow 2002 and 2006 World Cup teammates Ahn Jung-hwan and Lee Young-pyo into the commentary box. Turn on the television soon and you could see the controversial figure on the screen. If so, producers will be hoping that he provokes a similar reaction in the media as he did on and off the field during his career ― love him or not, he can't be ignored.
“I want to follow the examples set by Lee Young-pyo and Ahn Jung-hwan,” said the winger. “I want the public to understand football more easily with my commentating. At the moment, baseball is popular. I want to help football become more popular.”
He could. He had a talent for making headlines. But then that is what people thought for a long time. Lee made the 2002 World Cup roster as a 20 year-old and while he wasn't one of the major figures, he played his part. By the time 2006 came around, he was a star of Dick Advocaat's team ― who could forget his free-kick equalizer against Togo in the opening game to help give the Taegeuk Warriors a first ever win at an overseas World Cup?
He was in his heyday then, able to play on either side of attack or even a central role. In 2005, he returned to the K-League after a failed spell in Spain, to inspire Ulsan Hyundai Horangi to a memorable title-winning campaign. In 2007, he scored a fantastic winning goal as Korea defeated European champion Greece in an exhibition game in London.
Soon after, he joined Netherlands giant Feyenoord but he failed to settle in Rotterdam. He had the talent to be one of the best players in Asia and showed that on occasion but made bad decisions and, all too often, was badly advised. If Lee had stayed in the Netherlands ― he chose (influenced heavily by those close to him) to leave, the club wanted him to stay ― then perhaps he would be seen in a similar light to some of his 2002 teammates who went and starred in Europe.
It wasn't just about the bad decisions in his career but what happened off the field. There were plenty of controversies. In his private life, fights and bar brawls kept him in the headlines. Professionally, he upset a lot of people at clubs like Suwon Bluewings and especially Jeonnam Dragons. He walked out on the Dragons to suddenly head to Saudi Arabia in 2012. The K-League club called for Lee to be banned in Korean football and when the player returned home after an unsurprising short stay in the Middle East, he was unable to play and went to Jeonnam's stadium to apologize to fans, officials, players and staff. It was a sad sight.
In 2013, he was allowed to join his hometown club Incheon United and enjoyed a solid time as an experienced player. Fans still are divided other how he should be regarded as a player.
“It would be good if people remembered me as someone who was good for the team more than someone who was good at football.” That remains to be seen but Korean football has not seen the last of Lee Chun-soo.