By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
South Korean international Lee Chun-soo agreed on a four-year contract with Dutch side Feyenoord Rotterdam Friday, making a hard-earned return to European football after tanking with Real Sociedad three years ago.
The 28-year-old striker, who is expected to leave for Rotterdam soon for a physical, had earlier rejected Feyenoord's attempt to sign him on loan. His multiyear deal is based on a transfer fee of 2 million euros ($2.7 million), according to his current club Ulsan Hyundai.
``I have got what i wished for. This is not an opportunity that comes often and I will not try to blow it,'' Lee told reporters at the Incheon International Airport. However, his departure to Rotterdam was delayed hours later due to a blunder over purchasing plane tickets.
``The Dutch league has a high quality of competition and I will take one step at a time to improve myself. I guess I have been too stubborn and thought only about bigger leagues,'' he said.
``It is a complete transfer. After the club rejected Feyenoord's attempt to take Lee on loan, the Dutch club renewed their offer by expressing interest in retaining the full-rights for Lee through the transfer, which shows their commitment,'' said an Ulsan front office official.
``We believe that the contract would provide enough security for the player to adjust to the European stage and no one can undermine Lee's determination to prove himself on the bigger stage. His departure is certainly a blow to our drive for the league championship but the club has always been supportive of players wanting to gain experience in Europe,'' he said.
Lee's signing with Feyenoord marks a dramatic reversal of fortune, as he was widely expected to finish the season in Ulsan after transfer talks with English clubs Fulham and Wigan Athletic fell through. He becomes the seventh Korean footballer to play in the Dutch league.
The list starts with 1980s star Huh Jung-moo, a PSV Eindhoven graduate, Roh Jung-yoon, a standout for NAC Breda in the 1990s, and more recently, Premiership players Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo, who kicked off their European careers as a promising duo at Eindhoven.
Kim Nam-il, who had a short stint with Excelsior, and Song Jong-gug, Lee's Korean predecessor at Feyenoord, were less successful in their Dutch league transitions.
Lee, among a handful of players from Korea's glorified 2002 World Cup squad to secure deals with European clubs, hopes for a similar career trajectory with Park and Young-pyo who played themselves into winning contracts with bigger English clubs.
However, Lee first must prove that he belongs in European football, and his past history with Spanish clubs Real Sociedad and Numancia warrants a healthy dose of skepticism.
Lee, considered one of the country's best players and a key part of the national team where he is most used at right midfield, is regarded for his flashy game based on speed and trickery, and also for his set-piece prowess.
However, the winger doesn't play bigger than his frail, 1.74-meter frame and his lack of vision and tendency to walk the ball has critics questioning whether his skills could translate into European success.
Lee did little to quiet the doubt during his two seasons at Spain through 2003 and 2005, when he appeared in a combined 28 matches for Real Sociedad and Numancia but failed to score a single goal, let alone secure a first-team job, an embarrassing performance for someone who endorsed himself as ``better than Beckham.''
It bears further watching whether Lee will be thrown into fire immediately with his new club, as he is currently not in top form with his body taking its toll from the grueling double-duty for club and country.
Lee has currently been playing through pain in recent league matches, suffering from a bruised knee and rib cage, with the extra mileage he picked up representing his country in July's Asian Cup thought to be slowing the recovery.