“I’m not looking forward to it.” Lee Dong-kyung (27) scored a great goal in a match held the day before the announcement of the national team. However, Lee couldn’t smile broadly because his recent performance was not very satisfactory and the team ended up with a draw. He just had a strong desire for the national flag, but he couldn’t be greedy. Lee Dong-kyung declined to say that he is cheering for Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Kang-in (PSG) because there are many good players.
However, the next day, Korean national football team coach Hong Myung-bo chose Lee Dong-kyung. Lee Dong-kyung has been named on the list of A team players who will play in the first and second rounds of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup, which was unveiled on Wednesday. It is the first time in about a year that Lee Dong-kyung has won the Korean national flag since the Wales-Saudi Arabia game in September last year. Since then, he has been shunned by Klinsman and Hwang Sun-hong as acting coach. He has regained his opportunity by being included in the first squad of Hong Myung-bo, who coached him during his time in Ulsan.
Lee Dong-kyung said, “I had a hard time these days. I was in peak condition at the beginning of the season when I was playing for Ulsan. When I enlisted in the military at the end of April, I encountered a difficult situation. If not for military service, I was highly likely to have been selected as a member of the national team for the second qualifying round of the World Cup in May. Lee Dong-kyung returned to the K-League in June wearing the Gimcheon uniform after receiving basic military training. Of course, his performance could not be the same. “Don’t you know all of Lee Dong-kyung’s abilities? He is a player who can join the national team. It is true that his form is not 100 percent, but he is in the process of matching,” he said, dismissing his concerns. He said, “I am getting better every game and I am confident that the trend will be maintained in the future. Chung expected that this game will be better than the previous game and better next time.”
Chung’s wish came true. In the match against Daejeon in the 28th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024, Lee Dong-kyung made a comeback by firing a picturesque cannonball shot. After the match, Chung said, “I enjoyed the non-stop shooting. It is one of the things that Tokyo is good at. I hope he can display more confidence and performance with this goal.” He added, “I hope we can achieve better things with plus alpha.”
When Lee joined the army, he had to hurry to adapt to the changing environment. He rushed not only to live his life but also to incorporate new leaders and tactics. He must have felt pressure. “I had a lot of conversations with my coach and coach. I decided to put down my burdens and focus more on what my team wanted to do and find a way to overcome them,” Lee said. “Personally, 먹튀검증 I liked it so much that everything went well before I joined the army. I was full of confidence. I felt that I needed to be able to do the same even when the team changed and I met the new coach’s soccer, but I lacked in those areas.”
The national team was virtually abandoned. “I dreamed of joining the national team the moment I started playing soccer. Not a single day has changed. It is a big goal for me,” Lee said. “I don’t have high expectations for it.” “We started a good season by scoring goals (from Son) Heung-min to (Lee) Kang-in. There are many good players in the K-League as well. Coach Hong has also joined the team. This is an important time for us to advance to the finals of the World Cup.” Hong offered his hand to Lee. “I am so happy to join the national team for the first time in a year. I will do my best to show good performances,” Lee said.